THE Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) urged the Department of Education (DepEd) to work on better aligning the curriculum with industry demand to raise the competitiveness of the workforce.
It also recommended amendments to Republic Act (RA) No. 10533, or the Enhanced Education Act, with the aim of harmonizing the higher education curriculum to be more attuned to workplace needs.
RA 10533 expanded the basic education program by two years to include at least one year of kindergarten, six years of elementary education, and six years of secondary education.
The group also recommended the enhancement of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics programs, strengthening partnerships between schools and businesses to foster on-the-job training, and to promote micro-credentialing.
PCCI Human Resource Development Foundation, Inc. President Alberto Fenix, Jr. said the organization is proposing more work immersion components and to include basic higher education subjects in senior high school (SHS).
“Part of our recommendation to the new Secretary (former Senator Juan Edgardo M. Angara) is to have more work immersion not only in the technical-vocational-livelihood track, but even in the academic track, especially those in business,” Mr. Fenix told BusinessWorld by phone.
“A lot of the academic subjects in the first two years (of tertiary education) should be tackled in SHS, like Mathematics, Literature, and English,” he added.
He noted the shortage of teachers in SHS qualified to offer such university-level classes.
“On the other end, we were hoping that the degree courses would now take three years rather than four or five,” he added.
The PCCI also urged the government to invest in teacher training, digital learning platforms, and infrastructure, especially in underserved and rural areas.
“These measures are essential to creating a pipeline of talent that will meet the evolving needs of industries and drive long-term economic growth,” it added. — Justine Irish D. Tabile
