THE TRAGEDY OF TRIFOCALIZATION
Perhaps the most structural issue that my former professor at the University of the Philippines, Dr. Clarita R. Carlos, raises is this:
“The trifocalization of the education system should stop NOW.”
The Department of Education (DepEd), Commission on Higher Education (CHED), and Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) operate as if they are in separate universes.
This fragmentation has created three bureaucracies with overlapping functions, disconnected curricula, and no unified vision. What was meant to create specialization instead produced silos.
The result?
* Misaligned pathways
* Poor K–12 preparation
* Confusing transitions
* A labor force that does not meet industry needs
AND THE BIGGER ‘WHY’” OF IT ALL
Prof. Carlos ends with a line that cuts deep:
“You put politicians at the helm of our education department who have scant knowledge of the philosophy of learning — and this is one of the WHYS of where we are. At the bottom. Where else?”
We cannot keep treating education as a political reward. The system demands academic leadership, not celebrity appointments or political loyalties.
WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?
If we are serious about solving job mismatch, Prof. Carlos is clear:
Fix the education system first.
Everything else is secondary.
* Strengthen teacher mastery.
* Ground reforms in a real philosophy of learning.
* Unify the fragmented education bureaucracy.
* Appoint leaders who understand education, not just politics.
I agree with her completely, and I thank her for allowing me to share these insights. If only more policymakers would listen./PN
