To address unemployment, Salceda wants Philippines liberated from 'tyranny of college diploma'

House Committee on Ways and Means chair Joey Salceda is urging the government to prioritize the skills development of workers instead of putting much premium on college degrees to address unemployment and underemployment in the country.

Salceda made the remark on Monday as he discussed his proposed "New Deal for a New Economy" to prevent what he described as a "K-shaped recovery," where only educated middle class and above recover while the underskilled and underemployed continue to suffer.

During the Laging Handa public briefing, Salceda was asked how his proposed reforms under the "New Deal for a New Economy" would help low-income earners and those who were left jobless due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

In response, Salceda said one of his proposals was to focus more on skills rather than college degrees.

"Isa sa mga pinakamalaking panukala ko ay tanggalin na ang tyranny ng college degree. Ibig sabihin, mag-focus ang Pilipinas sa TESDA (Technical Education and Skills Development Authority). Ang skill is more important than a diploma," he said.

Salceda pointed out that his proposed "New Deal for a New Economy," which is a set of economic policies targeting different aspects of the Philippine economy, requires many new skills from the labor force.

"So kailangan ang TESDA, dapat mas importante kesa CHED (Commission on Higher Education). So dapat we should liberate the Philippines from the tyranny of college diploma and rather focus on the NC (national certificate) I and NC II until NC VIII ng ating TESDA," he added.

Under Salceda's "New Deal for a New Economy," comprehensive reforms will be made in the areas of energy, infrastructure, countryside investments, fiscal standing towards the A Credit Rating, modern national governance including fighting red tape, green economy, agriculture, local governance modernization, healthcare, education, financial sector modernization, and digital economy competitiveness.

Salceda has already endorsed his proposal in an aide memoire submitted to Speaker Lord Allan Velasco.

“There will be a new economy: it will be more digital, more global, more skills-based, and focused on value-added. We cannot escape it," he said in an earlier statement.

"We can only rewrite our national policies so that they bring a fairer deal to our people. We cannot change the global economy, but we can thrive in it, with the right policies,” he added.  —KBK, GMA News