First Balfour president Anthony Fernandez and SVP Caloy Salonga (3rd and 4th from right) with (from right) PNHS assistant principal Rodel Valejos, principal Dr. Rosendo Abulog, DASNHS principal Corazon Mandar, and technology and livelihood education teacher Laureano MacatuggalOne of the key features of the K-12 basic education reform is the inclusion of two more years of specialized secondary education or senior high school (SHS).

Set to begin with the first batch of Grade 11 students this school year, SHS will enable students to prepare for the track that suits their interests and emerging competencies and will serve as gateway for specialization in higher education or paid work.

First Balfour, through its corporate sustainability initiative dubbed Project K12, partners with Parañaque National High School (PNHS) and Dr. Arcadio Santos National High School (DASNHS). The company intends to support the technical-vocational track in SHS, specifically the electrical installation and maintenance course being offered in these institutions.

“Wherever we work, whether it’s in Mindanao or Visayas or in Metro Manila, we always make an effort that any kind of contribution that we do in the community is through the public schools. This K-12 is a major structural change and when this came along, we took pains to really study the areas where we can contribute,” said First Balfour president and COO Anthony Fernandez during the memorandum of agreement signing ceremony.

Addressing the perennial mismatch between the demands of the industry and the graduates of the academe, the Department of Education through the SHS seeks to produce hirable graduates equipped with the technicalvocational skills that industries need.

Eventually, First Balfour and its partner sponsors will employ SHS graduates of the electrical installation and maintenance course in PNHS and DASNHS who pass the assessment by the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority. (Story/Photo by: Dolly Pasia)