Lifelong Learning in the Philippines : Major Policy Issues

Lifelong learning (LLL) is described by the International Labor Organization (ILO) as “all learning activities undertaken throughout life for the development of competencies and qualifications”, where “competencies” cover the knowledge, skills and know-how applied and mastered in a specific context, and “qualifications” mean a formal expression of the vocational or professional abilities of a person which is recognized at international or national levels.
In the Philippines, the foundations for Lifelong learning policy are the requirements of the 1987 Constitution that the State shall: “Protect and promote the right of all citizens to quality education at all levels and shall take appropriate steps to make education accessible to all.” Because of this constitutional provision, the government shall see to it that quality education shall be made available to its constituents. Quality education is a foremost determinant of a nation’s working force and the entrepreneurial ability to produce financially viable social goods and services. The International Labor Organization (ILO) has presented its recommendation to the governing body of our educational system, relating to this policy issues in creating a LLL program that are comprehensive and viable. The ILO responded to the issues to addresses the apparent situation of poor performances and quality workforce we produce from the kind of educational system we have in our country.
Furthermore, provisions in the constitution stipulates the state to “Establish, maintain and support a complete, adequate, and integrated system of education relevant to the needs of people and society; …” and to “Establish and maintain a system of scholarship grants, student loan programs, subsidies, and other incentives which shall be available to deserving students in both public and private schools, especially to the underprivileged;” This has been the basis to establish policies and recommendations. Different course of actions, plans, and strategies are laid out as a proposal to enhance the educational system. The government aspires to have the need for a national vision and comprehensive LLL Program policy to meet the employability and decent job needs of Filipinos as well as the sustainability of economic and social development in the context of the globalizing knowledge- and skills-based society. As a result, the government has come up with several many brilliant ideas to address what is stipulated in the Constitution. Despite all these, the issue of preparing the Filipino workforce for global competitiveness has long been a struggle by our government. I believe that a sturdy commitment and a strong political will to implement the policies will bring the promise to a much brighter future of our people.