The Department of Education (DepEd), Commission on Higher Education (CHED), and Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) launched One Education during the 3rd Joint Education Trifocal Management Committee Meeting, marking a stronger push to connect reforms across basic education, higher education, technical-vocational education, and workforce development.
Carrying the tagline “Maraming Landas, Isang Sistema. Para Sa Bawat Pilipino,” One Education serves as the unified brand and strategic communication platform of the trifocal education system, supporting DepEd, CHED, and TESDA in institutionalizing more seamless education pathways for learners. Through One Education, learners, families, schools, training institutions, employers, and partners will have a clearer and more accessible way to understand how education opportunities connect across the three agencies.
The initiative supports President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s directive to strengthen Philippine education by making learning more connected, relevant, and responsive to the needs of learners, communities, and the economy.
Education Secretary Sonny Angara said One Education reflects the shared responsibility of DepEd, CHED, and TESDA to make the education system easier to understand and navigate.
“Ang One Education ay paalala na hindi magkakahiwalay ang pangarap ng ating mga learner. Kailangang mas malinaw ang tulay mula basic education papunta sa kolehiyo, technical-vocational training, trabaho, negosyo, at lifelong learning. Kapag mas magkakaugnay ang sistema, mas madali para sa bawat Pilipino na makita kung saan siya puwedeng magsimula, umusad, at magtagumpay,” Angara said.
CHED Chairperson Shirley C. Agrupis highlighted how the initiative directly supports smoother student transitions into tertiary education. “Nais nating gawing mas simple at magaan ang pagtapak sa kolehiyo para sa bawat Pilipinong mag-aaral. Through One Education, we are ensuring that a learner’s prior academic and technical achievements—whether from senior high school or tech-voc programs—are recognized and credited by our HEIs. This ensures that no effort is wasted as we build a more direct, seamless path for our learners to transition successfully into the modern workforce,” Agrupis explained.
Kiko Benitez, Secretary of TESDA, put focus on the landscape of today’s world of work, where skills have become the global currency and that a unified education system is essential to help learners thrive in this new reality.
“Ibang iba na ang demands sa trabaho ngayon kumpara noon. Kaya ang edukasyon, dapat sumasabay din sa panahon. In the past two years, we have been building seamless education pathways for Filipino learners. Anumang industriya ang nais mong pasukin at anuman ang iyong background, mayroong malinaw na daan para sa pangarap mo,” said Secretary Benitez. “One Education encompasses our goal of improving access to acquire new skills, earn certifications, or pursue further studies. Dahil mapa Tech-voc, Senior High, o College — lahat yan mayroong ruta para sumakses.”
As part of the launch, the agencies also introduced the Education Reform Fellowship (ERF), a flagship initiative that will recruit, train, and mentor young professionals and reform-oriented talents who can support priority education and workforce development reforms.
Through ERF, fellows will be exposed to policy work, program implementation, data analysis, stakeholder engagement, strategic communication, and inter-agency coordination across the education and workforce development ecosystem.
The agencies also signed a Memorandum of Agreement with Analytiks, Inc. for Project TAHANAN, a learner traceability and interoperability initiative that aims to improve learner tracking across basic education, higher education, technical-vocational education, and workforce development pathways.
Project TAHANAN seeks to support the secure and seamless sharing of learner data to help the government craft better policies, programs, and learner support mechanisms across the education-to-workforce continuum.
Together, One Education, ERF, and Project TAHANAN support a common goal: making reforms clearer to the public, strengthening the people who will help implement them, and improving the data needed to guide decisions across the trifocal education system.
DepEd, CHED, and TESDA reaffirmed their commitment to work together toward a more connected, learner-centered, and future-ready education system for every Filipino.
