IN the age of automation and artificial intelligence, Filipino parents still prefer that their children pursue traditional professions, according to a survey commissioned by the Department of Education (DepEd) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB).
In the survey report on the “Youth Education Investment and Labor Market Outcomes in the Philippines” (YEILMOS), majority of parents in both rural (67.8 percent) and urban (73.2 percent) areas expect their children to become professionals when they become adults.
The Philippine robotics team, represented by Dr. Yanga’s Colleges, at the World Robot Olympiad 2014 in Sochi, Russia. They won bronze (college level), best technical robot (elementary level ) and most creative robot (junior high school level).
Traditional professions can only be pursued through college education, which, under the K to 12 system, has become an option rather than a requirement for employment.
“These expectations need to be aligned with recent labor market trends of automation, artificial intelligence, rapid innovation, job mobility, and government development targets,” the report stated.
“The government must design and implement policy initiatives that explore how these expectations, particularly those of the parents, can be better informed,” it added.
Original preference
The survey gathered data from 238 schools; 3,172 junior and senior high-school students; and 2,819 households randomly selected in the National Capital Region, as well as provinces of Ilocos Sur, Eastern Samar and Davao del Sur.
It also showed that in terms of choosing an education track, majority of parents in all regions preferred their children go through college. Only 31.9 percent said they would rather that their children pursue the technical-vocational and livelihood (TVL) track.
Survey results also showed that only 1 percent of parents in rural areas and 0.2 percent in urban areas expect their children to become agricultural workers when they reach adulthood.
Filipino parents also expect their children to work in cities or abroad. Those in NCR or Metro Manila expect their children to go overseas, while parents in provinces like Davao del Sur expect their children to work in the city.
Info gaps
“MORE rural households [50 percent] expect their children to be employed in the city relative to urban households [43 percent], while more urban households [28 percent] expect their children to find work overseas than rural households [20 percent],” the study stated.
A senior fellow at the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS), Jose Ramon G. Albert, said this ultimately reveals the “information gaps” in terms of choosing an academic track.
Based on the survey, 37.7 percent of information used to choose a postsecondary education are parents, followed by peers at 33.6 percent; relatives, 32.4 percent; siblings, 19.4 percent; self, 18.9 percent; and teachers, 13.1 percent.
Only 3 percent of parents and students sought information provided by the guidance counselor; 3.8 percent from television and radio; 4 percent, other sources; 4.6 percent, books, newspapers and magazines; and 5.2 percent, the internet.
Needed guidance
“PARENTS and students should get more career guidance,” Albert said. This guidance, he said, should come from schools, the government and the private sector.
The YEILMOS results, Albert said, indicate that many senior high-school students and their families prefer the academic track over the nonacademic tracks.
Albert said this is in large part due to the expectation of continuing on to college education, and consequently to better-paying jobs, compared to the expectations around jobs gained through the TVL, sports, or arts and design tracks.
Based on the survey results, majority of Filipino parents expect their children to earn at least P20,000 monthly by the time they hit 30 years old.
A third or 33 percent of parents expect their children to earn P20,000 to P30,000 monthly by the time they reach 30 years old; 26 percent expect P30,000 to P50,000 monthly; 20 percent, over P50,000 per month; 11 percent, P50,000 to P70,000; and 9 percent, a salary greater than P70,000 a month.