Ensure enough assessors for SHS learners’ certification – senator

MANILA, Philippines — Ahead of the rollout of the free assessment and certification for senior high school graduates in the technical-vocational livelihood (TVL) track, Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian said the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) should ensure that there will be enough assessors for the program.

Gatchalian made his call yesterday after the Department of Education (DepEd) and TESDA issued joint guidelines for senior high school graduates’ free assessment and certification.

The 2024 national budget allocates more than P438 million under the TESDA Regulatory Program for the assessment and issuance of national certification to more than 400,000 grade 12 learners.

“The good news for our senior high school graduates in the TVL track is that the assessment and certification is free for them. This is an important step to increase their chances of having a good job when they graduate,” said Gatchalian, who proposed the funding for the assessment and issuance of national certifications.

“At the same time, we will increase the number of our assessors in TESDA. That is why we allocated funds to ensure that we have enough assessors for the implementation of free assessment among senior high school graduates in TVL,” the senator added.

The 2024 national budget also allotted P50.012 million to expand TESDA’s pool of assessors. This allocation would add 11,000 to TESDA’s current assessment capacity. By the end of 2024, the number of assessors is expected to triple from 7,551 to around 19,000.