SENATOR Sherwin Gatchalian on Monday said that strategies to boost the employability of senior high school graduates will be among the outputs of the K to 12 program review.

The chairman of the Senate Committee on Basic Education made the statement after Vice President and Secretary of Education Sara Duterte-Carpio urged the private sector to consider hiring more K to 12 graduates.

Trade Secretary Alfredo Pascual made a similar call last September.

While the Enhanced Basic Education Act or Republic Act 10533 or the K to 12 Law promised to make SHS graduates employable, Gatchalian pointed out that only a small percentage of these graduates enter the labor force.

A 2020 discussion paper by state think tank Philippine Institute for Development Studies said that only a little over 20 percent of SHS graduates join the labor force while more than 70 percent continue with their education.

The same study pointed out that Grade 12 completers do not show better labor outcomes compared to Grade 10 completers.

Similarly, those who finished second year college do not show superior labor market outcomes compared to SHS graduates.

“Sa gagawin nating pag-aaral ng K to 12, tututukan natin kung paano natin matutupad ang pangakong trabaho para sa mga graduate ng senior high school. Kailangang maramdaman ng ating mga magulang na hindi lamang dagdag gastos, kundi may totoong benepisyo ang dagdag na dalawang taon sa high school,” Gatchalian said.

In July, Gatchalian filed Senate Resolution No. 5, which seeks a Senate inquiry on the status of the implementation of the K to 12 Law.