The Philippine Business For Education on Friday called for a comprehensive review of the country's education system to identify gaps and provide solutions to curb the current "learning crisis."

PBed Director for Workforce Development Justine Raagas said since 2001, one in three 5-year-old students were shorter than the ideal height. Many were are also "lagging" in assessments in science, math, and reading.

"We are in a learning crisis...It’s really a problem that students come to school unprepared at various levels and ages and they’re not learning what they’re supposed to be learning," Raagas told ANC.

"This is really due to a lot of conditions, food insecurity, low family income, mother’s education…It’s really a problem that students come to school unprepared at various levels and ages and they’re not learning what they’re supposed to be learning," she added.

She said the review could be done with an educational commission which could be formed in the congressional level. Once formed, it will create an advisory council, she added.

"The biggest help that we can really do is this 'EDCOM II', review the current gaps in our system.. and determine what the solutions are that can be systemic to improve learning," Raagas said.

The Senate in May ratified a bicameral conference committee report seeking to establish EDCOM II or the Second Congressional Commission on Education, a temporary congressional body that would evaluate the country's education system.

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PBed has also met with Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte, who Raagas said seemed open to their suggestions.

Face-to-face learning in the Philippines has been gradually resuming this year following the shift to module-based and remote learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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