Zamboanga City- In preparation for upcoming changes as demanded by the ASEAN Integration Program, the Department of Labor and Employment is spearheading the establishment of an Education Industry Tripartite Council (ED-ITC) in Zamboanga City composed of major high schools and universities.

Ian A. Lahi, Chief of the DOLE-Zamboanga City Field Office said that the working committee of the ED-ITC has given the go signal for the final draft of the Voluntary Code of Good Practices which includes fostering good labor management cooperation practices, voluntary compliance to existing labor standards, productivity and basic occupational safety and health provisions.

He said that this is necessary in view of the upcoming changes affecting faculty and schools when the K-12 System is set in place in school year 2016-2017. Then, there is also the CMO No. 46, a memorandum issued by the Commission on Higher Education which is aimed at aligning school curricula with that of the prevailing ASEAN standards.

"Less than two years before the ASEAN integration, most Philippine higher education institutions still shy away from completely reaching out to its neighbors, adjusting their curriculum and just being wary of internationalization", Lahi observed. "So far, with only the University of the Philippines (UP), De La Salle University (DLSU), and Ateneo de Manila University (AdMU) as members, how can AUN membership be expanded even to other universities and colleges?These schools did not wait for an enabling law to implement such changes, but prepared their students, faculty and schools for the impending integration.

Lahi added that the role of DOLE is to ensure that the rights of both workers and management are respected, and also advocate for the needed adjustments in order to increase the employability of their students.

Reported by Jheng A. Crudo, ZCFO