Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte on Wednesday, Oct. 19, invited the business sector to join the next education stakeholders’ convergence in the hopes that a public-private collaboration would create employment opportunities for graduates.
Presenting the country’s Basic Education Development Plan 2030, the first long-term education plan in the country, she highlighted the ways the government “will continue to find ways to improve basic education in terms of access, equity, quality, resiliency, and governance.”
“I invite you to come sit with us during our education stakeholders’ convergence next month to uncover opportunities for collaboration and public-private partnerships,” Duterte told stakeholders in a speech during the 48th Philippine Business Conference and Expo organized by the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industries (PCCI).
“We need transformational leadership from the business sector. There is a growing consumer consciousness to support businesses with a demonstrated commitment to sustainability and social impact,” she added.
The Vice President made an appeal to the business sector to hire K-12 graduates.
Duterte noted the “diploma mentality” in the country’s employment sector or the preference of employers on hiring those who have a four-year college degree.
“Our K-12 graduates are not immediately employable and they are not hired by the labor sector,” she said.
“We hope to seek the support of your sector in making sure that our Grade 12 graduates are hired and employed by the industries that you participate in,” she added.
The Vice President and concurrent Education chief shared that the First Time Jobseekers Assistance Act – Joint Operational Guidelines with the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) has been recently signed for the implementation of Republic Act 11261, or the First Time Jobseekers Assistance Act.
This partnership with the Labor department will give first-time jobseekers “the opportunity to process their pre-employment requirements immediately and cost-free.”
“We are a nation comprised of young, able, and ambitious human resources. Each year, thousands of graduates join our workforce. Our goal is to facilitate job opportunities for them so they can start to earn and contribute to their families, build their dreams, and grow into valuable assets for nation-building,” Duterte asserted.
In her speech, she thanked and congratulated the PCCI for its dedication to improve the business community in the country.
“The holding of this 48th Philippine Business Conference and Expo is a glowing proof of that courage and commitment. Efforts like this complement government’s efforts to bring about growth and development across the country — and benefit all sectors, especially the underprivileged and those lacking economic opportunities, access to livelihood, and employment,” she said.
“I hope this conference and expo will bring to the table multiple options for collaboration and new and renewed investment opportunities. With great optimism, we are ready for greater collaborations to achieve this administration’s economic and social development goals,” the Vice President added.
Duterte also underscored the need to improve the quality of education in the country as she promised to address the plaguing issues of the education sector.
She emphasized the government’s role in strengthening the country’s education system, which has been lagging in international assessments, and help first-time jobseekers become “valuable assets.”
“Under the leadership of our president, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., we are committed to the goal for all Filipinos to realize their full potential and contribute meaningfully to a cohesive and productive nation,” she told stakeholders.
Aware of the poor performance of Philippine schools in international education assessments, the Vice President and concurrent Education chief shared that a review of the country’s current K-12 program is being undertaken by the Department of Education (DepEd).
The review of the Kinder level to Grade 10 was completed under the administration of her father, former president Rodrigo Duterte, while review for Grades 11 and 12 will be done under the current administration.
Duterte also shared that DepEd “took a bold step to open our schools once again to in-person learning” in August and welcomed “28 million children and youth into our schools who have suffered learning loss as a result of the school closures during the pandemic.”
“As we speak, our schools are aggressively implementing their learning recovery programs,” she said.
“It is not enough to just bring them back to school; we also need to accelerate learning by conducting remedial and enrichment classes to avoid long-term damage to our future workforce’s skills and productivity,” the official added.
She had previously ordered all schools, save for those under special circumstances to resume 100 percent face-to-face classes in November, and called on education stakeholders, parents, our local government units, civil society organizations, and private sector partners for their support.
While DepEd also lately issued Department Order (DO) 44, series of 2022, allowing private schools to continue with a blended learning modality beyond November, Duterte hoped “parents/guardians of private school learners would not miss the abundance of scientific studies available on the advantages of in-person classes over online learning.”