TEVSAPHIL Readies Member Schools for New Reality

Without downplaying the seriousness of the pandemic, the Technical Vocational Schools and Associations of the Philippines, Inc. (TEVSAPHIL, Inc.) urges private TVET institutions or TVIs to take a proactive role in responding to emerging challenges.
TEVSAPHIL Inc. Chairperson Tony Galvez in his opening remarks told member-schools during the general membership meeting via Zoom on August 8, 2020 to take cues from former UNESCO-UNEVOC head Dr. Shyamal Majumdar in his reflective paper on TVET and its potential in the time of COVID-19.

Some attendees of the webinar

The reflective paper lists healthcare, green jobs (renewable energy), service sector, and agricultural sector as top industries for which tech-voc training program will be in a great demand.
Interestingly, TVIs are coming with out-of-the box responses including capacity building in developing online education and blended learning while keeping in mind the health protocols set by IATF (Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases) and TESDA (Technical Education and Skills Development Authority).
In the course of the meeting, TEVSAPHIL Vice-president Dr. Bonifacio Mercado Jr. detailed the Philippine Qualifications Framework (Level 5) for diploma program and shared CITE’s efforts in aligning its programs including a primer on dual training system and its partnership with HEIs for credit transfer.

The Roadmap to PQF 5

Mercado was also tasked to head a committee in crafting a reaction paper on the recent national consultation on the new omnibus guidelines for diploma program. The reaction paper should anchor on solid legal bases and CITE’s experience invoking the power of end user (industries), Mercado was told.
TESDA Board Member and TEVSAPHIL president Patricia Dalmas welcomed the thought of raising issues to national directorate including the issuance of National Service Training Program (NSTP) serial numbers and the granting of certificate of recognition for blended learning, among others.
Another speaker, Rani Rodriguez , president of Advance Central College in Antique, also shared the school experience in obtaining the Certificate of Program Registration for Flexible Learning following the required documents including the need of instructors to undergo the Flexible E-learning Skills training. Rodriguez also underscored the importance of onboarding technical personnel in running the courses, streamlining the delivery into full online, devising a manual for training, and establishing a good partnership with TESDA provincial offices.
The last speaker, Dr. Delma Manila, vice president of internal affairs, and the college president of Metro Dumaguete College (MDC), shared with the general assembly the school’s own scaling of new education approach. Manila has been up to speed with the demands for learning continuity plan of the school even at the onset of the pandemic. Some good practices of MDC included an environmental scanning, establishing a customized learning management system, and giving seminars to teachers.

MDC’s good practices highlight the webinar

MDC’s implementation was divided into three phases. The pre-implementation phase prodded the school to set up an online learning management system (LMS) called MADELS (MDC Access to Distance & E-learning Systems) initiated by the administration.
The second phase is the implementation stage where stakeholders are engaged to properly understand the system and their roles. The last phase is the evaluation which allowed MDC to measure the effectiveness of the LMS used in facilitating the teaching-learning process.
MDC’s shift to the notion of adaptive learning has opened to many possibilities including an understanding of local contexts (students with low or even no access to connectivity), being flexible when plans change, and systematically learning along the way. MDC’s experience has showcased leadership in crisis and provided other TEVSAPHIL members with sense of hope in finding ways to deliver quality education and thrive in a rapidly changing world.
The virtual meeting/webinar was attended by 78 participants from different private TVIs in the entire Philippines. TEVSAPHIL Inc. is composed of associations of education and training private institutions that offer programs under the governance of TESDA and of individual private institutions offering technical vocational education and training programs.