Hearing the whispers in TVET

“Not another consultation meeting!”

This was the initial reaction of some industry stakeholders and training providers when I forwarded them an invitation by the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EdCom II) for a consultation activity. Even I was skeptical when I received the invite—I am all too familiar with consultation meetings that often lead to empty platitudes and hollow promises.

This time around, however, I realized that this was something different, as did the others. In a sense, we are better off now than when we started. For one thing, enabling laws are now in place and the “all-and-everybody” participative approach has, in fact, connected the efforts of planners and execution agents. Stakeholders are now testing how these laws stand up against concrete realities.

For instance, we realized that there is a big gap in accessibility to scholarships between big, private TVIs (technical-vocational institutions), and small, not-for-profit ones like Don Bosco Youth Center-Tondo Inc. My personal experience in managing Don Bosco Youth Center-Tondo Inc.’s Technical-Vocational Education and Training (TVET) programs has taught me that excellent ideas may not always be doable. Laws which all aim for the “highest of standards,” when implemented on the ground, can backfire in actual practice. When it comes to TVET programs, pragmatic and realistic solutions are better than idealistic ones which are almost impossible to implement fairly and equitably.

Even if we do get to pass good policies that support TVIs, we all know that institutions like Don Bosco Youth Center-Tondo Inc. are almost always in a constant struggle for financial sustainability. This is why we look to our partners to survive and continue giving out-of-school youth opportunities to grow and reach their potential.

During the July 3 consultation, our students at Don Bosco were given the chance to showcase their skills in automotive servicing, bookkeeping, airconditioning maintenance, metal arc welding, and plumbing. There was also plenty of candid discussions on what each of our organizations find challenging in the TVET sector.

To be perfectly honest, from a stakeholder’s point of view, not a single problem was solved on that day. However—and this is more important—the right questions were asked. This, I think, is a step in the right direction. Areas of concern have also been brought to light—specifically, the need to focus on supporting the true beneficiaries of education: Our people, especially those who have less in life.

Whatever the policy that comes out of EdCom II, lawmakers must keep in mind that these laws are made to serve the people—not the other way around. That the very first EdCom II consultation meeting was held in a vocational school for out-of-school and at-risk youth in one of the most densely populated areas in the country, speaks of inclusion as well. EdCom II’s consultations are a way for policymakers to hear the people on the ground and have meaningful, productive conversations with people like us—teachers, administrators, and students—whose voices are often reduced to whispers in the national dialogue.

The waters are being agitated. And I’d like to think that the people behind EdCom II will make things work and, more importantly, work better. Cynicism and unproductive finger pointing will not get us moving. So let us not feel despondent when the aura of business as usual is disturbed. Stagnant waters have never been a better option for anybody.

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Fr. Dennis Sylvester “Vester” Cascalang, SDB, is TVET administrator of Don Bosco Youth Center-Tondo Inc., a nonstock, nonprofit institution, where at-risk out-of-school youth can acquire the necessary competencies to enable them to access better opportunities in the labor market through technical-vocational programs. Don Bosco Youth Center-Tondo Inc. is the first stop in EdCom II’s series of consultation with stakeholders, in its mission to assess and recommend policies to improve the country’s education system.