Seafarers’ group leader-priest OKs closing maritime schools

MANILA -- AROUND the country, young people in white starched polo shirts and pants enroll in maritime schools this June at a time when rising unemployment among Filipino seafarers is sparking a debate over whether substandard schools or the sheer number of students is to blame for the problem.

To be sure, the number of seafarers being deployed is increasing, according to the government. According to the Deployment Statistics of Overseas Filipino Workers from the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA), there were 209,593 seafarers deployed in 2001, from 204,951 in 2002. In the Labor Force statistics of Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), there were 216,031 sea-based workers in 2003, which increased to 229,002 in 2004.

A recent DOLE statement cited that global deployment of seafarers on a quarter to quarter basis rose by 82 percent from January to April this year. Seafarers' inward dollar remittances also increased by 21 percent to $257 million from January to February alone. The statement said DOLE officials expect deployment of seafarers to hit 250,000 by end-December.

And yet, according to government statistics, more than half of Filipino maritime graduates are currently jobless. Not everyone who studies to become a seaman will necessarily become one.
If one asks why this is happening in a country still regarded as "the leading source of seafarers in the global labor industry" --an estimated one of every five seafarers around the world said to be from the Philippines -- an authority on the issue is blaming the schools.

Director of the non-government group Apostleship of the Sea (AOS)-Manila, Father Savino Bernardi, acknowledges the annual increases in deployment of sea-based workers, but points out that many students fail to board vessels since they can't meet the skills required by the labor market that their schools should equip them with.

Father Bernardi told the OFW Journalism Consortium that some maritime schools even fail to meet requirements of the Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) and the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC), such as the new management-level courses.

"If they cannot meet these, they should close and teach something else," Father Bernardi said. "If schools close because of these then let it be."

Some schools even fail to help their students find a company that will accommodate them, Bernardi added. He said that majority of maritime students leaving college remain undergraduates because of this. He estimated that of about 25,000 cadets, only 5,000 will proceed to have ship board training.

"Majority of them are left on their own and only 8,000 of them will find some kind of a job," he said. "It is unfortunate since they need (the on-the-board shipboard training) for them to finish the requirements for graduation."

One CHED ruling requires maritime schools to have a shipboard training officer to facilitate the on job training of students. Another requirement is for schools to have maritime students board vessels for their on-the-job training (OJT), the last phase of maritime education. However, because these schools lack access to ships, their students fail to undergo an OJT program.

Quality over quantity
FATHER Bernardi acknowledged that the number of seafarers deployed grows by eight percent each year. "The curve of employment (of seafarers) is going up all the time," he said, adding this can still go up if schools focus on the quality of teaching and not just to earn profit from their enrollees. Bernardi proposes good budgeting to avert pinning lack of quality of students' education to the school's budget.

"Education and budget always go together. A certain level of (budget) reduction might infringe on the proper education of students," Bernardi said.

He cites the faculty and the facilities as the components that might be affected if budget reductions are made for profits. He said that lack of budget may mean the inability to provide the necessary equipments and unqualified teachers.

Bernardi said that some "second-rate schools" employ mechanisms to avoid large expenses. This includes hiring mess boys or naval officers as teachers of technical subjects although they are not qualified. Some employ faculty by shifts since some instructors prefer to be employed with higher pays than teach.

According to the Maritime Training Council (MTC), teachers should have training in the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Model Course. CHED requires that the faculty members should have board experiences and professional licenses.

For this, Bernardi recommends a reduction of "irrelevant" subjects so that the students may enjoy quality faculty and facilities without much burdensome expenses. "Budget must not touch the substance of education," Bernardi said. He stressed that "sacrifice" of some profit could lead to better maritime education. He added that a selection process is necessary to determine which schools are financially qualified to provide quality maritime education.

Commodore Adonis Donato, President of Masters and Mates Association of the Philippines (MMAP), also agrees with Bernardi.

He believes improving maritime curriculum and training centers are important in maintaining the employability of Filipino seafarers. He added that quality maritime training leads to employment.

"If I were the principal, I would also choose those coming from competent schools," he said in Filipino.

Narrow passage
ONE of those who believe his school fits Donato's criteria is 19-year-old Glenn Llorente. His choice of school, he said, was important because he wants to land a job immediately upon graduating so he can help his family.

"Life is really hard nowadays. My mother is the only one working and my father is already retired and sick," he told the OFW Journalism Consortium in Tagalog.

He said he chose the maritime review center for its award-winning trainers and advanced equipment and facilities. These elements, he agrees, boost quality of education and ensure his dream would become a reality easier.

John Bello, 30, said he wouldn't have become a seafarer, let alone last six years doing it, had he not have quality maritime education and training.

"Education can really help because it is the stepping stone towards being a seafarer," he said in Filipino.

Bello claimed he is fortunate for he obtained satisfactory maritime education and training that prepared him for employment.

Bernardi commended the government, saying very good effort has been made to uplift the standard of maritime education that Donato would benefit from and Bello acquired.
He cited that six years ago, there were 134 schools but CHED slashed that to 45.

However, despite this the number of schools keeps increasing every year, according to Bernardi. Currently, there are 89 maritime schools that passed the requirements of CHED. A statement from DOLE cited MITC data, meanwhile, that there are 49 maritime training centers in the Philippines.

"[Some of these schools) don't provide enough professional training" he said.

But Donato said that although the CHED already eliminated some substandard maritime schools in the provinces, there will still be excess graduates.

He added that there are too many schools churning out graduates that only add to a glut in manpower.

"We have too many maritime schools. We [employers] can't accommodate them all; they're simply too many," Donato said adding that employers would only hire cadets from competitive schools, or those compliant WITH international standards set by the 1995 International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watch keeping for Seafarers (STCW).
At present, the clamor among manning agencies is to reduce maritime enrollments to improve the quality of graduates and match the requirements of principals. Along this line, the CHED is requiring maritime schools to have their own basic maritime training facilities.

ALEXIS DOUGLAS ROMERO (Contributor) OFW Journalism Consortium, Inc. end