On February 13, 2020, the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) organized a Public Seminar on Reforms in the PH Education Sector, specifically on Education and Labor. Held at the PIDS Conference Hall in Quezon City, the said event was well attended by delegates from different Government Agencies, Civil Society Organizations, Academe and Private Sector who actively participated in the said seminar.
The first presenter of the said activity was PIDS Senior Research Fellow Aniceto C. Orbeta, Jr., on “Process Evaluation of the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act (RA 10931): Status and Prospects for Improved Implementation;” followed by a discussion on the “Philippine Graduate Tracer Study 4” shared by PIDS Consultant Ms. Melba V. Tutor; while PIDS Consultant Ms. Karen Domique B. Brillantes talked about “Status of Senior High School Implementation: A Process Evaluation;” and lastly, PIDS Consultant Jennifer D. Monje pondering on “Starting Where the Children Are: A Process Evaluation of the Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education Implementation.”
The first paper tackled on the early assessment of RA 10931’s first implementation by focusing on the law’s program design and objectives, including the evaluation and experiences of stakeholders and implementers. The second paper showed the graduate’s college experience which includes skills learned, quality of education, alignment to employment, and socio-cultural development of the graduates and perception of their employers. The third paper covered topics on the implementation of the Senior High School program identifying the best practices, issues and areas for improvement particularly on the program theory, service delivery and utilization, and program organization. The last paper reviewed the use and implementation of the Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education (MTB-MLE) program during the formative years of children.
The presentation of research papers was followed by an open forum where the participants were able to raise important points on the said topics. As a conclusion, the organizers successfully closed the program by appreciating the presence of the delegates and resource persons for sharing of insights.
Participating in such convergence allows the Council to formulate relevant and timely policy recommendations and initiatives towards the universalization of literacy, considering the country’s current issues and concerns
