Global and National Competitiveness through Filipino Youth’s Prudent Career Decisions: Republic Act 7722
“The function of education, therefore, is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. But education which stops with efficiency may prove the greatest menace to society.” Martin Luther King Jr.
Entering colleges and universities for most students in the country will soon commence after three months or so and for this reason, the fast-approaching higher education opening provides ample and appropriate time for parents and students to resolve educational matters to determine the right career path the latter will undergo as a lifetime basis of livelihood and to be contributory in the country’s vision to provide efficient graduates reliable around national and global industries at par with the ASEAN community not to mention graduate’s pertinent qualifications to other regions of the world. At this juncture, the urgent need to decide wisely must be performed the soonest possible time. Course decision for future careers should have two outstanding factors to remarkably note despite other underlying barriers that may confront the learner in the acquisition processes. One thing to consider is the student’s passion on studying that implies interests towards an efficacious future degree and the other is suggested as the Return of Investment (ROI) in pursuing the course. It is in this regard that interests propel the students’ accomplishments of courses that await return of investments or its ability to be utilized for an occupational purpose or livelihood. But how will ROI be guaranteed from an achieved degree? The probability is great since the students and the parents are guided by the CHED memorandum order No.01 series of 2014 which demands the Republic Act No. 7722 otherwise known as the Higher Education Act of 1994 based on the country’s National development plans and manpower demands for academic year 2014-2015 and DOLE jobs Fit 2020 vision. It simply perceives that education attained should be relevantly applied which pave way to a broader job opportunity pointed out in ASEAN vision 2020.
According to this commission’s memorandum, this is a result of the inter-agency convergence held on September 30 and October 24,2013 through the representatives of Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), Philippine Association of State Universities and Colleges (PASUC),Philippine Association of Colleges and Universities ( PACU) and view of the commission en Banc Resolution No. 872-2013 Dated December 4,2013 which specifies the CHED priority Courses for AY 2014-2015 to 2017 to 2018 where qualified beneficiaries of the CHED student Financial Assistance Programs (StuFAPS) shall be directed to enroll. Not all students qualify for this educational opportunity. However, as parents or students who have a target career in mind disregarding the articulated scholarships, it would be prudent to follow points raised under this Republic Act 7722 being aware that the ultimate aim of the country is to level up the technical and academic knowledge of the nation anchored with the ASEAN Vision 2020 catering to varied areas of disciplines. These areas of intensive learning urgently needed are: Information Technology, Agriculture and other related fields, Teacher Education, Science and Math, Engineering, Health Sciences, Arts and Humanities, Social and Behavioral Sciences, Business Administration and related courses, Architecture, Maritime, Communication among other courses to be determined by the country’s regions where needs to offer the course show relevance.
To be specific, Information Technology covers Multimedia, animation, Programming, Computer Sciences, Information system Management ,Library Science & Information System for Systems Analysis; Agriculture and related fields includes Agro-forestry, Veterinary Medicine, Agricultural Engineering, Agribusiness and Management, Agricultural Entrepreneurship, Agricultural Technology, Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Technology, and Agricultural Economics. Teacher Education needs Majors in Math, Science, Physics, Chemistry, Reading, English, Educational Media and Technology, Special Education, Human Kinetics, Physical Education and Sports Science, Early Childhood Education, Environmental planning, MAPEH, Music Education, Art Education and Health Education. Science and Math covers BS Mathematics, Physics, Biology, Chemistry, Marine Biology, Applied Physics, Geology, Earth Science, Applied Mathematics, Statistics and Applied Statistics, Atmospheric Science and Environmental Science. Engineering adds Mechanical, Electronics, Communication, Metallurgical and Mining,Computer,Biomedical, Chemical, Geodetic, Electrical, Meteorological, Mining, Geologogical, Sanitary Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Civil Engineering, Electronics and Communication Engineering, Petroleum Engineering, Bio Chemical Engineering. Health Sciences focuses on Pharmacy, Radiology Technology, Medical technology, Physical Therapy and Nutrition. The Arts and Sciences particularizes Creative and Performing Arts, Religious Education, Philosophy and Theology. Social and Behavioral Sciences specifies courses in Psychology, Social work, Human Development, and Guidance Counselling. Business Administration and related courses itemizes Accountancy, Data Outsourcing, Business Process Outsourcing, Construction Management and Tourism. Architecture focuses on Architecture, landscape Architecture, Interior design, Environmental Planning, Fine Arts and Urban Planning. Maritime studies adds learning in Maritime Transportation and finally for Communication, it prioritizes Communication, Journalism, Broadcasting and Development Communication.
It is then understood that for graduates to be highly competitive, targeting a passing mark is less accepted. All graduates of these courses are expected to be theoretically and practically functional in varied industries which they plan to be with in the future. With the growing numbers of graduates today, competition perceives the depth of knowledge graduates have acquired contributory to any industry’s growth. These knowledge are reflected to the marks, graduates earned chronicled in their transcripts of records. Students then should be concerned about the degree of marks they have obtained in the learning process.
This inter-agency effort is anchored with the vision of the ASEAN which partly states that “ We envision the ASEAN region to be, in 2020, in full reality, a Zone of Peace, Freedom and Neutrality, as envisaged in the Kuala Lumpur Declaration of 1971.ASEAN shall have, by the year 2020, established a peaceful and stable Southeast Asia where each nation is at peace with itself and where the causes for conflict have been eliminated. through abiding respect for justice and the rule of law and through the strengthening of national and regional resilience.” This vision could be achieved by the perpetual role of Education as a powerful means of creating favourable changes in all nations not to mention other regions of the world that recognizes the existence of true education as catalyst of favourable world’s changes.”
Policy makers in the field of education and the government as a whole aim for a brighter country through the empowerment of students ‘ education. While it is true that students can decide their own future careers, the role of parents can still intervene with children’s educational decision to assure certainty of a fine professional direction….to be continued…marvinwacnaglidawan@gmail.com
