Senior High School – Technical Vocational Livelihood (SHS-TVL) Track graduates shall now get free assessments for certification from the government to boost their employability, the Department of Education (DepEd) said on Friday.
The free assessment was made possible following the signing of two joint memorandum circulars (JMC) between the DepEd, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), Commission on Higher Education (CHED), and Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), in line with the directive of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to address skills mismatch and employment gap among SHS graduates.
The JMCs aim to fund graduates’ assessment for National Certificate (NC) I and II, as well as to embed Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) into all SHS tracks.
In an ambush interview, DepEd Undersecretary Michael Poa said the move was a case of “good timing” as it comes alongside the SHS curriculum review.
“Napakaimportante niyan dahil libre na po iyong assessment ng ating mga Senior High School graduates sa TVET. Pag magkakaroon sila ng NC I or NC II, noon sila mismo iyong gumagastos (That’s very important because the assessment of our SHS graduates in TVET shall be free. Before, they will have to pay to get NC I or NC II),” he said.
Poa said a technical working group (TWG) will be formed to focus on the implementation of the JMCs while the curriculum review is underway.
Besides free assessment, the JMCs give SHS teachers’ training as TVET instructors and assessors, accreditation of schools as assessment centers, and coordination with DOLE for industry demand updates, among others.
“With all of those put together, mas magiging attractive po at tataas iyong employment ng ating senior high school graduates (our SHS graduates shall be more attractive and their employment will increase),” Poa said.
Senate Committee on Basic Education chairperson Sherwin Gatchalian, meanwhile, said the JMCs intend to lighten up the financial burden of SHS graduates as they apply for job positions.
“For almost 12 years na na-implement natin iyong K-12 (Kinder to grade 12) noong 2012, iyong mga Senior High Schools natin na nag-ti-TVL, pag graduate nila, wala silang hawak na certification (Since the implementation of the K-12 in 2012, our SHS in the TVL track don’t have certifications when they graduate),” he said.
Gatchalian noted that a senior high school graduate may need to spend around PHP1,000 to PHP5,000 for assessment fees alone.
Under the General Appropriations Act (GAA) 2024, the government allocated PHP538 million for TVL implementation – with PHP438 million allotted for NC assessments of all TVL students; and PHP50 million each for NC assessor expansion, and training of SHS teachers. (PNA)
