MANILA, Nov. 16 (PNA) – The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) is extending assistance to technical vocational schools and institutions that are failing to pass the Unified TVET Program and Accreditation System (UTPRAS).
TESDA director general Joel Villanueva said tech-voc schools and institutions must secure accreditation of their programs and courses with the agency through UTPRAS so that their graduates would be appropriately assessed and certified by TESDA.
“TESDA is more than willing to help them assess their programs, their courses and apply for accreditation so that they will pass the UTPRAS, which sets the standard,” Villanueva said on Tuesday.
“Students will be at the losing end if they graduate from a non-TESDA accredited tech-voc school or institution. It will be a pity for them and their parents,” he said.
Villanueva said employers usually ask skilled applicants for TESDA certification, which the agency gives only to students who graduated from TESDA accredited schools and institutions.
“There are cases when graduates of non-TESDA accredited schools or institutions attempt to apply for work abroad, and then the employer would ask for their TESDA certification. Subsequently, these graduates go to TESDA and ask for certification, but then we will find out that they graduated from a non-TESDA accredited school,” the TESDA chief said.
“In this case, when we try to assess their competency based on the course or program they took, most of them fail. This only means that they failed because the kind of education they took was either totally wrong or lacking.”
“So on our part, we offer our assistance to the schools and help them correct their mistakes or put in order their system,” he said.
He said that helping non-TESDA schools and institutions secure accreditation with TESDA would save students, who become unwitting victims of “shady” tech-voc schools or trainings.
Currently, the TESDA is conducting compliance audit of all tech-voc schools nationwide.
So far, six schools were found to be not complying with TESDA standards while two schools are facing closure proceedings for offering tech-voc courses even when they are not registered as tech-voc institution with TESDA.
Villanueva declined to identify the schools being investigated by TESDA pending the conclusion of their analysis and assessment. But a process, he said, is continuing to help these schools correct their mistakes.
These erring schools, he said, could be shut down before the end of the year if they persist to fail the standards and comply with requirements. (PNA)
RMA/HCT
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