Education Secretary Sonny Angara yesterday asked members of the Management Association of the Philippines (MAP) to give senior high school graduates a fighting chance amid efforts of the government to ensure the employability of students who will finish SHS.
In his speech during the MAP General Membership Meeting in Taguig City, Angara cited efforts of the Department of Education to improve the curriculum of the K to 12 program.
‘Give our graduates a fighting chance. Let us examine our entry-level requirements and ask: does this job truly require a four-year degree, or does it require grit and trainability? By valuing demonstrated competency, you unlock a vast, eager and capable talent pool of Senior High School graduates,’ Angara said.
He noted that the DepEd is shifting toward structured apprenticeships and high-quality work immersion programs as genuine pathways to employment.
He also asked the MAP to help the DepEd about emerging technologies and the skills that companies need.
‘With artificial intelligence on the rise, we cannot afford both a learning and digital gap for our youngest citizens. Our next generation of movers, thinkers and builders must go beyond finding jobs in our future economy. They must help create that economy alongside all of you,’ he said.
He noted that the DepEd started this year the pilot implementation of the Strengthened Senior High School Program to make the graduates more aligned with industry demands.
‘We have reduced the core subjects to five, allowing our students more time for work immersion, based on your insights and recommendations. This ensures that a learner in Romblon can strengthen their grasp of the basics while preparing for employment opportunities in their province,’ he noted.
Promotion system
Teachers’ group Teachers’ Dignity Coalition (TDC) is seeking a dialogue with DepEd amid issues on the program and the promotion system for teachers under the Expanded Career Progression (ECP) System.
TDC chairperson Benjo Basas expressed confidence that the DepEd will address the concerns of the teachers following the Angara’s directive to refine the implementation of the ECP.
‘We need to engage the DepEd on this issue. Next week, we have a scheduled meeting with the DepEd, together with the leaders of TDC in Calabarzon, Metro Manila and Central Luzon,’ Basas added.
President Marcos recently signed into law Republic Act 12288 or the Career Progression System for Public School Teachers and School Leaders Act, which aims to provide a clearer career path for teachers.
Angara has issued DepEd Order No. 24 on the ECP System to provide teachers with clearer, fairer, and competency-based pathways for growth.
Under this order additional teaching positions will be available for Teacher IV to VII and Master Teacher V and offers two career tracks, the classroom teaching and school administration.
Meanwhile, Speaker Faustino Dy III joined the Schools Division Office of Cauayan City’s Teachers’ Day Celebration, honoring the country’s educators as the pillars of nation-building and reaffirming his commitment to their welfare and professional growth.
Dy stressed the House of Representatives’ efforts to ensure that the education sector receives sufficient funding in the 2026 national budget.
He also cited the P928.52 billion allocation for DepEd in the 2026 national budget — equivalent to a historic four percent of the country’s GDP — as proof of the administration’s commitment to addressing classroom congestion, child malnutrition and the lack of learning materials nationwide.
In another development, Akbayan party-list Rep. Dadah Kiram Ismula has led the filing of House Bill 5332 or the Lakambini Bill, which seeks to institutionalize the teaching of Filipino heroines across all public and private educational levels in the country.