3M students to graduate from public elementary and high schools

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Education (DepEd) estimates some three million students are graduating from public elementary and high schools next week.

Education Secretary Armin Luistro said that DepEd figures place the expected students to graduate from public elementary schools at 1,850,741, and 1,172,706 in public high schools all over the country this ending school year 2012-2013, for a total graduate population estimate of 3,023,447.

Luistro had set the graduation rites of public schools to be held either on March 18 or 19.

The DepEd chief had earlier ordered schools to hold simple but meaningful graduation ceremonies, and had prohibited the collection of graduation fees, allowing only the collection of voluntary donations.

The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), under its director-general Secretary Joel Villanueva, is encouraging high school students to consider technical-vocational education and training (TVET) instead of going on to college studies, stressing that TVET is more affordable and the path to a good job is shorter.

TVET, Villanueva said, is a system that churns out skilled workers who are the backbone of the Philippines’ thriving economy.

According to the TESDA chief the market is changing and is now looking for recruits who already have the right set of usable skills.

In its year-end report, TESDA said more Filipinos are turning to TVET for jobs.

Enrolment in various TESDA courses registered at 1.7 million in 2012, compared to 1.5 million enrollees in 2011.

Of the total enrollees last year, about 1.5 million finished their course, and 935,230 individuals took the assessment. Of the graduates who were assessed, 803,350 were certified in their respective specializations.