SKILLS TILT Hairdressers pit their skills during a competition at the World Trade Center in Pasay City. —Richard A. Reyes
MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian urged the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda) to make use of its P50 million allocation in the 2024 budget and step up efforts in boosting the job readiness of senior high school (SHS) graduates.
Gatchalian has been pushing for the assessment and certification of senior high learners in the technical-vocational-livelihood (TVL) track to boost their chances of getting decent jobs, stressing that a certification could increase a senior high school graduate’s employability.
The 2024 national budget allocates P438 million under the Tesda for conducting free competency assessments and issuing national certifications to senior high school learners under the TVL track. This allocation is expected to benefit 420,967 SHS graduates in the TVL track.
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On top of the P438 million, P50 million was allocated to expand Tesda’s pool of assessors, ensuring that the agency has sufficient capacity to implement the free assessment and certification program for Grade 12 learners taking the TVL track.
More assessors needed
“The P50 million proposal will increase the number of our assessors so that our senior high school graduates can be assessed and once they have the national certification, they can present that whenever they look for employment,” said Gatchalian, chair of the Senate committee on basic education.
By securing these funds, he aims to spare senior high school graduates under the TVL track from the cost of assessments, which is about P1,008.29 per student.
According to the lawmaker, the prohibitive cost of assessments is one of the reasons why the certification rate is low among SHS graduates under the TVL track.
By increasing the certification rate among SHS-TVL learners, Gatchalian hopes to improve their chances of securing quality jobs.
He noted that according to an analysis of the Labor Force Survey data by the Senate committee on basic education, 50 percent of SHS-TVL graduates who joined the labor force after graduation are employed in elementary occupations such as cleaners, vendors and domestic helpers.
‘Batang Magaling’ bill
Gatchalian seeks to institutionalize free assessment and certification for senior high school graduates through his Senate Bill No. 2367, or the proposed Batang Magaling Act.
The senator made the plea as Tesda celebrated its 30th founding anniversary on Aug. 22 with its annual National Kabalikat Awarding Ceremony at the World Trade Center in Pasay City.
As part of its celebration, Tesda honored its partners from the corporate sector, local governments, the legislative branch, national government agencies and nongovernmental organizations.