Do you find drivers' training courses too costly to avail of? This might change soon after the Land Transportation Office (LTO) and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) signed a memorandum of agreement or MOA Friday, March 12 to formalize the agencies' partnership to strengthen driver’s education in the country.
According to LTO, the MOA seeks to ensure uniformity of standards among driving schools as well as the availability of less expensive training courses to raise the competency of drivers.
"Sa partnership na ito, mas marami na ang ma-ooffer ng gobyerno na libreng driving courses para sa mga interesadong mag-avail ng driver’s training. Ito po ang sagot ng ating mga pamahalaan sa hiling ng publiko para sa dekalidad at murang training program para sa mga drivers (Government will be able to offer more free driving courses to interested parties under this partnership. This is our government’s response to the public clamor for quality and affordable drivers' training programs)," LTO Chief Edgar C. Galvante said.
"We have partnered with TESDA because we want to tap their expertise to ensure the quality of driver’s training being given by driving schools, the LTO and TESDA," Galvante noted.
TESDA Director General Isidro Lapeña, for his part, said that the MOA aims to provide the marker with "safe drivers."
"Sa ating data from PSA (Philippine Statistics Authority), isa sa mga pangangailangan sa labor market ay mga qualified drivers (PSA data shows that qualified drivers are among the main needs of the labor market)," he said, adding that industries have "a constant need for drivers".
"We have regional offices who can reach out to those in need of the training. Libre po ito (This is free)," Lapeña emphasized.
The MOA will empower TESDA and its training centers to offer the Theoretical Driving Course and the Practical Driving Course equivalent to that being offered by the LTO Driver’s Education Centers.
The TESDA Driving National Certificates courses will be equivalent to those offered by LTO. Further, it will harmonize rules to ensure quality training for drivers, the LTO said.