For the first time, a consultative meeting by the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2) is held outside Metro Manila to touch base with the current trends in tech-voc industry – and where better to hold it but Cebu.
On Thursday, Aug. 3, Gov. Gwen Garcia received at the Capitol members of EDCOM 2 which include third district Congressman Pablo John Garcia, as the commission consults with stakeholders of the technical and vocational industry in an attempt to learn of best practices and so craft better policies and put forward recommendations to improve industry participation.
“This is the first time that we went outside Manila to go to a regional consultation to see what’s happening on the ground across the country, and we are looking forward to learn a lot,” said EDCOM 2 executive director Dr. Karol Mark Yee.
EDCOM 2 is a national commission tasked to undertake a comprehensive national assessment and evaluation of the performance of the Philippine education sector. It counts as officials the members of the Upper and Lower House.
Gov. Gwen, in her speech, shared about the Capitol’s Sugbo Kahanas program where P100 million is earmarked to fund the free tech-voc trainings of qualified Cebuanos. The program, currently on its second season, has already produced over 4,000 skilled graduates in its maiden round, equipping them not only with NC IIs but also starter tool kits.
Former TESDA 7 director Gamaliel Vicente, Jr. praised Sugbo Kahanas as the only LGU-initiated tech-voc training program in the country that invested that much for personnel development of its constituents. The second round of the program has an allocation of another P100 million.
“Actually, we are limited in ability to reach stakeholders in terms talking to them who are on the ground,” Yee said. “That’s why it’s important for us to be here so that we actually see the schools and to learn from their experiences para kung ano yung ire-recommend na policies ng EDCOM2, it really respond to the needs of the stakeholders,” he added.
Also present were incumbent TESDA 7 director Ramon Evan Ruiz; as well as various tech-voc trainings providers from Cebu, Samar, Leyte, and Iloilo. | Richelle Ann Henoguin, CNU Broadcast Journalism Intern