Angara offers hope for out-of-school youth

Sen. Edgardo J. Angara, a former president of the University of the Philippines, has offered his expertise and contacts to establish a state-funded technical institute in Davao City to benefit the city's out-of-school youths.

"Davao city has many colleges and universities but it also has many out-of-school youths without employable skills," he noted.

Angara discussed with Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte the establishment of a technical institute in the city to provide better future for out-of-school youths.

"Davao City will help fund the technical school, while the University of Southeastern Mindanao, a state university, will provide the land and the faculty," Angara said, adding that Duterte has "enthusiastically" endorsed his proposal.

Among the courses that would be offered in the proposed Davao school are carpentry, welding, computer programming and repair, care giving, and nursing aide.

Angara said the Davao proposal could be replicated in other areas with a large number of out-of-school youths and an existing state university or college.

"There are 11 million Filipinos aged 6 to 24 who are out of the formal school system. They comprise our Lost Generation," he said.

He is confident that the productivity of the 11-million out-of-school youths could still be developed by providing them with training and education on a continuing basis so they could cope with technology.

"Many schools are free and vacant in the evening. Why not make them available to the out-of-school youths?" he asked.

Angara considers technical-vocational education as much a priority as college education on math, engineering, and science. He is the author of the law creating the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), and other laws reforming the education system.