Senator Win Gatchalian is urging the Department of Education (DepEd) to enhance students’ proficiency in artificial intelligence (AI) to better prepare them for future job markets.
Citing the 2023 World Economic Forum (WEF) Report, Gatchalian highlighted that 60% of surveyed Filipino companies identified AI and Big Data proficiency as their top priority for upskilling and reskilling their workforce in the next five years.
“The jobs of the future will demand AI proficiency, and our learners must be prepared,” Gatchalian stated during the launch of the Education Center for AI Research (E-CAIR). “The upcoming jobs will require new skills—if we don’t equip our students now, we risk falling behind in the global economy,” he added.
Gatchalian stressed the importance of integrating AI into the education system to foster innovation, develop policies, and create strategies that ensure an empowering learning environment, support for teachers, the well-being of students, and efficient learning delivery. This, he said, is key to building a future-ready workforce.
However, he also called attention to the need to address the digital divide. He warned that AI in education should serve as a tool for inclusion, not exclusion. As of May 2023, only 63% of elementary schools, 71% of junior high schools, and 68% of senior high schools under DepEd had internet connectivity.
Furthermore, the 2022 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) showed that six out of ten Filipino students attended schools where principals reported a lack of digital resources, including desktops, laptops, internet access, learning management systems, or school learning platforms.
To tackle these issues, Gatchalian filed the Digital Transformation in Basic Education Act (Senate Bill No. 383). The proposed bill seeks to have DepEd, in partnership with the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) and the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), adopt digital technologies to ensure the continued delivery of basic education and drive the digital transformation of the education system.
