Solon wants English exams for teachers to help BPO industry
By Lawrence Casiraya
INQUIRER.net
First Posted 10:55:00 07/24/2008
PASAY CITY, Philippines -- Senator Francis Pangilinan is recommending English proficiency exams for teachers to help cope with the demands of the call center industry.
Pangilinan cited a recent SWS survey saying the country's English proficiency has recovered in the last two years.
The senator, however, said English proficiency needs to be increased further as the call center industry aims to increase from 200,000 workers to a million-strong workforce by 2010.
"According to industry executives I've talked to, only three to five out of 100 applicants in call centers successfully pass applications," Pangilinan said in his keynote address the at the Call Center Association of the Philippines (CCAP) conference Thursday morning.
"We cannot depend on our caring culture alone as Filipinos to be able to compete with the likes of India," he added.
Pangilinan emphasized the need for linkages between the industry and the academic community in areas like curriculum development and teacher training.
"We must focus on our mentors and look at periodic English proficiency tests for teachers," he said.
The senator also raised the need to amend the country's labor code to cope with the demands of the BPO (business process outsourcing) industry.
"The government alone cannot help solve the country's education crisis. We must channel more funds but we do need help from the private sector," he said.
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