By Stephanie Sevillano
MANILA – The Philippines may soon secure an aligned qualification system for higher education programs with New Zealand and Australia starting this year, according to Commission on Higher Education (CHED) Chairperson J. Prospero de Vera III.
This is still in line with the directives of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to make graduates from the Philippine higher education institutions (HEIs) employable and globally competitive.
Qualification systems are the levels of education, including bachelor’s degree, post-graduate, and other relevant courses; as well as the qualifications required behind each level.
In an interview with the Philippine News Agency (PNA) on Wednesday, De Vera said this move will help graduates match their degrees and diplomas with the proper qualification level in countries with high Filipino populations.
“Ang tina-target kasi namin iyong mga bansang maraming Pilipinong nagpupunta (What we are targeting are countries where Filipinos often flock) like New Zealand and Australia, ang daming migrants diyan for (there’s so many migrants there for) work and study,” De Vera said.
“Kung maka-create ka ng system na iyong evaluation mapupunta sila sa tamang (If you will be able to create a system where the evaluation will put them in proper) qualifications level, then they can get the job that they are qualified for, they can get the salary that they are qualified for. They don’t have to study again,” he added.
De Vera said they now have a working document with the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) and the New Zealand Qualifications Authority.
The said framework aims to cover both higher education programs and technical vocational education and training.
“Ang target namin maka-sign ng (Our target is to sign a) tripartite agreement between CHED, TESDA, and the New Zealand Qualification Authority on micro-credentials,” De Vera said, citing New Zealand’s competence in micro-credentials.
Micro-credentials refer to short-term programs in specific fields that provide certification for both skills and knowledge.
The CHED and TESDA’s visit to New Zealand is set for early April, he added.
De Vera, meanwhile, said they are also eyeing to secure similar matching of qualification systems with Australia by June or July.
Besides New Zealand and Australia, De Vera also mentioned ongoing negotiations with some provinces in Canada including British Columbia, Ontario, Saskatchewan, and Alberta.
Before this, he said the Philippines was already able to secure a “common curriculum” in nursing programs in Nova Escocia.
“Ma-access na nila iyong hospital training sa Canada kasi pareho ng curriculum. Pwede silang mag-hospital training doon. Iyong mga estudyante doon, pwedeng makapunta rito (They can access hospital training in Canada due to the common curriculum. They can do hospital training there. And the students there can come here),” De Vera said.
He added that the bridging program for nurses was already eliminated in the said province. (PNA)
