Cayetano Seeks Clear Policy, Adequate Funding for K-12 Reform

Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano has sharply called out the government over what he described as indecision and underfunding in the country’s K-12 education program, urging officials to stop delaying and make a clear, firm choice: fully fund the system or overhaul it.

Speaking during plenary deliberations on the National Education and Workforce Development Plan 2026–2035 and the findings of the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2), Cayetano backed the long-term education roadmap but warned that the unresolved future of K-12 remains the “big elephant in the room.”

For the senator, continuing the program without enough money, classrooms, and teachers is setting students up to fail.

“You can’t promise quality education while starving the system of funds,” Cayetano stressed. “If we keep K-12, we must support it completely — classrooms, teachers, facilities, everything. If not, then we should rethink or restructure it.”

He argued that simply adding two more years to basic education does not automatically translate to better learning, especially when schools still face overcrowded classrooms, limited materials, and exhausted teachers.

Cayetano also flagged troubling education data, noting that many students continue to struggle with basic reading, writing, and math skills — clear signs, he said, that deeper systemic problems remain unresolved.

“The foundation is weak,” he pointed out. “No curriculum reform will work if the basics aren’t fixed.”

A longtime critic of the program’s rollout, Cayetano said K-12 has yet to deliver the promised improvements for Filipino learners and their families. Still, he acknowledged the reform’s good intentions and the efforts of stakeholders trying to make it work.

But good intentions, he added, are not enough.

In the end, the senator challenged policymakers to stop sitting on the fence.

“The government must decide — fully fund K-12 or change it. Half-hearted solutions won’t work,” Cayetano said. “What’s at stake here is the future of Filipino students.”