03/03/2023
“We exist to start the rebuilding of our education and our world… We are now revolting”
Excerpt from PAGLAYA Manifesto
For too long, students have been commodified and seen as dispensable people by the current neoliberal education that we have in the Philippines led by the government. Students also continue to be confronted with multiple systemic injustices that have contributed to an alarming learning poverty. Young people are also bombarded with social ills such as the ongoing climate crisis and the active threat of COVID-19. Amidst these crises, the government blatantly disregards the wisdom, expertise, and lived experiences of both students and education workers. Instead of providing resources and social programs to support students and education workers, priority has been given to politically-driven policies and practices that do not contribute to learning such as the push for mandatory Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC), the NCSTP Bill, banning books, No-Permit No Exam Policy, and the perpetuation of disinformation in classes. Government funds have been mechanized to make our education system even more profit-centric and highly militarized. It is apparent that the government does not prioritize an equitable, accessible, and liberatory education, but rather, a highly profitable and militarized one.
The Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2) is a manifestation of our government’s machination to prevent students and education workers from being heard, and seen if you will, as crucial decision-makers in overhauling our education system for transformative progress in education. Historically, reforms on education have prioritized school owners and administrators, politicians, and the business-sector—this remains to be apparent with the composition of the advisory council and decision-making body of EDCOM 2.
Students are the major stakeholders of our education system and it is only right that we participate in decision-making on policies and practices that impact us most. EDCOM 2 only plans to hold consultations with young people; however, consultations are not enough, for we have a right to claim our space and be involved in planning and decision-making at the classroom level, school level, local level, and national level. We do not want our struggles and our individualities to be tokenized under the guise of the government’s sham “inclusion”. We demand for equitable participation and centering the expertise of the marginalized who have been left behind by the unjust education system, as doing so is imperative for transformative change and deep learning. We are doing EDCOM II a huge favor by taking active effort to ensure that those who are most impacted by education policies are centered in decision-making and continuous improvement in education. Excluding young people and education workers will only lead to education reform recommendations that will inevitably fall short.
As we call for equitable student participation in EDCOM 2 and beyond, we emphasize that there is no education justice without gender justice, climate justice, food justice, disability justice, labor justice, demilitarization, and health justice. Sufficient and equitable distribution of resources, ensuring safety nets for students and education workers, and standing in solidarity with interconnected struggles are necessary for significant improvements in education.
As the youth and students of our communities, our generation and future generations are directly impacted by EDCOM 2. So much is at stake, and we must build our power to push through this turmoil and reclaim our space in our education system. We are here because it is our birthright to rebuild our education in line with the liberatory futures we strive to prefigure. We want EQUITABLE STUDENT PARTICIPATION NOW! HINDI LANG SA PAARALAN PWEDE UMUPO ANG MGA ESTUDYANTE!
Show your support here: https://forms.gle/ScMzVbhQFTP4MdQV6
Join this event tomorrow as students: https://bit.ly/CoTESCUP-EDCOM-II-Feb-2023
