Congress is looking to introduce reforms to the K-12 program to finally fulfill its long-standing promise of producing “job-ready” graduates after basic education.
House Committee on Basic Education and Culture chairperson and Pasig City Lone District Representative Roman Romulo said the findings and recommendations of the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2) have already been submitted to Malacañang and Congress, serving as the basis for proposed improvements to the program.
“Ang commitment sa atin noong panahon na ‘yan, pag natapos ka ng Grade 12, job-ready, college-ready ka na. Kayo rin makakasagot na hindi naman nangyari yan,” Romulo said during a media forum in Quezon City.
Romulo pointed out that enrollment patterns across senior high school tracks show the program has fallen short of its goal of producing employable graduates.
“Yung job readiness, kasi apat ‘yung track eh: academic, tech-voc, arts and music, and sports. Sa totoo po, sa sports wala pang 1% naka-enroll doon. Sa arts ata mga 1-2%. Sa tech-voc, mga 30-36% ang naka-enroll diyan… mga 50-52% more or less diyan ang sa academic,” he said.
According to the lawmaker, strengthening the technical-vocational track is key to making Grade 12 graduates truly job-ready.
“Kung sa tech-voc track na ‘yan, ang magiging job-ready, diyan dapat nagtutulungan ang TESDA at DepEd,” Romulo added.
He explained that most tech-voc graduates currently qualify only for National Certificate (NC) II, which provides basic skills but limits independent employability.
“That is why sinasabi namin sa EDCOM at ginagawa na ngayon, doon na tayo NC3 up to the diploma courses … Kung kailangan natin i-step back, umpisa tayo earlier than 11-12, gawin natin,” he said.
“Ang importante, pag tapos ng Grade 12, NC3 o diploma makuha niya, employable siya kasi on his or her own,” Romulo added.