Statement of Senator Joel Villanueva on his election as chair of the Senate Committee on Higher and Technical Education

Lubos na ikinagagalak natin ang tuluyang pagsulong sa mungkahi na i-reorganize ang Senate Committee on Education. Nagpapasalamat po tayo sa ating mga kasamahan sa kanilang tiwala at suporta sa paghalal sa atin bilang chair ng Senate Committee on Higher and Technical Education. Makakaasa po kayo na isusulong natin ang mga panukalang huhulma sa kinabukasan ng ating kabataan.

The proposal to have two committees devoted to education is certainly a pragmatic approach to better address the needs of our basic, tech-voc, and higher education systems. The proposal reflects sound judgement, showing how the Senate can become more responsive to the growing needs of the education and training sector.

As chair of the higher and technical education committee, our resolve is to keep the tech-voc and higher education systems at par with global standards. Our background in tech-voc, which we gained as former Director General of TESDA, helps us frame the necessary legislation as we seek to prepare Filipinos for the opportunities that the Fourth Industrial Revolution will present. We will buckle down to work to make it happen.

Among the legislations we intend to pursue is to continue looking for ways to address job-skills mismatch by taking a closer look at existing curriculums and seeking ways to improve it. We will also push for measures that will help fulfill the needs of our students, teachers, and non-teaching personnel in the tech-voc and higher education sectors.

As we seek to transform our Filipino workforce into a highly-skilled and competitive one, we need our tech-voc and higher education systems to recognize and certify an individual's capacity to perform specific skills and fully embrace the concept of lifelong learning. Our Philippine Qualifications Framework or PQF law has started work on that, and we intend to pass related measures to ensure its effectivity.