Who will expect that the underdog will win a battle? Anyone or everything can be less powerfulthat struggles against the more powerful one. The underdog is always a crowd favorite. Filipinos are dying to clamor for them and so the Department of Education for Technology and Livelihood Education subject.
After a long time of being under MAKABAYAN and ignoring by some students because it is not a core subject, Technology and Livelihood Education (TLE) is on the helm of the new Basic Education Curriculum, K to 12. With the implementation of the said program on school year 2012-2013, and will finally see the output on the school years 2016-2017 and 2017-2018, our country is hopeful of achieving learners who can compete globally. This will also guarantee mastery of the concepts and skills of the learners because of the sufficient time for studying. This is also the period of developing middle level skills that are needed for life stability. Employment for graduates of Senior High School (SHS) is vastly around and over the Metro because of the career assessment before entering into the final phase which means that no student is astray.
The subject that has interesting contents and full of skills activities that most people do not know is now catering four major components such as Agri-Fishery Arts, Home Economics, Information and Communication Technology, and Industrial Arts. Under Agri-Fishery Arts are Aquaculture, Crop Production, Animal Production, Food Processing, Horticulture, while on Home Economics are Bread and Pastry, Caregiving, Commercial Cooking, Dressmaking, Household Servicing, and Nail Care. On the other side is Information and Communication Technology that includes Computer Hardware Servicing, Desktop Publishing, PC Hardware Servicing, Photo Editing, and Technical Drafting, while on Industrial Arts line up the biggest and courses abroad in demand Technical-Vocational area, like Consumer Electronics Servicing, Automotive, Carpentry, Electrical, Masonry, Mechanical Drafting, Plumbing, SMAW (Welding), and Tile Setting. These courses, along with its mini-courses will be taken by grade 7 and 8 as exploratory wherein they will take one mini-course every grading period.
When they reach grade 9, they are going to choose one mini-course that they excelled and enjoyed the most. The one they have chosen is the path that they are going to continue until finishing Senior High School (SHS). It will only be possible if they opted to pursue Technical-Vocational Course, but if they do not want they can pick among the subjects in Academics like Management, Accountancy, and Business. However, the establishment of Technical-Vocational Courses and Academics Subjects is depend on the available resources in the community and the capability of the school to provide site of the program, equipment, supplies and materials, and the availability of the teacher-trainer that will facilitate learning and craft development.
On the years to look ahead, you can never say that core subject is always the central of all enthrallment, because you can never tell. Like the underdog who is not expected to win, but it bounced back on latter part to declare victorious of the game, the same scenario on the system of education in the Philippines. Now, which subject is core and not? Which one is major or minor? Which is now the lifelong subject?
By: Mark P. Manimbo | T-III | Mariveles National Highschool Poblacion
