and follow oral and written instructions.96 It also notes that the
Apprenticeship Agreement should include the period of apprenticeship that
will not exceed six months and wage rates below the legal minimum wage,
which starts below 75% of the minimum wage.97 Such provision has been
preceded by the National Apprenticeship Act of 1957, which was amended
in 1973 in terms of the duties and function of the Bureau of Apprenticeship
under the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), unlawful
employment of a worker at subminimum wages unless approved by the
Bureau of Apprenticeship, apprenticeship schemes (apprenticeship
conducted entirely by and within the sponsoring firm, establishment or
entity; apprenticeship entirely within DOLE training center or other public
training institution duly approved by the Bureau; and initial broad training
in trade fundamentals in a training center or other institution with
subsequent actual work participation within the sponsoring firm or entity
during the final stage of training); contents and signatories of the
apprenticeship agreement; wage rate of apprentices; filing a complaint;
conclusive decision of the Secretary of Labor; provision of aptitude tests of
employers or entities with apprenticeship programs; voluntary nature and
compulsory undertaking of apprenticeship programs under certain
circumstances (such as when national security or economic development
demand such programs); nationwide promotion of apprenticeship and
close supervision of on-going apprenticeship programs by the Bureau of
Apprenticeship under DOLE.98
36.
Lastly, to ensure access to basic learning opportunities and promote the
right to quality education in the country, the Enhanced Basic Education Act
of 2013 aims to provide every student quality education that is globally
competitive and based on a pedagogically sound curriculum that is at par
with international standards; broaden the goals of high school education
for college preparation, vocational and technical career opportunities as
well as creative arts, sports and entrepreneurial employment in a rapidly
changing and increasingly globalized environment; and to make education
learner-oriented and responsive to the needs, cognitive and cultural
capacity, the circumstances and diversity of learners, schools and
communities through the appropriate languages of teaching and learning,
including mother tongue as a learning resource.99 It has transformed basic
education into 13 years of compulsory schooling: seven for Kindergarten
to Grade 6, four for Junior High School (Grades 7 to 10), and two for Senior
High School (Grades 11 and 12), and encompasses the Alternative
Learning System (ALS).100 It also serves as one of the legal frameworks of
DepEd’s Basic Education Development Plan 2030, which is designed as
the department’s blueprint for the next decade in formulating,
implementing, coordinating, monitoring, evaluating, and supervising
policies, plans, programs, and projects in the areas of formal and
nonformal education.101 It provides a strategic roadmap for the department
96
Id. at bk 2, art. 58 and art. 59.
Id. at art. 61.
98
A Decree Amending Further Republic Act Number One Thousand Eight Hundred Twenty-Six, As Amended, Otherwise
Known as the “National Apprenticeship Act of 1957,” Presidential Decree No. 173 (1973) (as amended).
99
ENHANCED BASIC EDUCATION ACT OF 2013.
100
Id.
101
Department of Education, Adoption of the Basic Education Development Plan 2030, DepEd Order No. 024, s. 2022
(May 30, 2022).
97
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