A teacher holds an in-person class for students of Navotas National High School in this photo taken in November 2022. The Department of Education is reviewing its K-12 curriculum as it aims to train more job-ready graduates. (File photo by LYN RILLON / Philippine Daily Inquirer)
MANILA, Philippines — The Management Association of the Philippines (MAP) on Monday cited the need to streamline the K-12 curriculum to promote technical and vocational learning even as it proposed the inclusion of microcredentials for students to make them more competitive in the labor market.
The business management group said that the goal of the K-12 system to prepare incoming Grade 11 and 12 students for employment after graduating was far from being realized.
“Instead of getting better jobs, they end up taking on elementary jobs that do not pay well,” the MAP said in a statement signed by its president, Benedicta Du-Baladad.
One of its proposals is the creation of a system for microcredentialing — defined as small, certification-style courses focusing on a particular field of study — which will qualify a student for better job opportunities, including higher wages.
The MAP said that the implementation of the K-12 system should be streamlined so it can integrate into a full technical and vocational education and training program.
The aim of this, it said, was to increase enterprise-based learning where the senior high school students would have more immersive experiences through certification training and exposure to actual work settings.
The “Batang Magaling Act,” a proposed legislation filed in March at the Senate, can be a significant step, the MAP said.
The bill introduced by Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian is seeking the reform of the senior high school system in the country and the embedding of a national certification for students under this program.
The MAP is also calling for the implementation of other measures to help the education sector in the country, citing that it is in crisis and it should be one of the country’s top priorities.
These other measures include ensuring the effective and efficient management of public schools to streamline operations, remove duplications, improve the ratio of employees and administrators, and be proficient in fiscal management.