Senator Francis Tolentino (Senate PRIB)



"Let’s just hope our economy recovers soon." This was Senator Francis ‘’Tol’’ Tolentino's reaction to findings by the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) that pandemic generation graduates are having a hard time landing a job. But other senators--Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada, Grace Poe, Aquilino Pimentel III, and Risa Hontiveros, in particular--have varying views on the issue. Tolentino said he was not in total agreement with the CHR conclusion. ‘'While there are some perceived deficiencIes relative to the online delivery of instruction, some 'soft skills' such as time management, perceptiveness, listening, and self-discipline, among others, were developed during that pandemic online experience,’’ he said. ‘’Perhaps some interpersonal skills were not nurtured, but just the same, coupled with the hard skills they learned, our graduates are competitive. Let's just hope our economy recovers soon,’’ he added. Hontiveros said this issue has been a long-time problem of the education sector. ‘’Policies have already been studied and implemented. The question is, to what extent do the education authorities execute these recommendations?’’ she asked. Hontiveros expressed hope that the Education Commission 2 (EDCOMM2) would formulate ‘’a game-changing strategy to address the wicked problem of the sector and that the leadership of our educational agencies is committed and competent to execute it in partnership with the different stakeholders, especially the teachers and the students". ‘’Time is of the essence in implementing education reforms. The last thing we need is an employment crisis on top of an education crisis. Especially because our graduates are being thrust into a post-pandemic world of historical inflation with which many families are struggling,’’ she said. ‘’The government must support them in their hunt for sufficient livelihood,’’ she added. Pimentel, the Senate chief fiscalizer, said he is alarmed with a lot of things happening in the Philippines. ‘’Our young people also have difficulties in buying or owning their own houses. Humirap talaga ang buhay ngayon (Life is really hard now),’’ he pointed out. For her part, Poe said the government, together with the private sector, must put serious effort to address the seeming lack of job readiness of graduates which could impede their employment. Both soft skills and technical expertise are keys to landing in quality jobs amid the tight market race, she observed. ‘’Ten years after it was implemented, we believe the K to 12 curriculum needs an honest-to-goodness review to determine the enhancements needed to make it more responsive and relevant to the needs of our students,’’ she pointed out. "We hope concerned government agencies in charge of the review will make this a priority, which can also be useful to the joint congressional oversight committee on the K to 12 program in its own assessment,’’ she stressed. ‘’We owe it to our learners to deliver on the promise of quality education and sustainable jobs,’’ she added. In a statement, Jinggoy Estrada, chairman of the Senate Labor Committee, said that as early as 2014, he had been pushing for an enhanced apprenticeship program in a fervent bid to promote skills acquisition and youth employment. ‘’I have re-filed this measure, Senate Bill No. 1083, or the proposed Apprenticeship Training Act, in August last year,’’ he pointed out. Estrada said youth employment has been one of the major concerns of the government and that there are no silver bullets in ensuring our youth today develop learning and life skills. ‘’This problem entails a joint approach from all sectors. At the national policy level, I intend to institute reforms in the national apprenticeship program to address the needs of the youth sector,’’ he explained. ‘’Apprenticeship programs have the unique capability of immersing our younger workers in real-life employment atmospheres, enabling them to learn technical skills, practical knowledge, and experience to make them employable and competitive,’’ he stressed. ‘’But while we work on the passage of this measure, I call on the DTI (Department of Trade and Industry), TESDA (Technical Education and Skills Development Authority), and other concerned agencies to intensify and roll out training programs on re-skilling and upskilling of our workforce, especially those would-be workers to enable them to be equipped in emerging and new industries,’’ he said. ‘’We need to institute reforms not only in the educational system that came up amid the pandemic but also in human resource development strategy,’’ Estrada added.