Sen. Gatchalian urges jobs for Senior High grads

Senator Sherwin Gatchalian on Friday urged the government to prioritize hiring senior high school graduates and create speficic jobs for them.

"If they government hires them it shows that they have the confidence in the ability and talent of our Senior High School graduates," Gatchalian said in an ambush interview at the Hilton Manila in Pasay City. "If the government itself does not hiring our senior high school graduates, it's like we're saying we don't trust our Senior High School graduates."

"So, we will change that. We will mandate the Civil Service Commission to create specific qualification standards for our senior high school students–and there is a specific job for them," Gatchalian, who chairs the Senate basic education committee, added.

The senator also said that in many countries, the hiring process is now skills-based, meaning you don't need to finish four years in college to be employed and find jobs.

"For example, bookkeeping and secretarial work—all of these are skills-based. There is no need to study for years in college to get such jobs," he said.

Gatchalian also said that he—with the help of his fellow senators Edgardo "Sonny" Angara, Joel Villanueva, and Pia Cayetano—is pushing for the passage of a landmark legislation that seeks to provide free assessment to senior high school graduates who took up the technical vocational-livelihood track so that they can easily find a job.

"This free assessment is such a big thing for our senior high school graduates because for almost 12 years that we implemented the K to 12 program when they graduate they don't hold a certification. When they are looking for a job, they have no documents to show," he said.

"So now, we will fix our qualifications, we will increase their salaries and they will be given specific position in the government. If they [senior high school graduates] passed the interview and the assessments there will be a specific job for them," the senator added.

The reason why the government is not hiring Senior High School graduates, according to Gatchalian, is that the qualifications in the government is low and the salaries of fourth year high school graduates and the salaries of those who have taken up six years in high school—senior high school (Grades 11 and 12)—are just the same.

Gatchalian has filed Senate Bill No. 2022, or the Batang Magaling Act, that seeks to address jobs skills mismatch of K to 12 graduates and improve hiring process in the government.

"This is one of the priority bills. We're hoping the President [Ferdinand Marcos Jr.] would also prioritize this," he said.

"We want to institutionalize this free assessment [for senior high school graduates] for the continuity of funds for that purpose," the senator added.

Citing a Pulse Asia survey, Gatchalian said that 53 percent of the respondents are not satisfied with the K to 12 program.

"People see senior high school that it really has no value for them. So, we really need to fix and this is one way to fix it," he said.

The Department of Education is currently reviewing the revised curriculum for senior high school to ensure that its graduates are job-ready.

The agency said the revised curriculum will be piloted by school year 2025-2026.