Congress approves measure on labor education

The House of Representatives has approved on third and final reading a bill that seeks the integration of labor education into the college curriculum.

Aurora Rep. Juan Edgardo Angara, chairman of the House Committee on Higher Education, said college students numbering to about two million would benefit from the bill, known as the Labor Education Act of 2011. The measure is authored principally by Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) Rep. Raymond Democrito Mendoza.

“As they will eventually become a member of the labor force, they should be aware of their rights and privileges as workers as well as their responsibilities to society,” Angara said.

The Mendoza bill provides that the Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) shall include labor education in the social science subjects being taught in the general education curriculum in the tertiary education. Once the bill is enacted into law, national and global labor situation, labor market concerns, labor issues, overseas work and related problems will also be part of the curriculum.

“It is imperative that college students who will eventually join the labor force as workers and employees have knowledge about labor rights, worker’s welfare and benefits, core labor standards, labor laws and regulations,” Mendoza said.

He noted that as of academic year 2008-2009, there were about 2,619,795 college students. According to the TUCP lawmaker, more than 1.6 million students are enrolled in private universities and colleges, while more than 820,000 are from state universities and colleges.–CHARISSA M. LUCI, Manila Bulletin