NANAWAGAN si EDCOM 2 Commissioner at Tingog Party-list Rep. Jude Acidre na tugunan ang lumalalang krisis sa edukasyon ng bansa, sa pamamagitan ng mabilis na aksyon mula sa mga stakeholder batay sa mga isyung nakita ng Second Congressional Commission on Education o EDCOM 2.

Ginawa ni Acidre, na isang House Assistant Majority Leader, ang pahayag sa kanyang keynote address sa Diocese of Cubao Educational System (DOCES) General Assembly na ginanap sa Obispado de Cubao.

Ibinahagi ni Acidre ang mahahalagang bahagi ng EDCOM 2 Year 2 report na may pamagat na “Fixing the Foundation: A Matter of National Survival”.

“The title is strong. It has to be. Because that’s how serious things are,” ani Acidre, habang binibigyang-diin ang kahalagahan ng agarang reporma sa early grade education.

“Foundational learning must be our top priority,” giit niya. “What happens when a child reaches Grade 4 and still cannot read well, or do basic arithmetic? What happens is this: the child continues through school, yes—but without real learning. Learning gaps become learning chasms.”

Binigyang-diin ni Acidre na apektado ng learning crisis ang parehong pampubliko at pribadong institusyon.

“Even private schools face this. Even some of our Catholic schools, especially those serving low-income communities, are seeing declining learning outcomes,” aniya.

Isa sa mga pangunahing rekomendasyon ng ulat ay ang patuloy na pamumuhunan sa professional development ng mga guro.

“Teachers are the beating heart of the school,” ani Acidre. “But the truth is, our teachers are tired. Many are disillusioned. Some are struggling silently. What they need is not just more seminars or modules. They need real formation—personal, professional, and spiritual.”

Nagpatuloy siya, “Let’s mentor the young teachers, uplift the burned-out ones, and form communities where teaching becomes a vocation again, not just a job.”

Binigyang-pansin din ni Acidre ang pangangailangang tugunan ang educational inequality. “We cannot be okay with this,” aniya, na tumutukoy sa matitinding agwat sa kondisyon ng mga paaralan sa buong bansa.

Tungkol sa papel ng mga pribadong institusyon, kanyang kinilala na “mahalagang parte ng sistema ng edukasyon sa bansa ang mga private schools,” at nanawagan ng mas matatag na ugnayan sa pagitan ng pampubliko at pribadong sektor upang mapabuti ang access at kalidad ng edukasyon para sa lahat.

“A school is not just a building. It is a community—a village of support, guidance, encouragement, and growth,” dagdag pa niya.

Habang inihahanda ng EDCOM 2 ang pagbuo ng pangmatagalang pambansang plano para sa edukasyon at workforce development, nanawagan si Acidre sa mga education stakeholders na maging aktibong katuwang sa reporma.

“Let’s work together: To uplift foundational learning, especially in the early years. To invest in the formation and flourishing of teachers. To bridge the gaps of inequality and exclusion. To provide holistic support for learners. And to embrace data and research as tools for mission, not mere metrics,” wika niya.

Tinapos niya ang kanyang talumpati sa pamamagitan ng pagbibigay-diin sa mas malalim na layunin sa likod ng mga reporma—isang layuning higit pa sa simpleng paggawa ng polisiya.

“Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain,” aniya, na nagbanggit ng Psalm 127. “Let us build, yes. Let us work, yes. Let us reform, yes. But let us never forget the foundation: God’s call, our mission, and our shared commitment to form generations who will not only succeed—but serve. Not only achieve—but love. Not only learn—but lead with faith.”