mongster's nest

- disturbing fantasies, traumatic verses, definitely mongrel thoughts

Investing in human resources

All out war in southern Philippines, my blog entry for Global Voices. New pictures in my photoblog, click here and here.

Chairman Romulo Neri of the Commission on Higher Education has six months to fix the problems that bedevil the country’s higher education system. This is an impossible task. What will he accomplish in six months? The CHED chairman presides over the Board of Regents of all state universities. CHED provides the regulatory framework which guides more than one thousand higher education institutions.

Stakeholders should protest the absence of continuity in the leadership of education agencies. Malacanang should refrain from treating the education department as recycling machine for loyal politicians or dissident technocrats.

Sec. Neri, who has no doctorate degree, has vowed to consult his detractors. But he didn’t mention whether he will listen to the appeal of students to regulate runaway tuition increases or school owners who want less intervention from CHED.

On the other hand, Sec. Neri was unambiguous in articulating his mission: solve the mismatch between the academe and industry. In short, make college education more relevant and responsive to the needs of a globalizing economy. On many occasions, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has pinpointed the disparity between the quality of college graduates and the manpower requirements of big foreign firms operating in the country. Sec. Neri, a member of the president’s economic team, seems to be the perfect man for this difficult job.

Sec. Neri will be pleasantly surprised to learn that his predecessor has already laid the framework in increasing the competitiveness of the country’s young workforce. Last April, the National Human Resource Conference held at the Manila Hotel identified the constraints which affect productivity and competitiveness of the labor sector. CHED participated in the event and focused on enumerating the hard-to-fill jobs or the “highly demanded and emerging jobs where supply shortages occur”.

CHED identified the lack of competent graduates in the mining sector (geologists, mining engineers, metallurgical engineers), HRM (tour guides, officers for hotel and travel agencies), agribusiness, maritime (marine officers, seafarers), health and wellness (doctors, nurses, therapists and medical tourism), construction (architects and engineers) and cyberservices (animators, programmers, contact center agents, medical transcriptionists, editors). CHED also emphasized the need for scientists and engineers “to conduct research, technology/ knowledge transfer and technology adaptation/ application.

CHED specified the policy gaps which need to be resolved. It blamed the low enrolment in pertinent courses like geology, maritime training, medicine, architecture and engineering; inadequate number of higher education institutions offering programs; limited implementation or coverage of available programs; poor performance of graduates in licensure examinations; mismatch between skills and competency requirements of industry; lack of qualified faculty; outdated learning facilities; inadequate quality assurance system like standards, monitoring, evaluation and certification; and failure to meet international standards.

Mismatch between skills and industry needs was given attention. CHED identified the inadequate ICT skills of students, weak communication skills, lack of proficiency in English language and other foreign languages, eroded work ethics/values and absence of work experience especially in highly specialized jobs. CHED hopes to resolve these competitiveness issues by strengthening linkages between industry and education for continuous upgrading of curricula, improving in-house training on English language and other foreign languages, adding units in ICT and strengthening values formation in curricula.

CHED’s presentation is interesting and reflects the current thrusts of the government. Mining is obviously a top priority of the government. Eco-tourism is now a flagship program of the Department of Tourism. Medical tourism is being promoted yet the basic health needs of poor Filipinos are not addressed. If the country lacks doctors and nurses despite the proliferation of nursing schools, shouldn’t we blame the labor export policy of the government? Training of call center agents is now being offered in state universities. The English language is now the medium of instruction in schools.

If there is a shortage of skilled workers in key industries of the economy, there is need for institutions which will teach vital but unpopular subjects to students. Why then is the government reducing its subsidy for state universities which have the most comprehensive course offering on science and technology? If most private schools cater to the high demand for nurses, state universities, through government support, can continue to produce competent agricultural entrepreneurs, engineers and geologists.

Improving human resources should not focus on teaching students how to speak good English or producing obedient workers. It’s about harnessing the capabilities of the young workforce to serve the actual needs of society. We need doctors and nurses who will serve in the barrios. We need mining engineers whose labor can generate enough revenues for genuine national industrialization. Higher education reforms are necessary to cure the ills of society but Sec. Neri, CHED and the government should not equate compliance to the demands of big foreign firms and foreign nations with competitiveness. It promotes a narrow, twisted and irrational view of development, which by the way has been the dominant economic thinking since the late 1980s.

Related entries:

Global competitiveness
Super cities
Odd man out

Two years ago in Mongster's Nest: Battle of the streets or why rallies are relevant in Philippine politics. Francis Ford Coppola, my favorite Hollywood director. The UP Student Council during the dark days of Martial Law. Rearing babies in the Philippines. Message after failed impeachment: Forget the elections and To the Streets. Axis of evil: Oil depot, Malacañang and Makati.

posted by: mongpalatino at September 01, 2007 07:55 | link | comments |
education

Comments: