The Department of Education recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Humanlink International Manpower Agency in Philippines to recruit skilled Filipino teachers for vocational centers throughout the country.
A trip was taken to the Philippines from September 24th to the 30th headed by Minister Jimmy Uguro, and comprised of the Secretary for Education, Dr. Uke Kombra and senior technical officers from the department.
The purpose of the trip was to meet with the Office of Technical Education Skills Development Authority (TESDA) which is the TVET authority in Philippines, and also to sign an MOU with the Humanlink International Manpower Agency.
The trip was timely as the Ministry of Education is implementing major reforms to the school structure from 3-6-4 to 1-6-6 and the curriculum from Outcomes Based to Standards Based in order to improve the quality of education.
The implementation of the 1-6-6 structure also affects the vocational schools in terms of the different subjects or courses offered. Since the tertiary schools cannot accommodate all the graduating students from the secondary sector, students have been encouraged to continue their education in vocational schools by learning different trade skills.
The minimum entry level required to enroll in a vocational school is Grade 10 and students who are not able to continue to grade 11 are encouraged to take up skills training in vocational schools.
Similarly, students in Grade 12 who miss being selected to continue with their education to the tertiary level are encouraged to take up vocational education training pathway to complete their education.
“I am very pleased with the signing of the MOU and our talks with the TESDA officials. The signing of the MOU arrangement is also a plus for our teachers in terms of mentoring by the Filipino teachers as well as benefit from training in the Philippines to upgrade their skills and qualifications,” Mr. Uguro said.
