To: Undersecretaries and Assistant Secretaries
Bureau Directors
Regional Directors
Secondary Education Division Chiefs
Regional TLE/Tech-Voc Supervisors
Schools Division/City Superintendents
Vocational School Administrators
Principals/Heads of Public Technical-Vocational High Schools

1. One of the Department’s goals is to equip the high school students with relevant skills through the Strengthened Technical-Vocational Education Program (STVEP) in order to prepare them for higher education, world of work and for entrepreneurship.
2. To realize that goal, the Tech-Voc High Schools (TVHSs) under the Department shall be strengthened by providing a competency-based curriculum and training, physical facilities, instructional materials, manpower requirement and other logistic support.
3. For this purpose and until further notice of the Office of the Secretary, TVHSs shall be directly supervised by their respective Regional Offices (ROs) cognizant of authority, responsibility and accountability vested on the TVH School Principals/Heads by R.A. 9155. ROs shall likewise provide TVHSs with adequate manpower including financial staff.
4. The ROs shall provide necessary support and guidance that will enable the TVHSs and the various community stakeholders to offer appropriate tech-voc courses based on community needs. The course offerings are aimed at equipping high school students with relevant and TESDA-certifiable skills matched with the right jobs and/or entrepreneurial opportunities present in their respective local communities as well as provide necessary foundation for further education and training.
5. The objective of this decentralization initiative is to further strengthen the Tech-Voc Education Program to be offered initially to 140 priority TVHSs for School Year (SY) 2007-2008. See Enclosure No. 1 for list of these priority TVHSs. These schools were short-listed from among the 261 existing TVHSs initially identified from among the public secondary schools nationwide. The remaining 121 TVHSs and other interested schools which signified their intention to implement the STVEP are also encouraged to adopt the same.
6. Consistent with the above intent and purpose, the Department is declaring a transitory moratorium on the strict adherence to the Implementing Guidelines, Minimum Standards and the Learning Competencies of the curriculum prescribed in DepEd Order No. 37, s. 2005, which defined the TVE as a regular curriculum built on the 2002 Basic Education Curriculum (BEC)
7. Nonetheless, the above-mentioned guidelines, standards and competencies shall constitute the framework for any review and/or evaluation of the course contents of the existing curriculum including any development of an enhanced curriculum for the proposed competency-based STVE program as well as its articulation with TESDA Training Regulations.
8. To strengthen the existing TVEP in the public secondary education system per DepEd Order 17, s. 2007, the Central Office Task Force on Technical- Vocational Education is mandated to provide policy support; curriculum; teachers and management trainings; infrastructure; facilities and instructional support; logistic plans and other relevant technical assistance; and to document good TVE practices in the region and benchmark the same internationally.
9. Effective SY 2007-2008, all regional offices (ROs) are enjoined to assist and capacitate TVHSs in implementing the STVEP. In particular, the regions shall be responsible for the following:
   1. Establishing a comprehensive/updated database of all tech-voc high schools in their respective regions. TVHSs that continue to offer 1 or 2 years of post-secondary education courses (under the Department) per the Enabling Act/local government ordinance establishing said schools shall also receive the necessary guidance and logistic and instructional support;
   2. Providing priority attention to the 140 priority TVHSs in terms of additional resources for capital expenditures and other technical assistance. For this purpose, it shall release all necessary funding support to TVHSs.
   3. Monitoring the implementation of the STVEP in all the TVHSs from 1st to 4th year levels. The understanding reached at the national level between the DepEd and TESDA for high school graduates includes the awarding of the national competency certification (NC Levels 1 and 2) to be issued by TESDA to those who will pass the competency assessment.
   4. Requiring the TVHSs with additional time-on-task and/or additional lesson/training modules as may be appropriate to complete the requirements. Teachers and other personnel engaged on additional time-on-task shall receive appropriate compensation in the form of overtime pay, honoraria or service credits;
   5. Transmitting to the Central Office TVE Task Force a Quarterly Progress Report (QPR) on the challenges faced and opportunities created in their respective regions. This report will be used to guide the policy decision makers towards a more decentralized management of the STVE program and will enable the National TVE Task Force Office to recognize new viable tech-voc initiatives and existing good practices of TVHSs. Enclosure 2 is the suggested standard format for the QPR;
   6. Providing resource persons/experts for the summative evaluation of this initiative to further decentralize the management of the STVEP from the national or central office to the regions beyond school year 2007-2008;
   7. Guiding the TVHSs on the next steps for a more meaningful partnership with and their respective community stakeholders; and
   8. Empowering the TVHSs to provide the students with skills training and job opportunities for themselves and for their respective families.
10. Additional specific guidelines, as agreed upon during the 2007 Consultation Workshop and the succeeding curriculum writing workshop, are provided in Annex A.
11. Immediate and wide dissemination of and compliance of this Order is directed.

Encls.: As stated
References: DepED Order: Nos. 37, .s 2005 and 17, s. 2007 DepED Memorandum: No. 211, s. 2007 Allotment: 1 – (D.O. 50-97)

To be indicated in the Perpetual Index under the following subjects:
POLICY
TECHNICAL EDUCATION
VOCATIONAL EDUCATION

DO_s2007_048