August 1st, 2022
House Ways and Means Chair Joey Sarte Salceda (Albay, 2nd district) said that he was “elated to hear the news that President Marcos has reappointed [Commission on Higher Education] Chair Popoy De Vera,” following an announcement from the Malacanang today on the newest batch of the President’s appointments.
“Chair De Vera has been very effective at directing the higher education system towards a more skills-based model. The number of graduates of the service trades sector has grown consistently under his term. Under Chair Popoy, the number of graduates of education and teaching has also grown. So have graduates of engineering and technology,” Salceda said.
“I am confident that he can continue or improve upon that performance, especially in light of the President’s directive that we follow a more German, and therefore more skills-based and technical high education system.”
Salceda adds that De Vera “can leverage very promising numbers in the technical and vocational education. Some 94% of all graduates of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority or TESDA programs are able to achieve certification level.”
“That very high success rate in TVET means that there is great promise in stronger integration between formal education and TVET programs.”
“I have been working with Chair Popoy and his team, particularly the UniFAST and UAQTE teams on how to make our college diplomas be worth more in skills value. The main proposal is that college courses that can be TESDA-certified should be TESDA-certified on top of units credits and the eventual college diploma.”
“The other more radical proposal is to introduce the General Educational Diploma concept in our community college. One can take all the prerequisite general subjects in community colleges, where there is greater access among the rural population, and then take major subjects in universities if they choose to,” Salceda said.
“That will translate to thousands of savings for families annually, and will also help our universities focus on higher order learning and specialization.”
“I have already offered Polangui Community College, in my hometown, as a pilot school for this system, and his reappointment means we can move forward with this proposal.”
Salceda also recounted that CHED, under De Vera, awarded him the title “Father of the Free College Tuition Law” last year.
“I will forever be grateful to Chair Popoy for recognizing my efforts for free higher learning in the country. I will also be forever grateful for all his support for higher education in my district, especially for the community colleges of Manito and Rapu-Rapu, the more geographically displaced areas of my district.”
“I look forward to continuing our very close and productive working relationship,” Salceda concluded.