Tech Voc Episode: Standards and Competencies in the K-12 Curriculum

Baket pang bobo ang tech voc, ibig ba sabihin na ang mga teacher at trainors ay bobo din?

Sino ang nag assess?
Mababang tingin sa tech voc
Paano maging Globally Competitive ?

Time for the Philippines to change Technical Vocational Education and Training structure and adapt higher non-traditional and age-old techniques for better tech voc graduates and better Philippines.

Quezon City, July 2022. An interview with Mr. Tony Galvez, one of Manila’s premier hair guru. He is a professional tech voc teacher, trainor, assessor and a master in Hairdressing and Beauty Care with years of tech voc practice and exposure. Galvez discussed his point of view on tech voc in the K-12 Technical Vocational Livelihood and TESDA system in Philippine Qualifications Framework (PQF).

Teaching in the tech voc field consists of systematic, skills training and hands-on methods. A teacher in a certain tech voc area must be highly knowledgeable in the subject. In fact, a tech voc practitioner by profession suits the job to teach in Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET).

Likewise, in the higher education environment. Licensed doctors with masteral or doctorate degrees are the ones eligible to teach or to become professors in a medical school.

Re-evaluate Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) mandate

In the K-12 setting, Senior High School (SHS) Technical Vocational Livelihood Education (TLE) teachers are normally general education teachers. DepEd’s TVL track trainers and teachers are not industry experts/practitioners.

In recent interview with Mr. Tony Galvez, President and owner of The Tony Galvez School of Cosmetology, a member and officer of Technical Vocational Schools and Associations of the Philippines (TeVSAPhil) District, NCR and National; and a member of Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry-Quezon City.

“Teachers have no appropriate or relevant & adequate industry experience. They are a product of general academic and short skills training.” mentioned by Tony Galvez.

While in TESDA, instructors or resource persons have attended a Training Methodology, not an Applied Theory and Level of Mastery.

Did DepEd speeds up the implementation of K-12. Is it safe to say that the policies created by non-tech voc officers inside the organization during that time are relevant?

Galvez reiterates “Hindi pwedeng nag attend lang ng training workshop si teacher ng ilang buwan, sasabak na sya sa pagtuturo ng livelihood and professional programs base sa module. Ano matututunan ng mga bata? Short cut ito ng mga teacher sa school at mga instructor o resource person ng TESDA.

Walang kalidad ang tech voc education sa K-12 Senior High School dahil walang “knowledge” or karampatang kaalaman para ituro ang lahat lahat na sakop ng isang kurso sa tech voc. Hindi pwedeng basic principle at general views lamang.

May level of competencies ito, may hands-on, may capstone project para ma evaluate o ma- assess ang mga tech voc students para maka graduate. Higit sa lahat ang mga evaluator or assessor from DEPED schools at TESDA ay dapat eksperto o mataas ang kaalaman. Paano nakapasa ang mga Senior High School tec voc strands students? Sino nag evaluate, di ba yung teacher din nila? Sa TESDA naman, ganon din, hindi din expert ang mga tao sa loob ng sistema. Dun pa lang sablay na.

Suma tutal ang K-12 Senior High School (SHS) tech voc strands ay kulang sa skills training, palpak ang Assessment, mga protocol at iba pa.”

The propose solution is to hire evaluators and assessors with relevant professions.

Implementation of strict assessment procedure for tech voc interns. The OJT evaluation statement by the company will serve as the students assessment, the capability/skillful to perform the job.

Education needs an overhaul.
TECH VOC needs an OVERHAUL.

Education needs an overhaul
Others say, schools, TESDA, and even politicians benefited from this K-12 program.

Have you heard about the seaman applicants? They are required to enroll / “schooling” again. Again, this is about the global standard strictly implemented by the progressive countries. The very institutions that make a living out of our education system.

Policy makers and the policy being implemented should be scrutinized. Government should strengthen the Faculty Development Plan or hire qualified and competitive teachers. Revisit the curriculum aligned to the global needs, provide excellent materials, facilities needed for instruction as these are forerunners to quality education. Alongside K-12, upgrade the curriculum appropriate for Senior High and abolish or replace useless minor subjects in college curriculum. Instead of Calculus, why not insert Business Math congruent to Basic Accounting, Bookkeeping. Likewise, in Senior High School, to implement a level of proficiency in Business Writing to prepare our youth in case they can’t pursue college.

TVI’s proposal to reshape the TVET program and curriculum.

Propose professionalization and licensing of Tech-Voc tracks; these are the Professional tracks and Livelihood tracks. Uplift the status of TESDA graduates by securing a license or to become a professional.

Low regard, low image of TVET

Galvez mentioned the the issues and concerns raised among TVET players, as well as the image and public acceptance of tech voc in the country. “Public perception has not been kind to TVET in our country.“

“The world’s booming service industry, for one, is in dire need of skills and various technical knowhow. It’s time not to consider it as a lowly job but a field that offers many opportunities and advancement if only tech voc students are given the correct training and education!

We need to improve and become world class. It is our duty to rally behind the highly professional tech voc industry that we all dream of – globally competitive and aligned with the international progressive countries for better appreciation of our country’s TVET industry.” _ Tony Galvez.

The State of Tech Voc in the Philippines

Political personalities and the business community are aware of these shortcomings. They have spoken openly about the tech voc industry and the state of Philippine education.

“Education is so pivotal to the life of the nation. Why in heaven’s name did we divide our education system into DepEd, K-12 and ChEd? At kung bobo ka diyan ka na lang sa tech voc. There’s something so brainless about those divisions.”

“If you want to do any policy changes that means you pay attention and you invest on the teacher. Do not invest on an air-conditioned room, a classroom, etc. because this things can happen even under the papaya tree, but if the teacher is bobo, no learning happens.”
– Clarita Carlos, Retired University of the Philippines Professor

“Kaya ang Build, Build, Build, medyo atrasado ng konti. Walang trabahante. We are lacking in experts like in carpentry, in welding and other technical skills. We have a lot of jobless because they are not qualified even in vocational, especially construction.”
– Rodrigo Duterte, Former President

“Majority of those 600,000 [students], I don’t think they really got the sufficient training,” ( first batch of K-12 graduates). – Alberto Fenix, President of PCCI HR Dev’t Foundation

“K-12 graduates are half baked and are not job ready.” – Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI)

Technical and skills development has a high potential because employers look for skilled workers. We need to be world class. We need to be known globally. Let’s fix our education. We should innovate our own education style on how to produce experts. Uplift the image of tech voc.

References:

Echo Manila (2021, May). Press Release article. Towards an Improved Pinoy Technical Vocational Education and Training.

Filipino Times (2018, January 17). K-12 graduates are not yet ready for work says PCCI. [Online]. available at: https://filipinotimes.net/news/2018/01/17/k-12-graduates-not-yet-ready-work-says-pcci/ [Accessed (July 16, 2022)].

Galvez, A. (2021). For Better Pinoy Technical Vocational Educational and Training (TVET) material presentation.

Pinoy Tech Voc. What is the state of Philippine education? [Online]. Available at: https://pinoytechvoc.blogspot.com/2022/03/what-is-state-of-philippine-education.html [Accessed (July 16, 2022)].

Villena, D. (2022, March 21). Philippines as the Tech Voc Center in Asia. [Online]. Available at: https://www.deiville.com/philippines-as-the-tech-voc-center-in-asia/ [Accessed (July 15, 2022)].

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