Intensified investments in basic education are crucial in developing the capacities young Filipino workers, the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) said over the weekend.
In a statement, NEDA Deputy Director General Emmanuel Esguerra noted an important aspect of the government’s inclusive growth platform is investing in human capital, particularly in the young population that comprise about half of the country’s workforce.
“Investing in human capital, especially the youth that comprise a significant proportion of the Philippine population, is a major item in the government’s inclusive growth agenda,” the NEDA official stated.
As outlined in the Philippine Development Plan: 2011-2016, inclusive growth refers to the rapid and sustained socioeconomic development that contributes to employment generation and poverty reduction.
NEDA explained that inclusive growth can only be achieved through massive investments in infrastructure and human capital, as well as putting in place measures that support good governance.
Also, the agency cited the October 2012 round of the Labor Force Survey (LFS) of the National Statistics Office, which showed that almost half, or 48 percent of Filipinos, willing to work are aged 15 to 34 years old.
It added that similarly, this segment of the population comprised 46 percent of Filipinos who are employed during the period.
Esguerra also admitted that the lack of workers with appropriate skills set is a major challenge, adding that the challenge is evident in industries that are knowledge-intensive and require a high degree of functional flexibility.
“That is why the most important skill is being good at learning, and that is what investment in quality basic education is for,” he further said.
The NEDA official mentioned that measures are being implemented to help enhance the competitiveness of workers and industries.
For instance, he cited the rollout of the K to 12 Basic Education Program of the Department of Education that aims to produce holistically developed learners with 21st century skills who are prepared for higher education, middle-level skills development, and immediate employment or entrepreneurship.
“This will signal to potential employers that the quality of Philippine labor is and will remain competitive and employable,” Esguerra added.
Meanwhile, in a report released over the weekend, the National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB) said that basic education is also an issue on why there are a huge number of unemployed college graduates.
It cited results from the Labor Force Survey (LFS) which shows that despite the attainment of a college diploma, college graduates comprised at least 18 percent of the total unemployed, the third highest share in terms of educational attainment from 2006 to 2011.
The NSCB noted that most of the unemployed college graduates are those who earned degrees on medical courses, trade, craft and industrial programs, engineering and architectural programs.
Top three vacancies
On the other hand, the statistical board also cited the data gathered by the Bureau of Labor Employment Statistics (BLES) from their BLES Integrated Survey (BITS), which suggest that the top three hard to fill vacancies among professionals for the period January, 2009 to June, 2010 include accountants and auditors; electronics and communications engineers; and systems analysts and designers.
“It may be observed that these top three hard to fill vacancies require specific technical requirements and most of which necessitates the passing of an eligibility exam,” it stated.
Furthermore, the BLES survey also showed that the top three reasons why vacancies are hard to fill were the applicants lack needed competency/skill; applicants expect a high salary; and applicants lack years of experience.
NSCB said that a factor that clearly affects employability of college graduates is the quality of instruction they received, adding that the rather low rates in passing rates for professional licensure examinations across the years is a cause for concern.
The statistical board added that undoubtedly, the quality of learning in higher education has its roots in basic education.
“After all, how can college students absorb what they are taught in college if they did not learn enough in basic education?” it remarked.
NSCB further said that the quality of basic education is partly an issue of resources, citing the teacher-pupil ratio for primary education which has been relatively high compared to the corresponding ratio of neighboring countries, ranging from 31 to 35 pupils per teacher in 2006 to 2010.
To address this problem, the statistical board mentioned that the Education department has been provided authority by the Department of Budget and Management to hire an extra 61,000 teachers this year to be distributed among the public schools in the country.
It also said that over the past decade, the Philippines have had only about 70,000 graduates of teacher education on the average per year, and about a fourth to a third pass the licensure for teachers, which means barely 18,000 to 23,000 on the average per year.
NSCB stated that it is important to note that while the percentage of faculty members in higher education with post graduate education has been increasing from 2001 to 2011, the rate of improvement has been at a slow pace.
“These may have implications on the quality of learning students will get, and in having students become prepared for the jobs they will be getting when they leave school,” it added. –MAYVELIN U. CARABALLO REPORTER, Manila Times
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