UN issues global alert over teacher shortage
By Creselda Canda-Lopez
"There is no point in continuing program that not single study has found to be effective... K-12 only aims to make Philippines competitive against underdeveloped countries in producing steady stream of semi-skilled labor force for foreign capital… jobs are largely contractual in nature and lowest paying in different industries," Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) chair Vladimer Quetua said with only 20 percent of country's senior high school graduates landing employment, Marcos administration should treat this as indicator to abandon K-12 curriculum instead of integrating skills training into curriculum.
United Nations has issued global alert over shortage of teachers, with lack greatest in secondary education.
UN alert was issued last week at meeting of International Task Force on Teachers for Education in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Seven out of 10 teachers at secondary level will need to be replaced by 2030, along with over half of all teachers who will have left profession by decade's end, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) said.
UNESCO said effect of worldwide teacher shortage is profound, creating larger class sizes, overburdened educators, educational disparities and financial strain on school systems, impacting educational quality and access.
According to UNESCO report, world needs 44 million teachers by 2030 in order to make Sustainable Development Goal of quality and equitable education reality.
High-level panel's recommendations are focused on core aspects: dignity, humanity, diversity, equity and inclusion, quality, sustainability, innovation and leadership.
Responses to the challenge include recommendations to cultivate environment where teachers can drive educational change, foster critical thinking and promote modern learning skills.
UN Secretary-General's High-Level Panel on Teaching Profession advocates for teachers to be collaborative partners rather than mere purveyors of knowledge.
Adequate funding for education systems and technology integration are key, with focus on supporting use of digital learning and other technology.
Attrition rates among primary teachers almost doubled from 4.62 percent globally in 2015 to 9.06 in 2022, with teachers often leaving the profession within first five years, report revealed.
According to recent estimates, financing additional teachers will cost $12.8 billion for universal primary education and $106.8 billion for universal secondary education.
Annual additional financing needed to cover salaries at primary and secondary levels by 2030 is estimated at $120 billion.
In statement, ACT said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr's order to increase SHS graduates' employability through integration of skills training would only replicate program's failures as it "only aims to produce cheap and docile labor force for foreign employers that is bound to be underpaid, contractual or unemployed."
During education sector meeting led by Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte-Carpio at Malacañang earlier, FMJ ordered concerned state agencies to work closely with industries to align skills and education with companies' demands.
FMJ had also ordered creation of technical working group to study proposedembedding of technical vocational education and training or TVET into K-12 curriculum.
Proposal would strengthen K-12 program by adding practicum component, according to the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA).
Citing study by Philippine Institute for Development Studies, TESDA said measure would address low employability rate of SHS graduates.
Quetua said majority of K-12 graduates "only add up to huge number of unemployed."
"TESDA itself admitted starkly low employment rate of our K-12 graduates and attrition rate of those employed is high," he added.
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