Business Bayani PH

The Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) is urging newly appointed Education Secretary Sonny Angara to prioritize developing students’ information and communications technology (ICT) skills.

The business group cited the Philippines’ concerning decline in the 2023 Coursera’s Global Skills Report, ranking the country second-to-last at 99th out of 100 in technology, business, and data science skills.

“We welcome the appointment of Senator Angara to the DepEd, and as we prepare our students to be future members and leaders of our workforce, we hope that our government could prioritize honing their skills and equipping them with the right information and tools to cope with the ever-changing digital landscape,” said PCCI President Enunina V. Mangio.

The Philippines’ low ranking in ICT skills could significantly impact the country’s ability to compete in the global digital economy. 

A 2023 report by Coursera showed a sharp decline in the Philippines’ technology proficiency, dropping from 29% to a mere 5%. Data science proficiency also worsened, falling from 21% to 1%.

“I believe this is something that we should seriously assess and address to better improve our ranking; our competitiveness in these areas has been deteriorating,” Mangio added.

The PCCI expressed confidence in Angara’s ability to improve the education system, citing his experience as a legislator and his authorship of several bills promoting ICT development, such as the Digital Workforce Competitiveness Act and the National Digital Transformation Act.

The business group also pledged to collaborate with the Department of Education (DepEd) in creating a more competitive educational system.“PCCI, through its Committee on Education and Human Resource Development Foundation (HRDF) will proactively work with DepEd,” said Mangio.Ⓒ