PPPs proposed for education due to K-to-12 shortcomings

THE Management Association of the Philippines (MAP) proposed public-private partnerships (PPPs) to address the “education crisis,” citing the unfulfilled potential of the K-to-12 program.

MAP President Benedicta Du-Baladad said in a statement on Monday that PPPs should be configured to ensure that students have adequate skills when they enter the workforce.

“As the biggest ‘consumers’ of these graduates, (employers) are all too willing to do our share in preparing them to be productive and competitive, or do business with them in the future…That means transforming the Philippine education system so that it can adapt to a changed workplace in a technology-driven world,” she added.

Ms. Du-Baladad added: “The vision of K-to-12 to (make) students going into the 11^th and 12^th grades employment-ready (with) specialized skills… is far from being realized. Instead of getting better jobs, they end up taking on elementary jobs that do not pay well,” Ms. Du-Baladad said.

 K-to-12, launched during the 2012-2013 school year, added two years of senior high school to basic education.

Ms. Du-Baladad said K-to-12 should “fully integrate as a technical and vocational education and training (TVET) program to increase enterprise-based learning where the senior high school students will have more immersive experiences through certification training and exposure to actual work settings.”

“In an age where employment is transforming from traditional to digital, keeping students in school is a major challenge. The youth are increasingly enamored with social media and have discovered many ways to monetize their experiences by sharing them online,” Ms. Du-Baladad said. — Revin Mikhael D. Ochave