Neri in CHED to 'align education with economic needs'

Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Romulo Neri on Monday said President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo transferred him to the Commission on Higher Education so that he can oversee programs aimed at "aligning college education to the needs of the economy." Neri told reporters on Monday, on the sidelines of an economic forum at the Civil Service Commission in Quezon City, that he was also tasked to "improve quality of higher education and have a closer coordination with the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority for the ladderized education and scholarship expansion". Neri explained that college graduates in the Philippines must be suited to fill the needs of the economy. With the economy expanding, he said it is imperative that human resources will be able to support and sustain this growth. "We must also ensure that our college graduates pass our professional regulatory examinations because the highest number of unemployed in the country come from college graduates," he said. Neri also said that a "ladderized education", a program that starts with a technical-vocation courses that are creditable for a college degree, is among the priorities of the President. -Cheryl Arcibal, GMANews.TV