TROUBLE appears to be brewing between techvoc schools in Mindanao and the Technical Education Skills Development Authority over the latter’s alleged disregard of the former.

The Mindanao TechVoc Education Training Institutions asked President Rodrigo Duterte to intervene and review the performance of TESDA.

“The private TVET institutions of Mindanao and probably of the rest of the Philippines, are struggling for survival, suffering, and slowly dying not because solely of the effects of a global pandemic, but largely because of the way TESDA is treating and dealing with the TVIs, ignoring their significant roles and contributions, and utterly disregarding them in management and delivery of skills training programs and conduct of national assessments,” Dr. Bonifacio Valdez, president of the Mindanao TVET Association, said.

He pointed out that private TVIs have been granted registration and accreditation under TESDA’s unified system.

“This is a very serious appeal that we are sending to the President, and we hope that he would look at the situation for the standpoint of the private sector. MinTVET extends support to the regional associations as we jointly bear the problems and suffer the plight of these schools,” Valdez said.

Valdez’s group presented eight issues that need to be resolved, one of which is the distribution of scholarships for skills training.

“We hope and pray President Duterte will heed us, being a Mindanaoan himself.  We pray he takes immediate action and prevent the further closure and death of private  TVET schools,” Valdez said.