Manila Bulletin
Philippines
National
To improve tech-voc education, EDCOM 2 pushes for clearer access to incentives, funding
Philippines
National
To improve tech-voc education, EDCOM 2 pushes for clearer access to incentives, funding
To improve tech-voc education, EDCOM 2 pushes for clearer access to incentives, funding
Published Jul 16, 2023 01:33 pm
Recognizing the need to address concerns on the implementation of Technical-Vocational Education and Training (TVET) in the country, members of the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2) conducted the first round of site visits for the TVET and Lifelong Learning priority areas.
(Photo courtesy of EDCOM 2)
During the two-day activity held early this month, members of the Commission visited the Don Bosco Youth Center in Tondo, Manila, FAST Logistics in Cabuyao, Laguna, and Toyota Motors Philippines School of Technology (TMP-Tech) in Sta. Rosa, Laguna. During the site visit to Don Bosco, EDCOM 2 also invited twelve industry partners who shared best practices, challenges, and policy recommendations for TVET. Monark Foundation Executive Director Cecil Valencia sounded the alarm on the lack of clear guidelines in availing the Dual Training System (DTS) benefits for industry partners, which allows companies who participate in the DTS to deduct from their taxable income the amount of 50 percent of the system expenses paid to the accredited DTS institution. Issues regarding scholarship funding and accessibility were also raised during the discussion. “We need to review scholarships in order to be responsive to the learner and to support good quality TVIs. Ang problema sa [The problem with the] government, ang daming [there are many] pockets of funds and scholarships,” EDCOM 2 Executive Director Karol Mark Yee said. During the consultation in TMP-Tech, the Commission also discussed the difficulty of updating TESDA training regulations (TR) for each industry. A Training Regulation is a TESDA-promulgated document that serves as a basis for curriculum, instructional materials, and assessment tools for NCs. The Commission discussed how TESDA training regulations are supposed to be updated whenever there are technical changes to a particular industry. However, TRs are updated every three years due to the lack of incentives for industry experts to do so. The delays in updating TRs were also highlighted in the context of particular industries. “Not all industries have associations, and even if a particular industry has an association, not all associations talk to each other,” former TESDA Director General Irene Isaac said. Another concern that was pointed out by Yee is that the minimum wage of jobseekers who have completed NC II is the same as that of college graduates. “So what we’re seeing is that an individual who completed an NC II course in, say, 21 days, earns a minimum wage - this is comparable to someone who completed a college degree in four years,” Yee said. “That’s an advantage, since the latter can join the workforce sooner,” he added. EDCOM 2 is the national commission tasked to undertake a comprehensive national assessment and evaluation of the performance of the Philippine education sector.
(Photo courtesy of EDCOM 2)
During the two-day activity held early this month, members of the Commission visited the Don Bosco Youth Center in Tondo, Manila, FAST Logistics in Cabuyao, Laguna, and Toyota Motors Philippines School of Technology (TMP-Tech) in Sta. Rosa, Laguna. During the site visit to Don Bosco, EDCOM 2 also invited twelve industry partners who shared best practices, challenges, and policy recommendations for TVET. Monark Foundation Executive Director Cecil Valencia sounded the alarm on the lack of clear guidelines in availing the Dual Training System (DTS) benefits for industry partners, which allows companies who participate in the DTS to deduct from their taxable income the amount of 50 percent of the system expenses paid to the accredited DTS institution. Issues regarding scholarship funding and accessibility were also raised during the discussion. “We need to review scholarships in order to be responsive to the learner and to support good quality TVIs. Ang problema sa [The problem with the] government, ang daming [there are many] pockets of funds and scholarships,” EDCOM 2 Executive Director Karol Mark Yee said. During the consultation in TMP-Tech, the Commission also discussed the difficulty of updating TESDA training regulations (TR) for each industry. A Training Regulation is a TESDA-promulgated document that serves as a basis for curriculum, instructional materials, and assessment tools for NCs. The Commission discussed how TESDA training regulations are supposed to be updated whenever there are technical changes to a particular industry. However, TRs are updated every three years due to the lack of incentives for industry experts to do so. The delays in updating TRs were also highlighted in the context of particular industries. “Not all industries have associations, and even if a particular industry has an association, not all associations talk to each other,” former TESDA Director General Irene Isaac said. Another concern that was pointed out by Yee is that the minimum wage of jobseekers who have completed NC II is the same as that of college graduates. “So what we’re seeing is that an individual who completed an NC II course in, say, 21 days, earns a minimum wage - this is comparable to someone who completed a college degree in four years,” Yee said. “That’s an advantage, since the latter can join the workforce sooner,” he added. EDCOM 2 is the national commission tasked to undertake a comprehensive national assessment and evaluation of the performance of the Philippine education sector.