UNESCO WORKS WITH PHL ON EDUCATION REFORM

Senator Edgardo J. Angara underscored the importance of cooperation among the country's leaders to help bring the Philippines' education system on par with those of its Southeast Asian neighbors.

"We must see to it that our country's short-term goals--such as addressing the scarcity of books, classrooms and teachers in the public school system--are in line with the long-term goals set by international organizations such as the UNESCO", said Angara during the first meeting of the UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) National Commission's Education Committee earlier today.

The meeting, held at the Department of Foreign Affairs, was also attended by Department of Education (DepEd) Secretary Bro. Armin Luistro and Dr. Patricia Licuanan of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED).

Key events and projects, such as the 36th Session of the UNSECO General Conference, were also discussed during the meeting.

The main goal of the biennial GenCon is to determine the policies and main line of work of the organization. According to Angara, chair of the Senate Committee on Education, Culture and the Arts, "The GenCon is a great chance for the leadership to institute reforms in the education sector worldwide. The UNESCO can help us draw attention to problem areas and find solutions for them," he said.

The members also considered including the Philippines as one of the pilot countries for the UNESCO General Education Quality Diagnosis/Analysis and Monitoring Framework--a project straight from the UNSECO headquarters set to begin in 2012.

"This framework is an important tool, especially for us in developing countries, in strengthening our overall educational system through better monitoring and quality improvement," said Angara.