PBBM, tiniyak na prayoridad na paghusayin ang tertiary education system sa bansa
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This is the highest priority.
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I have stated it before, but I will state it again, that as far as my view of government service is concerned,
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the most important service that government must provide to its people is a good education.
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No country can prosper without a good educational background.
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Even if we take it down to the individual level, individuals cannot prosper without a good education.
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And of course, together with all the stakeholders, both on the public side and the private side, once again,
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training, education, holds the key.
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As of December 2023, 81 Philippine higher educational institutions have been included in various World University Rankings,
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a significant increase from the 52 that were included in July 2023.
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However, we must acknowledge that in the recent Times Higher Education 2024 Asia University Rankings,
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unfortunately, no Philippine university has reached top 100,
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with the country's top schools either dropping or maintaining their rankings.
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This just goes to show that much work is still to be done.
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We must pursue a comprehensive and all-encompassing strategy that will turn this trend around.
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The state of our education today shapes the future of the nation.
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The battle to win the future is waged in today's schools.
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Where we should arm our young men and women with the right skills to not only survive,
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but to thrive in a rapidly changing world that does not wait for anyone.
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Giving the youth the right competencies and skills and training is the only way for them to prevail and to prosper in this highly competitive world.
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Our greatest obligation to them is to mold them into critical thinkers,
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into problem solvers, into visionaries,
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wielding the skills that will allow them to succeed in the future.
03:32.3
Without an educated workforce that will implement them,
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any national economic blueprint will remain simply as that, blueprints.
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We will not have the means or the capacity or the labor force to be able to make those plans reality.
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Without skilled manpower who will run them,
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industries will grind to a halt,
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social services will cease to function.
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Without a national pool of talent who can master new technologies and adjust quickly to tectonic changes,
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the country will be perpetually catching up,
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left behind by other societies whose educational systems have been made more adept.
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And that is why improving higher education and making it responsive to the present and future needs of society
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is front and center
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of this administration's national development agenda.
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The success of many of our plans for the country
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depend heavily on the availability of a strong, resilient, and skilled human resource
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to drive the nation forward.
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Allow me to share you my fundamental beliefs on the matter.
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One, higher education is too important a mission to be left to government alone.
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As with all the important,
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all the important plans that we put together,
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we cannot say that this is only government's responsibility.
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But we should also allow private parties to participate
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and not shove private parties to the sidelines.
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Nor should it be that the cause of their diminution or their demise.
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When it comes to educating our youth,
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government and private schools are not competitors
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but must be regarded as equal partners.
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governments should ensure their viability,
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treat them as strategic assets whose existence is guaranteed
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by nurturing policies and support.
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Second, of all state expenditure,
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education delivers the best dividends.
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This administration remains committed to the continuing provision
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of a free tertiary education in public universities and colleges
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for qualified students as provided under the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act.
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We have allocated close to 134 billion pesos
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for our state and local universities and colleges this year
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so that more students can receive free tertiary education
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and more families will be eased of the burden of having to pay for college.
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We know that whatever is spent on education,
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we should never regard as an expenditure.
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It is an investment.
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It is an investment in our people.
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It is an investment in our country.
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It is an investment in our future.
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Third, mandates must be attached to merits.
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Democratizing access to education should not lead to the lowering of academic standards.
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Scholastic yardsticks are not movable goalposts
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which we change every year to improve our numbers.
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These must be regarded as firm benchmarks
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that are resistant to the pressures that seek to undercut the quality of that education.
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We must hold ourselves, our students, the entire system
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to a high standard.
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And it is the only way that we will succeed in this fast-moving, changing world.
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Fourth, there are ways of solving educational problems
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other than just throwing money at the problem.
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Certainly, we could not say that appropriations will always solve the problem.
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Cash is not always a cure.
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Even funding does not automatically guarantee
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that we will get our desired outcome.
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A solution, if intrinsically bad, does not become effective
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because it has become funded.
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I hope you take the above points into consideration.
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The last thing we need now is a set of new talking points
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that we rehash once again what we have learned a long time ago.
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Besides, what we have learned a long time ago is actually no longer relevant.
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We have seen the changes in the requirements
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of the new global post-pandemic economy.
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And for us to be able to participate successfully
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in that new global economy,
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we must have a skilled workforce.
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And that will depend upon their training and their education.
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I would rather that consensus forged in this summit
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be incorporated in the proposed budget for CHED
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and SUCs for 2025
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because only then can ideas be translated into reality.
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So as we look further to the horizon
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in our higher educational sector,
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I hope this summit will yield answers and solutions
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to the challenges and opportunities that we now face
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in our higher educational sector.
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And so I encourage every stakeholder here to work with us
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to strengthen our efforts towards an inclusive,
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equitable, accessible, and sustainable higher educational sector.
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Let us mold a new generation of critical thinkers,
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problem solvers, visionaries,
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who will realize our aspirations for a new Philippines,
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a Bagong Pilipinas,
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to bring us to a future of growth, opportunity, and prosperity.
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it is the only way that our country will succeed.
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It is the only way that we will be an active participant
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in not only the economy of the world,
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but in all, as a citizen of the world community,
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that this country will succeed.
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So with this, I trust that the men and women of CHED,
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led by Chairperson Popoy de Vera,
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will lead us forward and continue their trustworthy
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and unwavering service for the benefits of our students
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and the entire country.
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I wish you all a fruitful and engaging summit,
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and I once again pledge the total and complete support
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of this administration for all that you endeavor to do
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for higher education to improve the quality
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that we are providing for our students and for our workforce.
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Thank you very much and good afternoon.
