CHED yet to implement labor education in college curriculum

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 23) — The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) on Tuesday admitted that it has yet to implement the integration of labor education in the higher education curriculum despite being mandated by law two years ago.

"I admit that it's been very challenging to implement that law," said CHED chairperson Prospero De Vera III during the deliberation of the agency's proposed budget for 2024 at the lower chamber.

The Labor Education Act was signed into law in 2021 in a bid to teach "basic knowledge on labor rights and other skills relating to negotiation, fostering smooth interpersonal relations in the workplace, and mechanisms for redress of grievances and other concerns.”

The law provides that labor education should be integrated as part of an elective course.

But CHED executive director Cinderella Jaro explained that they had to wait first for the Department of Justice's legal opinion on whether to make labor education a standalone course or just integrate it as one of the topics in an elective subject.

"And recently, we have already secured the legal opinion of DOJ saying it can be one of the topics in the elective course and as soon as we have secured that legal opinion, in-approve na po ng CEB (Commission en banc) yung implementing rules and regulations (the CEB already approved the implementing rules and regulations)," she said.

Under the law, labor education also covers technical-vocational institutions.

Furthermore, the coverage and quality of labor education shall be included in a comprehensive curriculum review to be conducted by the CHED and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority.