CHED chief vows revamp in PH education system’s ‘lowest’ point

“…In an unfortunate season of the Marcos administration where education is at its lowest. And when you talk about lowest, it all boils down to the kind of leadership that we have.”

This is the statement of Commission on Higher Education (CHED) Chairperson Shirley Agrupis as she tackled the challenges that the agency had to face as soon as she took office back in June.

In a ceremonial signing event on Aug. 26, Agrupis admitted that there are several issues in the education system that needs to be addressed immediately.

Job mismatches, deficiency of graduates in the priority programs of the agency, and oversubscription of some degree programs were the specific problems listed by Agrupis.

The chairperson also said that CHED also lacked in efficiently implementing policies that should cater to the studentry.

“There is this unequal implementation with the policies and guidelines, forgetting the fact that the CHED is mandated to implement quality assurance policies,” she said.

Agrupis also revealed that among the 25,000 students who apply in job fairs conducted by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), only 13 percent get accepted.

“In our recent meeting with DOLE, they revealed to us that in their job fair, they go around the country and out of the 25,000 students interviewed for job, only 13 percent are hired. Why? Because of soft skills,” she said.

Moreover, Agrupis noted that of the seven percent of the unemployed population in the country, 35 to 38 percent of it is contributed by a college graduate.

The chairperson emphasized that there are necessary improvements in the agency and the implementation of its programs to further elevate the status of the country’s education system.

“It is so devastating. That’s why knowing this data is not enough to address the concern. Statistics may reveal the gaps, but it will take strong leadership to close them and address them,” Agrupis emphasized.

“Behind every reform, every program, and every innovation, we envision for higher education lies the question of the leader who will guide our institution, who will drive change. and who will ensure that policies translate into action on the ground,” she added.

As of now, the different government education agencies in the Philippines are still creating reforms to close the learning gap among students, as well as addressing the issues on the employment of college graduates.