To help spur the country’s recovery from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and help address jobs-education mismatch, Senator Win Gatchalian is urging the government to improve the implementation of skilling and training programs to prepare the youth in meeting industry standards.

Senator Win Gatchalian hailed the proposed establishment of the National Center for AI Research (N-CAIR) under the recently launched artificial intelligence (AI) roadmap.

Efforts to safely reopen schools for the resumption of limited face-to-face classes would be undermined if contact tracing woes are not immediately resolved, Senator Win Gatchalian flagged.

Senator Win Gatchalian bats for the allocation of up to 6% of gross domestic product (GDP) for the overall budget of the education sector next year, the recommendation by the United Nations (UN) under the Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4), to help spur the sector’s recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

While the Department of Education (DepEd) continues to review the basic education curriculum for 2022, Senator Win Gatchalian pointed out the need to address concerns on the implementation of the “spiral progression approach” and the Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education (MTB-MLE) policies mandated by the Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013 or the K to 12 Law (Republic Act No. 10533).

In addressing the challenges of distance learning and fostering recovery for the country’s basic education sector, Senator Win Gatchalian pressed the need to bridge inequalities and ensure equitable learning for the country’s K to 12 learners.

A new poll on distance learning woes reveals how the digital divide hounds parents and learners nationwide amid the COVID-19 pandemic. For Senator Win Gatchalian, the basic education sector’s recovery should accelerate efforts in expanding access to both internet connectivity and gadgets for learning.

Senator Win Gatchalian condemned reports of sexual harassment involving faculty members of the Far Eastern University High School which went viral on social media platforms. Some students recently shared via Twitter their recollection of how they were sexually harassed by some of their male teachers before the pandemic.

While there are more than a thousand public schools currently serving as isolation facilities, Senator Win Gatchalian urged the national government to accelerate the construction of quarantine centers and field hospitals to ease the burden on the country’s health care system.