Tesda gears up for major role in K+12 plan

Is the Philippine education system ready for the K+12 model?

The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda) is working on improving high school students’ academic standing by initiating a review of its vocational training programs as part of its adoption of K+12 (Kindergarten to 12 years), the Aquino administration’s flagship education program.

In a statement issued Sunday, Tesda Director General Joel Villanueva said the agency would update its courses in line with K+12, a program that would add two years to the 10-year basic education cycle to give high school students more specialized training.

Spearheaded by the Department of Education (DepEd), the implementation of K+12 is being introduced in phases, with the first graduates of the 12-year cycle expected in March 2018.

Under the program, students would spend two years in senior high school to specialize in their chosen field, be it vocational training, music and the arts, agriculture or sports. The government hopes K+12 would produce qualified high school graduates ready for employment or prepared for college.

Villanueva said the introduction of K+12 was a major educational reform that addresses the needs not only of basic education but of technical education, skills development and higher education.

“We recognize that Tesda has an important role to play in the K+12 reform initiative and under the leadership of the DepEd, we affirm our commitment to make it work and succeed,” he said.

Villanueva said K+12 would bring together the parallel efforts of Tesda, the DepEd and the Commission on Higher Education with regard to skills training, which is seen as a critical growth area with the continuing rise of the BPO (business process outsourcing) industry in the Philippines.

Under the program, K+12 graduates of vocational courses may undergo Tesda certification. Villanueva said this would incorporate in the mainstream Tesda programs in basic education and “prompt [the agency] to further improve its learning infrastructure.”

“It becomes imperative for Tesda to move up and focus toward the development and implementation of higher level qualifications,” Villanueva said.