‘Phl maritime schools fail to improve quality of education’

MANILA, Philippines - Maritime schools have failed to improve the quality of education despite the threat of the European Union to ban Filipino seafarers from boarding EU-registered sea vessels.

Sources in the maritime manning industry told The STAR that the Philippines-Japan Maritime Consultative Council (PJMCC) was set to stop sponsoring the nationwide administration of the Maritime School Assessment Program (MSAP) Test next year.

“By next year, the test will only cover maybe up to 50 percent of the schools, and this will only be schools whose students have performed decently in the past six years the MSAP has been administered,” the source said.

The MSAP Test is administered to all second year maritime students nationwide.

The PJMCC allots P2 million for the test, which is used to identify poor but deserving maritime students to be awarded scholarships and after graduation to crew and run the ships of its Japanese partners.

However, the source said that the PJMCC has noted a lack of any action to upgrade the quality of the curriculum in maritime schools.

“The schools apparently disregard the MSAP results. They continue accepting students even if they have been shown to lack the capability to adequately educate these students,” the source said. “They just want to make money from their students and don’t care if these students will go on to get work as seamen.”

The Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) is taking steps to address the deficiencies in maritime schools and training centers to  stop the EU from imposing the ban.

Last year, President Aquino signed Executive Order 75 transferring the task of ensuring the country’s compliance with the 1978 International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping (STCW) for seafarers to MARINA.

The EC’s DGMOVE (Directorate General for Mobility and Transport) early last year had informed the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) that it would not take any final action on deficiencies in the country’s maritime education and training institutions until the “latter part of the year (2012) or early 2013.”

Until then, the DGMOVE will send another audit mission to the Philippines.

 In early May 2011, the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) informed the DFA that “the Philippines was no longer considered compliant with the International Convention on the Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW).”

The EMSA had conducted an independent audit of Philippine maritime schools and reported its findings on gross deficiencies.

In a letter dated May 11, 2011, Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary Leslie Baja warned Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz of a possible withdrawal of recognition of the Philippines’ STCW training and certification system.

“Failure to comply will trigger initiation of EC procedure for withdrawal of EU recognition of Philippine STCW training and certification system. This would mean that in the long run EU-registered ships could no longer hire Filipino seafarers,” read the letter.

Filipino seamen constitute an estimated 30 percent of the world’s maritime manpower.