Villanueva vows change in education system

CEBU, Philippines - Former Technical Education and Skills Development Authority secretary Joel Villanueva says that he will push for the passage of a Philippine Qualifications Framework, which will institutionalize a seamless education system and training towards employment, if he succeeds in his bid to become senator in the May 2016 elections.

Villanueva said it is a challenging task to reform the country’s education system to rise to the challenges of the 21st century.

Villanueva, who was in Cebu yesterday to attend a forum with students of the University of San Jose-Recoletos, talked about the importance of education, especially with the ASEAN integration.

“The K to 12 system is just the tip of the iceberg of what we wanted to happen in so far as transforming our education curriculum is concerned,” said Villanueva in a statement.

Villanueva said that the PQF will finally harmonize and weave together basic education, technical-vocational education and higher education into a unified, quality-guaranteed system.

Villanueva said he has drafted a bill, which would be one of the first few measures he would file, if he is elected in the Senate.

For example, Villanueva cited a tricycle driver who studies and finishes a tech-voc course in a small engine repair shop and then eventually establishes his own repair shop after a few years.

Villanueva said if the driver decides to pursue his studies to be an engineer, the college or university should evaluate his credential in the tech-voc school as a mechanic and credits the relevant subjects when he pursues college.

“When he graduates as an engineer and gets a license, his license should be one that would be recognized when he works abroad, say, in Singapore or Thailand. That’s the value of the PQF.  This is big dream for the education sector, and I want to push it,” Villanueva said.

Throughout the world, raising skills levels, reforming education and training curriculum and improving qualifications are among the priorities.

 “We want a law on the Philippine Qualifications Framework to institutionalize it and make it inherent in the Philippine education system,” Villanueva said.

Villanueva said the PQF will have a number of objectives, including the adoption of national standards and levels for outcomes of education and supporting the development and maintenance of pathways and equivalencies, which provide access to qualifications and assist people to move easily and readily between the different education and training sectors and between these sectors and the labor market.

It would also include the alignment with international qualifications framework to support the national and international mobility of workers through increased recognition of the value and comparability of Philippine qualifications.

He also proposes the establishment of the Philippine Qualifications Framework-National Coordinating Council to be composed of the Secretary of the Department of Education, Secretary of the Department of Labor, Chairperson of the Commission on Higher Education, Director General of TESDA, and the Chairperson of the Professional Regulations Commission.

 “Education in the 21st century would be global.  Our students deserve a system that would help them succeed,” Villanueva further said.

Villanueva is running for senator under a platform of TESDA (Trabaho, Edukasyon, Serbisyo, Dignidad, Asenso).  (FREEMAN)