FIGHT THE STIGMA AGAINST TECH-VOC EDUCATION.

Senator Alan Peter Cayetano on Wednesday urged the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) to educate the Filipino public that a technical vocational certification is as significant as a college diploma.

“Baka your job is not only educating those who want to have skills but educating all Filipinos that we are human beings and the diplomas are just certifications of what we can do,” the independent senator told TESDA leaders during the Senate hearing on the proposed 2024 budget of the agency on September 13. He said the problem lies in the mentality among Filipinos that TESDA mostly caters to college drop-outs and out-of-school youth.

“Dapat from elementary to high school pa lang, kapag sinabi ng mga bata ‘Gusto ko maging magaling sa automotive,’ [someone will ask] ‘Saan mo gusto?’ [and the child will reply] ‘Gusto ko sa TESDA!” he added.

 He also pushed for a budget that will capacitate TESDA to assess the employability of senior high school tech-voc graduates and provide them with certification to help them land jobs.### (PR / Office of the Senator Alan Peter Cayetano File Photos )