Filipinos are weakest in English communication: CHED chair
Filipinos’ weakest skill is English communication, according to Commission on Higher Education Chairperson Shirley Agrupis.
Speaking at the Converge to ACHIEVE: The Higher Education Summit on Sept. 15, Agrupis emphasized the urgency of the situation, saying that Filipinos need to build and strengthen English language capabilities, especially among students, professionals, and government workers.
The CHED Chairperson called on higher education institutions to produce well-equipped graduates to be part of a workforce that is aligned with national and regional priorities.
“Graduates leave our universities with diplomas, yet too many cannot find work. Employers search for talent, yet industries remain understaffed. While the world moves forward, our curricula too often lag behind, leaving our students unprepared,” Agrupis said.
She attributed these challenges to the country’s funding gaps in education, as well as fragmented data, curricula that are often negatively affected by a changing economy, and unequal access.
In addition to this, Agrupis admitted that CHED is also preoccupied with navigating its own challenges, which include slow policy implementation, obsolete systems, and inconsistent data.
“We are a nation overflowing with talent, and we must build pathways that fully match that potential. We cannot build the Bagong Pilipinas on a weak foundation,” Agrupis said.
She added that young people seek opportunities over handouts, while teachers are clamoring for respect, not just comfort. She continued to say that the country must see universities as places that fuel innovation and strengthen democracy; they do not exist just to boost the country’s education statistics.
Earlier in the month, Agrupis was part of President Marcos’ official delegation for his state visit to Cambodia. She took the opportunity to raise her concerns with Presidential Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro.
“Let us develop and implement a micro-credential program in purposive communication, strengthening the competencies of students, professionals, and government communicators in ethical, transparent, and purposeful communication,” Agrupis recalled telling Castro.
Agrupis is actively recalibrating CHED’s role in filling in the skill gaps among Filipino students.
“A bureaucracy that forgets the urgency of its mission cannot serve our students, our teachers, or our nation,” she said. That’s why she spent her first 100 days as CHED chairperson to transform the department from a “passive regulator into an active enabler of transformation.”
A 2023 Social Weather Station survey found that 47% of 1,200 Filipino adults are competent with the English language. Meanwhile, 75% of respondents said they are skilled in the Filipino language.
