SENATOR Sherwin Gatchalian is advocating for a P79 million fund to provide scholarships for child development workers who have only completed high school.

Gatchalian noted that 11,414 out of 68,080 CDWs nationwide hold only a high school diploma. To address this, he proposed P79 million to cover tuition, stipends, book allowances, and certification and assessment fees for a National Certificate III course in early childhood education.

This funding would enable 2,854 CDWs to gain upskilling and reskilling opportunities, enhancing their professional skills.

“Ating nais na, hangga’t maaari, ay mapataas ang antas at mabigyan ng bagong kasanayan ang ating mga CDW. Nagpapasalamat ako sa TESDA dahil naglabas sila ng national certification partikular para sa mga child development workers. Kailangan natin mag-umpisa, kaya’t iminungkahi natin ang P79 milyon para sa mga scholarship ng child development workers,” ayon kay Gatchalian, Co-Chairperson ng Second Congressional Commission on Education and chairperson of the Senate Committee on Basic Education.

Gatchalian is also pushing for the upskilling of CDWs through the Basic Education and Early Childhood Care and Development Alignment Act (Senate Bill No. 2575), which seeks universal access to early childhood education.

The bill mandates that incumbent CDWs complete training in early childhood education or early childhood care and development. They must also pass certification from TESDA, which will provide assessment and certification free of charge.

If enacted, the senator’s office estimates the need for an additional 161,143 CDWs to support the country’s 4.6 million children aged three to four.