SHS graduates
THE number of jobless Filipinos has thrust out front anew the need for the government to further improve the quality of senior high school (SHS) graduates.
And in the view of Sen. Sherwin “Win” Gatchalian, concerned government offices and agencies, ought to step up efforts to boost the job readiness of graduates of SHS.
Of course, there’s also that need to speed up the assessment and certification of these graduates in the technical-vocational-livelihood ((TVL) track, said Gatchalian.
We share the view of the senator from Valenzuela City that a government certification could increase the employability of senior high school graduates.
Tasked to conduct the assessment and certification of SHS graduates is the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA).
During the incumbency of the late President Ferdinand E. Marcos, the agency was called the National Manpower and Youth Council.
It was then an attached agency of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE). Now called TESDA, it is under the Office of the President (OPS).
Gatchalian, chairman of the Senate committee on basic education, described the cost of assessment and certification of SHS graduates as “prohibitive.”
This is the reason why the certification rate is low among the graduates under the TVL track, according to Senator Gatchalian.
Without, the senior high school program plays a crucial role in government efforts to meet the employment needs of the Philippine population.
Today, TESDA-certified SHS graduates, men and women, are in great demand in manpower-importing countries across the globe.
