By Katrina Gracia Consebido
President Ferdinand R. Marcos on Tuesday, Oct. 25, expressed his desire to set up a scholarship program for STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) courses to upskill the lack of talent in the said field.
According to the President, a scholarship should be offered to students to encourage them to pursue STEM courses.
Information and Communications Technology Secretary Ivan John Uy was tasked to coordinate with various industries to determine and address job mismatch which is significant on what move should be taken by the government.
During the Cabinet meeting, Uy said there is a shortfall of students taking up STEM courses, and there is a large number of IT graduates that are lacking in tools and training which is essential in the ICT industry.
The Chief Executive vowed to address and fix the gap in research and development as the country has to keep up in the STEM fields.
Experts said the Philippines needs to invest in establishing a firm STEM community as it will make the country economically, politically, and educationally competitive.