The Department of Education (DepEd) has joined forces with the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) to accelerate reforms that strengthen early learning, expand inclusive education, and address persistent literacy gaps.

To address these challenges, the education trifocal agencies established permanent working groups that will oversee coordinated implementation of priority reforms over the next two years, with the shared goal of ensuring seamless learner transitions from early childhood through basic education and into higher education or technical training.

DepEd will lead three permanent working groups covering Early Childhood Care and Development, Inclusive Education, and Functional Literacy and Learning Recovery—areas identified as critical leverage points for rebuilding the education system on stronger foundations

Other permanent working groups formed during the meeting will focus on senior high school, workforce development, tertiary scholarships, teacher education and professionalization, the creative economy, strategic communications, and the legislative and policy agenda.

Education Secretary Sonny Angara said the formation of the permanent working groups reflects renewed alignment among education agencies and sustained support for reforms prioritized by President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos, Jr.

The permanent working groups on Early Childhood Care and Development will focus on strengthening policy coherence in early childhood education and ensuring smoother transitions from Early Childhood Care and Development programs to Kindergarten. The working group aims to deepen coordination with partner agencies and local governments to address low access to early childhood education and persistent malnutrition through aligned policies and implementation.

Meanwhile, the permanent working groups on Inclusive Education underscored the need for stronger inter-agency collaboration to bring all learners to school, particularly learners with disabilities, indigenous learners, and other marginalized groups. The team is set to reinforce the need for coordinated workforce, and learner support systems across agencies to address poverty, language barriers, and limited support services in education.

The permanent working groups on Early Childhood Care and Development on Functional Literacy and Learning Recovery highlighted the urgency of institutionalizing learning recovery within the regular school system. The group will work to embed learning progression frameworks, align assessment and instruction, and ensure that remediation runs alongside mainstream teaching.

Senior officials from CHED and TESDA, who will lead the remaining permanent working groups, likewise identified priority interventions to be pursued over the next two years to address sector-specific challenges and strengthen alignment across the education continuum.