Senator Loren Legarda urged the Department of Education (DepEd) to implement a systems-based education reform to address structural inefficiencies.

Legarda, co-chairperson of the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM II), highlighted the backlog of about 165,000 classrooms and the fact that only 30 percent of existing school buildings are in good condition.

The senator also noted that 32,916 teaching and 22,124 principal positions remain nationwide, with 1,338 posts for school heads still vacant.

She added that each School Division Office (SDO) staff supports an average of 1,237 learners and 33 schools, stressing the overstretched local bureaucracy.

While these issues remain persistent, DepEd remains committed to responding to these challenges, including the creation of 20,000 new teacher items and 10,000 Administrative Officer II positions, and its "One School, One Principal" target to professionalize school leadership.

DepEd has also issued the first Medical Allowance Guidelines, raised the Teaching Support Subsidy for private school teachers from P18,000 to P24,000, and doubled the Teaching Supplies Allowance to P10,000 through the Kabalikat sa Pagtuturo Act, a measure that Legarda championed.

Further, DepEd reported that it is building 328 Child Development Centers with local governments, developing Project Ligtas, a tool that maps school geohazards, and launching Project Talino for data-driven partner matching.

It also rolled out Project SIGLA to monitor nutrition outcomes and scaled up early childhood and feeding programs for learners.

Legarda likewise stressed sustained funding for the Alternative Learning System (ALS) and Indigenous Peoples Education programs.

For School Year 2023-2024, DepEd reported that only 46 percent of ALS learners completed the program.

“When education fails to reach the poor, the loss is not only in learning but in productivity, opportunity, and national growth,” Legarda said.

Legarda reaffirmed that EDCOM II’s review aims to align education governance with measurable human development outcomes.

“Our goal is to build an education system that expands capability, reduces inequality, and prepares every learner to participate fully in national life," she added.