Senator Sherwin Gatchalian said he is vouching on the role of local universities and colleges (LUCs) in increasing students’ access to education while addressing persistent jobs-skills mismatch.

Gatchalian, who chairs the Senate Committee on Basic Education, Arts and Culture, said LUCs also play a key role in boosting the Philippines’ post-COVID-19 recovery efforts.

In a recent virtual seminar titled “The Future of Local Colleges and Universities” hosted by the Philippine Futures Thinking Society and the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Valenzuela (PLV), Gatchalian said LUCs have the capacity to bridge the gap between jobs and skills while serving the poorest families in their jurisdiction.

The senator said that since LUCs report directly to the local government unit (LGU) that established them, they are more responsive and demand-driven to local situations and needs, especially in providing skilled professionals that LGUs need.

“LUCs can be a driving force not only in serving our poor constituents, but also in terms of solving the job-skills mismatch in the country. Thereby, (they would also be) contributing to economic growth and faster recovery after the pandemic,” Gatchalian said.

But he said LUCs should strive to be centers of human capital development and play key parts in the long-term development plans of LGUs.

“LCUs should also strengthen partnerships with the private sector, adopt their curriculums to conform to the Fourth Industrial Revolution, and promote the use of flexible learning methods,” he added.

Citing Commission on Higher Education (CHED) data, he said there are 121 LUCs or 5.05 percent of the country’s 2,396 higher education institutions (HEIs) for school year (SY) 2019-2020 nationwide.

There were 248,731 students enrolled in LUCs, which is equivalent to seven percent of HEI enrollment, for SY 2019-2020.

However, the lawmaker pointed out some regions only have few or zero LUCs. For instance, both the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) and Cagayan Valley, have no LUCs.

That is why, he said he is pushing for the passage of Senate Bill No. 370 or the “Local Universities and Colleges Governance Act” which seeks to prescribe mandatory standards for the establishment and operation of LUCs.

In his explanatory note on the bill, Gatchalian said the measure “recognizes the need to enforce the supervisory and regulatory powers of the CHED to make certain that LUCs have the capacity to operate as an HEI and offer degree programs that will shape the future of their students.”

Gatchalian also said the bill seeks to institute parameters to shield the operation and administration of LUCs from partisan politics.