VILLAR WELCOMES MOVE TO INCORPORATE
ENTREPRENEURSHIP LESSONS IN SCHOOLS

Senator Manny Villar, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance, welcomes the move of the Department of Education (DepEd) to integrated entrepreneurship lessons in the curricula of elementary and high school students in public schools.

An active proponent of entrepreneurship and the principles of sipag at tiyaga (hardwork and persistence), Villar, an entrepreneur himself, has been promoting entrepreneurship as a long-term solution to the country's economic woes, particularly in the labor and employment front.

Early this week, DepEd officer-in-charge and Undersecretary Fe Hidalgo announced the launch of the "Go Negosyo Campaign Teen Edition" program that the DepEd will be pilot-testing in public schools. The entrepreneurship lessons will be incorporated in the existing curricula of the students such as in values education, technology and livelihood courses among others.

"Let us support the entrepreneurial education program of the DepEd, so that it will be fully incorporated in the school curricula of all schools. I hope the pilot test will be successful and will be well received by the students as well," cites Villar.

Villar earlier proposed, through Senate Bill 509, entrepreneurship to be taught in schools extensively. "Entrepreneurial education infused in our school system would remove the old archetype of Philippine schools preparing students to be employees. Entrepreneurial education should start at the earliest level," says Villar.

"I have always maintained that a long-term solution to the unemployment and underemployment situation is to encourage more entrepreneurs from among our people, especially the new graduates. We need more job providers. New generation of entrepreneurs can create jobs for more Filipinos," adds Villar. Villar's bill seeks the establishment of an Entrepreneurial Education Promotion Act to guide students in learning the principles of the free enterprise and encourage them to pursue entrepreneurship. It proposes lessons in the following areas: business formation and operation, marketing, finance, management, tax and fiscal policies, investment capital, product development among others.