Government Further Strengthens Agri-Fishery Education
PHILIPPINES - The Department of Agriculture (DA) and the Department of Education (DepEd) will jointly explore ways to improve the delivery of agriculture and fishery offerings in 126 agri-fishery technical vocational schools.This collaboration aims to further strengthen DepEd’s current offerings and provide students more options to earn a living when they graduate.
In a previously signed memorandum of understanding between Education Secretary Armin A. Luistro and Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala, the two parties have agreed to co-share resources so that tech-voc schools can better serve students who choose agriculture and fishery as their preferred livelihood, a Dep Ed statement said.
Luistro said the MOU is aligned with the K to 12 Basic Education Programme in which one of the objectives is to develop the skills of students in technical and vocational education.
As agreed, the DA will extend technical assistance and know-how by providing resource persons in training tech-voc teachers in agriculture and fishery education.
DA will likewise provide seedlings, fingerlings, fertiliser and other production inputs for the development of demonstration farms, nurseries and breeding stations.
The agriculture department has also agreed to offer scholarship grants to deserving graduating high school students as well as master’s degree programmes for tech-voc teachers and officials on agriculture specific and fishery-oriented courses in University of the Philippines Los Baños, Mindanao State University and Central Luzon State University, among others.
The MOU will be effective for two years and subject to renewal based on the positive outcome of the joint agreement.
DepEd’s Strengthened Technical Vocational Education Programme aims to equip high school graduates with TESDA-certifiable tech-voc skills that would allow them to venture into self-starting businesses. It is a priority programme of the Aquino government to better link schooling to community and local industry needs and therefore address unemployment and job mismatch.