Exploitation encased in education

Lately, the educational state of the Philippines has been feeble, grappling with the tumultuous hurdles resulting from the far-fetched mandate of regulations that merely solves the root of the problem. Once again, the Department of Education (DepEd) perfectly demonstrates patching up challenges over choosing to consider the state of those who will be directly affected—the students. 

During the House Committee on Appropriations hearing on DepEd’s proposed 2027 budget, September 7, 2026, Education Secretary Sonny Angara said DepEd is eyeing to increase the duration of On-the-Job training (OJT) for Senior High School students to 640 hours, a wide stretch from the current 80 to 160 hours. He reasoned out that senior high graduates still seem to be unprepared and are not yet accustomed to an eight-hour workday, according to the feedback of employers. 

By this concurrence, the systemic failure is crystal clear—the students are treated not as learners, but as an opportunity for investment and a commodity.

Firstly, education and dreams are regarded with boundless importance, anchored on the fact that no one else could ever snatch these away. But with this proposal, the students are mass-produced for the sake of work even at the age of 17-18 years old. DepEd makes them comply not for a more tangible future, but to bow down to what the employers want. It is ironic for the department to consider everybody else’s sentiments, but not the very reason for their existence and whom they should be functioning for—the students.

Furthermore, implementing higher OJT hours for senior high school students completely misses the mark. If DepEd’s reasoning stems from attempting to produce “work-ready” individuals across the country, then it does not resonate with the steps they are taking. Even if the students sweat and extend every fiber of their efforts to complete or even go beyond the set 640 hours, there is a glitch that remains evident in our system; despite trying to foster an embellished youth who are knowledgeable of how the workforce unfolds, everything just goes back to zero the moment they try to apply for work by the decision of not going to college because most of the employers uphold a lot of standards, including a college degree. 

Based on a report, 308,000 SHS graduates are unemployed; then by January 2026, it has already bolstered to 373,000. So, where should these students stand in a system that shrinks away from their grip? Hence, the question must not be about the length, but also on how inclusive and effective the workplace as well as do we set realistic standards that every applicant can reach. 

Moreover, whenever a crack seeps into the system, why is DepEd’s first approach is to slump all the burden towards the shoulders of the students without even scrutinizing the system they trail to? The educational structure here in the Philippines has been consistent at being uncertain. Lots of adjustments have been made and integrated, yet it only worsens the state that the learners and educators have to endure every day. Certainly, 640 hours of OJT is not what the students need, but an environment that is capable enough of unraveling their interests and equipping them to pursue these as a career. Additionally, this proposal will only leave the learners exhausted, considering that there are still other subjects to be taken care of aside from the OJT requirement. 

Surely, if they were able to detect a flaw in the system, and their way of coping with it is striking the weight of the action on the students, then they are not promoting a future that leans on pure productivity and drive to show up genuinely for the work to be done; instead, they are mining away at every zeal that exists in the existence of every student by making them work for tumultuous hours without considering their perspective because the system that the administrators constructed is not made for the people who will work themselves, but anchors on gratifying employers–which will most likely lead to haywires of burnout.

This system has long recognized the way that everyone succumbs to interventions and alterations, but when and how long do the students have to wait to have justifiable time in OJTs, etc., and still have recognition for their drive and not be labeled as “sufficiently unprepared”?

OJTs are a good benchmark and foundation to build a student equipped with knowledge and experience of how reality in the workplace unfolds. However, there is an evident boundary between letting students do it to learn and having it concealed behind the concept of “requirement” just to bypass the motive of having to savor free labor. Absolutely, there are employers who are taking this as an opportunity to squeeze out effort from the students without leaving any form of compensation or salary. It is a prominent example of killing two birds with one stone. 

These 640 hours of OJT are not the solution for us to secure a nation with a better disposition in the future, but also on the ways of integrating solutions that empathize with the well-being of the students, by building a system that does not consume and romanticize the concept of overworking, and does not anchor on the motive of exploiting the students. And unless officials still hide behind skin-deep reasoning to validate exhausting the students, the question remains clear: to whom are they actually doing this for?