MANILA, Philippines–It’s never too early to learn startups and small businesses—even in high school.
A lawmaker has filed a bill proposing the integration of entrepreneurship in secondary schools nationwide to address unemployment and underemployment.
“There is a need to institutionalize the integration of skills training into the country’s educational curricula,” said Cebu City Rep. Rodrigo Abellanosa, author of House Bill 5057, or the proposed “Youth Entrepreneurship Act.”
His bill mandates the Department of Education (DepEd) to develop and integrate courses on entrepreneurship in the curriculum for high school students.
The Commission on Higher Education (CHEd), in cooperation with the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda), shall do the same for college or vocational students.
The agencies shall ensure “coherence and clear progression” in learning objectives and course design through close coordination with other concerned offices, Abellanosa said in an explanatory note.
“Amid the ever-increasing number of graduates each year and the growing need to create income-generating activities for the people, providing the youth with access to the necessary resources may be crucial to resolving the great hurdle of unemployment and/or underemployment the nation is facing,” Abellanosa said.
He said the passage of his bill would spur the development of youth entrepreneurship through the integration of skills into the educational curricula, development of policies and programs and the provision of project grants to deserving entities.
The proposed act provides two types of grants: capacity building grants for entities teaching entrepreneurship; and project grants for young entrepreneurs.
The CHEd shall also provide an avenue for private corporations and individuals who are interested in funding or providing support to post-secondary school students or graduates for the incubation of an enterprise project, according to the bill.