K12

Bam seeks to help graduates secure jobs through Trabaho Centers

A senator has filed a measure establishing Trabaho Centers in Senior High Schools all over the country, in a bid to bridge the gap between education and employment and address job mismatch.

 Sen. Bam Aquino’s Senate Bill No. 170 or the Trabaho Center in Schools Act will help Senior High School graduates under the K to 12 program, who chose to enter employment find opportunities through a job placement office.

 The measure will amend Section 9 of Republic Act No. 10533 or the Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013 that implements the K to 12, to include Trabaho Centers under its scope.

 “While we work on equipping our graduates with the adequate skills to join the workforce, let us also bridge that gap between education and employment through the Trabaho Centers,” said Sen. Bam.

 According to Sen. Bam, the Trabaho Center will focus on three main things – career counseling services, employment facilitation and industry matching.

 “Career counseling services shall be offered to help guide the students on the tracks they choose in Senior High School while Employment Facilitation is envisioned to assist the needs of a job seeker or the senior high school student,” explained Sen. Bam.

 Through industry matching, the needs of companies will be addressed by providing them graduate listings and resume profiling of students.

 The Public Employment Services Office (PESO) and TESDA will join forces to create a thorough database of job opportunities in the locality and immediately coordinate further training that might be needed based on particular employment opportunities.

 “Through the Trabaho Centers, the needs of our nation’s graduates, businesses in the country, and the vision of the Department of Education come together to make the most of our curriculum reform and help us move closer to shared prosperity,” said Sen. Bam.

BIDA KA!: Go K to 12!

Mga Bida, kasabay ng muling pagbabalik-eskuwela ng milyun-mil­yong kabataang Pinoy, mainit din ang usapin ukol sa K to 12 Basic Education Program na naisabatas noong 2013.

Layon ng batas na ito na maisabay ang Pilipinas sa modernong sistema ng edukasyon sa ginagamit na sistema ng mundo. Bago kasi ang K to 12, tayo na lang ang bansa sa Asya na gumagamit ng 10-year pre-university cycle.

Sa buong mundo, isa tayo sa tatlong bansa  kasama ang Angola at Djibouti – na gumagamit pa ng 10-year basic education system.

Sa programang ito, magkakaroon ng dagdag na Grades 11 at 12 na magbibigay ng sapat na kaalaman sa mga estudyante kung nais na nilang magtrabaho agad o ‘di kaya’y magtayo ng sari­ling negosyo.

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Subalit malaking hamon ang kinakaharap ng programa dahil ilang sektor ang kumukuwestiyon sa kahandaan ng pamahalaan na ipatupad ito.

Bago naging batas, masusing pinag-aralan ang K to 12 Education Program ng mga pribado at pampublikong sektor, batay na rin sa pagsasaliksik at karanasan sa edukasyon.

Kaya hindi na kailangang pagdebatehan ang kahalagahan ng K to 12 sa kaunlaran ng edukasyon sa Pilipinas at sa paghubog ng mas magaling at mas handang mga mag-aaral sa kinabukasan.

Mga Bida, ang mas nararapat na tanong ay kung kaya ba na­ting maipatupad ang repormang ito sa buong bansa.

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Mga Bida, kung pag-uusapan natin ang mga naabot ng DepEd sa nakalipas na limang taon, masasabing marami na ang kanilang nagawa sa pagpaangat ng kalidad ng edukasyon sa bansa.

Noong 2010, may backlog na 66,000 classrooms ang bansa. Sa nakalipas na limang taon, nakapagpatayo ang DepEd ng 142,149 na silid-aralan.

Sa limang taon ding iyon, kumuha ang DepEd ng 167,121 guro dahil na rin sa lumalaking populasyon ng mga mag-aaral.

Kung pondo naman ang pag-uusapan, itinaas ng Senado ang budget ng DepEd sa P364.66 bilyon ngayong taon, na mahigit doble sa pondo ng ahensiya noong 2010 na P174 bilyon.

Sa mga datos na ito, marami nang nagawa ang DepEd at malaki na ang ikinaganda ng edukasyon sa bansa sa nakalipas na limang taon.
Mga Bida, makikita ang kakayahan ng DepEd at ng iba pang stakeholders na ilatag ang kailangang paghahanda at pagpapaganda upang maipatupad nang husto ang programa.

Aminado tayong marami pang dapat ayusin sa pagpapatupad ng K-12 system, kabilang ang pagkuha ng mga bagong guro at mga tauhan sa iba’t ibang posisyon, training sa transition, paglalathala ng mga libro at pagdaragdag pa ng mga imprastruktura.

Sa kabila ng mga hamong ito, mayroon pa tayong isang taon bago ang tuluyang pagpapatupad ng K-12 Program.

May isang taon pa upang makahanap ng mga solusyon sa mga nakaambang isyu at para matugunan ang mga pangamba ng ating publiko sa bagong programa.

Ang mahalaga rito, huwag tayong mag-iwanan at huwag bumitiw habang papalapit na tayo sa buong katuparan ng programang K to 12.

Ituloy natin ang pag-aalalay, paghahanda, at pagbibigay suporta sa DepEd, sa ating mga paaralan at mga guro.
Ngunit ang pinakamahalaga, ito’y para sa mas magandang kinabukasan ng ating kabataang Pinoy at ng buong bansa!

 

First Published on Abante Online

 

 

Bam: Help DepEd Prepare for K-to-12 Challenges

Senator Bam Aquino urges different stakeholders to help the Department of Education (DepEd) prepare for the challenges ahead regarding the K-to-12 Program, instead of tearing down this crucial educational reform initiative.

“The challenges ahead are real but we still have time. Change is difficult. Reforms are difficult but they need to be done,” said Aquino during the Senate Committee on Education hearing on the implementation of the K-to-12 program.

“From where we are now and where we need to be next year, needs a lot of cooperation from many different sectors,” the senator stressed.

Sen. Bam suggested the creation of K to 12 Local Readiness Councils composed of teachers, parents and businesses to help address any gaps left for the K-to-12 Program.

“The DepEd can convert existing Brigada Eskwela structures in localities to be their main partners on the ground to support the K to 12 implementation,” suggested Sen. Bam, chairman of the Senate Committee on Youth.

During the hearing, Sen. Bam emphasized that concerned government agencies must be prepared for challenges ahead as they implement the program that is expected to modernize the country’s educational system.

“Now is the time to work together for our youth, not tear down reforms that we need to be globally competitive,” added Sen. Bam.

DepEd officials, led by Secretary Armin Luistro, expressed confidence that the department can fill up around 30,000 vacant teaching positions needed to effectively implement the program.

“We need to ensure that we can get teachers who are competent and have the right discipline to match the needs the schools have,” Sen. Bam said.

During its presentation, the DepEd said it is currently training 70,000-plus teachers for elementary and 80,000-plus teachers for high school as of 2015 to prepare them for the program.

“We’ve been doing the reforms for five years now.  Ngayon pa ba tayo bibitiw? Kailangan lahat ay kasama rito – ang pamahalaan, ang private schools, ang mga teachers’ groups, mga estudyante, pati business sector – dapat magkaisa sa pagpapatupad ng repormang ito,” the senator said.

 The DepEd also plans to conduct a massive information campaign, including the establishment of help desks in schools, to enlighten the public about the program.

“The Philippine education reform is not only the DepEd’s responsibility, it’s everyone’s responsibility,” added the senator.

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