The Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) formalized a collaborative partnership aimed at pushing data-driven reforms in the country’s education sector.

UNFPA, an agency attached to the United Nations, targets an opportunity to explore the complex relationship between adolescent health and education for Filipino youth.

This partnership focuses on findings from UNFPA's Longitudinal Cohort Study on the Filipino Child (LCSFC), a 15-year research initiative launched in 2016. 

The study tracks the lives of Filipino children, monitoring them from age 10 until they reach 24, or in 2030.

The study is designed to collect data capturing significant milestones from childhood to young adulthood.  

It also seeks to inform national policy-making and program planning, particularly on how development goals are contributing to maximizing the potential of the Filipino youth.

Dr. Leila Saiji Joudane, UNFPA Philippines' Country Representative, stressed the need to address issues affecting education to help policymakers implement solutions that will enable adolescents to stay in school and acquire quality education.

“What we need to do so that your education system is reformed is to diagnose and prescribe the right solutions,” she said. 

Meanwhile, EDCOM 2 Executive Director Karol Mark Yee said utilizing data from the landmark LCSFC will further promote EDCOM’s policy recommendations, especially given the rich opportunities for data.

“This is a humongous contribution to the work we do for Philippine education,” Yee added. 

“As we enter our final year, we are counting on this partnership and on this study to help inform our policy recommendations in reforming our education system. We need partners like you that will sustain data-driven initiatives even when EDCOM is done,” he added.

Dr. Moya Collett, Deputy Head of Mission from the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, conveyed her country’s strong support for the EDCOM 2-UNFPA’s collaboration efforts. 

“The Australian government has been supporting Philippine education for about 30 years now. I hope this longitudinal cohort study will really help EDCOM 2 in pushing for data-driven policies,” she said.