Senator Pia S. Cayetano highlighted the importance of strengthening higher education policies to better prepare graduates for employment during the organizational meeting of the Senate Committee on Higher, Technical, and Vocational Education.
Drawing from her experience as former Chair of the Senate Committee on Education in the 16th Congress and as Senior Vice Chair of Finance handling the education budget for six years, she raised concerns on job readiness, job mismatch, and unfair hiring practices.
She reminded employers that age-based hiring restrictions are banned under the Anti-Age Discrimination in Employment Act, which she authored, and urged the public to report violations to DOLE.
Cayetano also noted that if LGU spending for education is included, our total expenditure for the sector may surpass 4% of our GDP, a benchmark set under UNESCO’s Education 2030 Framework for Action. She emphasized, however, that investments in the sector must keep growing in order to bridge the remaining gaps.