DepEd calls for K-12 support: As Labor Secretary Baldoz defends curriculum before Cebuano crowd

CEBU, Philippines - An official from the Department of Education in Central Visayas is calling on education and labor sectors to support the implementation of the government's K-12 program.

In a social dialogue yesterday in a Lapu-Lapu City hotel, DepEd-7 director Carmelita T. Dulangon said she feels that some teachers are still not convinced on the new curriculum but that she is trying to encourage them to see education in another view.

With the new curriculum, Dulangon said the youth will learn more about the essential skills in life, their self-actualization in realizing their potentials and preparation for  entrepreneurship or higher work.

She said teachers must need to understand K-12 and focus on giving quality education to Filipino learners.

In the dialogue, Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz defended the new education program saying it will make one ready for the work qualification framework.

She said that the workforce is the best asset in the country and the youth should be job ready. She added that there are issues within the educational institutions that tagged some schools as not able to meet the passing grade when it comes to licensure examinations. Thus, she said, this hindered the progress of the school and learning sectors.

Baldoz also said the period of job search takes time, usually nine months to a year. The unemployment rate among Filipino youths, she revealed, is 50 percent and out of this number, 18 to 24 years are jobless.

While vocational, technology and skilled workers were highly discriminated before, these are actually the most in-demand jobs today, according to Baldoz.

Baldoz yesterday presented the Jobstart Philippines, a project of the labor department that helps in reducing the number of jobless youth nationwide. It is an in-house program providing an on-the-job training for the youth to ensure their employment.

Baldoz said this will maximize the trainings and the immersion experience in the company and will help minimize the job search.

Meanwhile, Levi Lanaria of the College Faculty Independent Union in Central Visayas presented a recommendation that urged sectors to provide emergency employment for teachers who will be displaced by the new curriculum's implementation.

While they are fighting for a hundred percent retention of teachers, he admitted that there are some things beyond their control. Compensation among teachers and separation fees should be exempted from tax, according to Lanaria.

He added that the government should help displaced teachers get alternative employment in other industries through training.

Rebecca Ancheta, deputy school administrator of STI College-Cebu, said they need to support the K-12 program in order to be globally aligned and not left behind by neighboring countries.

The Social Dialogue and Road Mapping was the second phase of DepEd's program that aims to address K-12 challenges in the transition period.

The first phase was the action plan in the implementation of RA 10533 or "An act enhancing the Philippine Basic Education System by strengthening its curriculum and increasing the number of years for basic education, appropriating funds therefore and for other purposes." (FREEMAN)