Senator Win Gatchalian is advocating for the allocation of P79 million to provide scholarships for child development workers (CDWs) who have only completed high school.

In his interpellation on the proposed budget of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), Gatchalian highlighted that 11,414 out of 68,080 CDWs nationwide hold only a high school diploma. To address this, Gatchalian proposed the allocation of P79 million to cover tuition and other school fees, stipend, book allowance, and certification and assessment fees for a National Certificate (NC) III course in early childhood education. This funding will enable 2,854 of these CDWs to gain the necessary upskilling and reskilling opportunities to enhance their professional capabilities. 

“We want to, as much as possible, professionalize and upskill our CDWs. I thank TESDA for coming up with this national certification, specifically for child development workers. Now we have to start somewhere, and we are proposing to allocate P79 million for the scholarships of child development workers,” said Gatchalian, Co-Chairperson of the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM II) and Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Basic Education.  

Gatchalian is also pushing for the upskilling of CDWs under the Basic Education and Early Childhood Care and Development Alignment Act (Senate Bill No. 2575), which seeks to achieve universal access to early childhood education. Under the proposed measure, incumbent CDWs shall be required to complete mandatory upskilling and reskilling training programs on early childhood education or early childhood care and development (ECCD). Incumbent CDWs should also pass a certification from the TESDA, which shall provide the assessment and certification free of charge.

When the proposed measure is signed into law, the senator’s office estimates that the country needs an additional 161,143 CDWs to support 4.6 million children aged three to four.