Gatchalian pushes 'Batang Magaling' bill ahead of revised senior high school curriculum pilot run

While the Department of Education (DepEd) is eyeing the pilot run of the revised senior high school curriculum by School Year (SY) 2025-2026, Senator Win Gatchalian pushed anew his proposal to boost the college readiness and employability of senior high school graduates.

Gatchalian's Batang Magaling Act (Senate Bill No. 2367) seeks to produce senior high school graduates with the knowledge, training, and skills demanded in the labor market regardless of their chosen exits: higher education, middle-level skills development, employment, or entrepreneurship.

The legislator emphasized the importance of addressing challenges hounding the senior high school program. While the program promised to produce work-ready graduates, a 2020 discussion paper from state think tank Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) previously revealed that only a little over 20% of senior high school graduates enter the labor force.

The PIDS study also revealed that compared to Grade 10 and second-year college completers, senior high school graduates have no clear statistically significant advantage or disadvantage when it comes to basic pay per day.

The proposed measure also seeks the creation of the National Batang Magaling Council, which will be composed of the DepEd, the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), three national industry partners, a national labor group, and the Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines which is an umbrella organization of all leagues of local government units.

The Council shall serve as the mechanism to align schools' curricular offerings and the work immersion component of senior high school with market needs identified by industry partners and government agencies. It will also be mandated to increase awareness and commitment of industry partners and government agencies to accept learners in the work immersion programs, ensure that their deployment is done according to their tracks, and enable learners to acquire specialized skills and competencies to advance in their chosen paths.

"Isinusulong natin ang Batang Magaling Act upang matiyak natin ang kahandaan sa trabaho ng ating mga graduates sa senior high school. Titiyakin nating may maigting na ugnayan sa pagitan ng pribadong sektor at mga paaralan para sa magandang kinabukasan ng ating mga mag-aaral," said Gatchalian, Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Basic Education.

'Batang Magaling' bill isinusulong ni Gatchalian habang naghahanda para sa revised SHS curriculum

Habang binabalak ng Department of Education (DepEd) na simulan ang revised senior high school curriculum para sa School Year (SY) 2025-2026, muling isinulong ni Senador Win Gatchalian ang kanyang panukalang paigtingin ang kahandaan ng mga senior high school graduates na pumasok sa kolehiyo at kalaunan ay makapagtrabaho.

Layon ng Batang Magaling Act (Senate Bill No. 2367), na ihain ni Gatchalian, na tiyaking may sapat na kaalaman, pagsasanay, at kakayahan ang mga senior high school graduates para sa pipiliin nilang landas: higher education o kolehiyo, middle-level skills development, employment o trabaho, at entrepreneurship o pagnenegosyo.

Binigyang diin ni Gatchalian ang kahalagahang tugunan ang mga hamong kinakaharap ng senior high school program. Bagama't ipinangako ng programa ang kahandaan ng mga graduates na pumasok sa trabaho, lumabas sa isang 2020 discussion paper ng Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) na 20% lamang ng mga senior high school graduates ang nakakapasok ng labor force.

Lumabas din sa pag-aaral ng PIDS na kung ihahambing sa mga nakatapos ng Grade 10 at second year college, walang pinagkaiba ang mga senior high school graduates pagdating sa basic pay kada araw.

Layon ng panukalang batas ang paglikha ng National Batang Magaling Council na bubuuin ng DepEd, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), tatlong national industry partners, isang national labor group, at ng Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines, isang umbrella organization ng lahat ng liga ng mga lokal na pamahalaan.

Magiging mekanismo ang Council upang iugnay ang mga curricular offerings ng mga paaralan at work immersion component ng senior high school sa mga market needs na tinukoy ng industry partners at government agencies. Magiging mandato ring palawakin ang kaalaman ng industry partners at mga ahensya ng gobyerno upang tanggapin ang mga mag-aaral sa mga work immersion programs. Dapat ding tiyakin ng pribadong sektor at ng gobyerno na angkop ang deployment ng mga senior high school graduates sa kanilang mga tracks, at makakamtan ng mga mag-aaral ang specialized skills and competencies upang magtagumpay sa kanilang mga karera.

"Isinusulong natin ang Batang Magaling Act upang matiyak natin ang kahandaan sa trabaho ng ating mga graduates sa senior high school. Titiyakin nating may maigting na ugnayan sa pagitan ng pribadong sektor at mga paaralan para sa magandang kinabukasan ng ating mga mag-aaral," sabi ni Gatchalian, Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Basic Education.