398 OSYs of
Ungkaya Pukan, Tipo-Tipo
complete BEAM-TVET tech-voc training
Rene V. Carbayas
ZAMBOANGA CITY (ZNS) – Out-of-school youths
of the municipalities of Ungkaya Pukan and Tipo-Tipo in Basilan receive their
certificate of completion Saturday for finishing courses on skills under the
Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) of the Basic Education
Assistance for Mindanao (BEAM) project of the Department of Education-ARMM.
A total of 398 youths (369 from Ungkaya Pukan and
29 from Tipo-Tipo) completed their respective courses under the Technical
Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA)’s accessible TVET, such as
baking and pastry, automotive, plumbing, carpentry, garments, and electrical.
DEPED-ARMM Assistant Secretary Noor Mohammad
Saada told completers that the graduation and the certificates are just
beginnings toward a more challenging journey ahead to find jobs and become
productive members of society, i.e. either to engage in entrepreneurship or
find suitable employment. With this, he said, that the next step is DepEd-ARMM
to work on a jobs fair for the graduates with the POEA. And that DepEd is
looking for job offers that only requires NCII (national certification) so that
new graduates can avail even without work experience yet as required by most overseas
jobs.
He said that Basilan has one thousand slots for
the first phase of TVET implementation in the province.
BEAM-TVET Manager Peter Bellen cited the
contributions of stakeholders to the project, like the Nagdilaab Foundation,
the military, the LGUs, and the different agencies. He said the help and
sacrifices, especially by the Nagdilaab staff and technical trainers were
crucial to the attainment of the primary goal of TVET which is towards youth’s
improved and peaceful living condition.
“Not an easy task, yet not impossible. This is
the start towards an improved living condition by acquiring the skills and
knowledge. Your children in the future will enjoy the fruits of your labor and
sacrifices today,” Bellen said as he stressed that one’s future lies in one’s
hands.
Dir. Muida S. Hataman, TESDA Basilan Provincial
Director explained that TESDA, given the authority and mandate on the field of
skills development is trying the best it can to implement the accessible TVET
for the youth most especially to be trained on various skills to alleviate
unemployment and fill-in skills demand.
“By accessible, we mean, education and training
must be brought to the public without the need to relocating themselves and are
able to go to schools located within their communities,” she said, admitting
further that there are difficulties due to limited resources at hand in an
effort to reach out to the most vulnerable and remotest areas.
“And with the help of our partners like the
Nagdilaab this effort was made a lot easier,” she said.
Hataman noted that TESDA trainers travel a lot
from Isabela City, the same with the trainees who
also face difficulties and challenges of traveling with quite some distance to
and from their homes to attend the training. She advised the young trainees not
to waste what they have invested on the training and use the skills to uplift
their living conditions.
Addressing the youth as the future of the
province, she challenged them to confront that future, as the government is
doing so many things to prepare the youth to the challenges each will be facing
and equip the youth with the skills and knowledge in order to succeed towards
contributing to peace and development.
NFI Board Chairperson Fr. Angel Calvo recalled
his stints as missionary in Basilan, saying that his coming back to Basilan is
like looking at the whole country, i.e. looking for signs of hope in Basilan.
“I could see the famous circumferential road
almost completed; a sign of hope. But the very sign of hope is today’s
graduation and culmination—this beautiful ceremony.
That is why I am very happy. You know, Basilan
was and still is my first love. I spent twenty years in Basilan. Now I see
flourishing and signs of hope,” he said.
Fr. Calvo expressed his thoughts during the
ceremony; something he learned when he was in Basilan. “If you like to feed a
family, teach the family plant vegetables.
If you want to feed the entire village or the
municipality, teach them to plant trees. If you want to give food, to feed the
whole country, teach the young people. And that is what I learned and I see
today in Ungkaya Pukan.”
Supported by the Australian Government through
AusAID, the Basic Education Assistance for Mindanao
program in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BEAM-ARMM) focuses on the
most disadvantaged, poor and conflict affected communities.
This program tackles the issue of low numbers of
children who enroll in school, and stay to complete their schooling. It also
addresses poor learning results in elementary and secondary schools.
According to AusAID website the project will
enable about 40,000 children to access pre-school and elementary school. It
will provide: pre-school classes in around 1,300 remote Muslim communities;
education for children affected by conflict; 1,500 classrooms; and 100 water
facilities. It will establish six centers to produce learning materials and
provide health programs in 300 schools. It will also improve livelihood skills
for 15,000 out-of-school youth.
The overall program spans six years
(2011-2017) but will start out as a four-year input (2011 to 2015). (PIA IX) (092314)
