BAGUIO CITY (Sept. 26) — For them to teach students who qualify as call center agents, Cordillera teachers underwent a competency upgrading training last week, the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) disclosed Wednesday.

The training, aptly called a re-tooling of teachers in English, aimed to train teachers in English proficiency and computer-proficiency, said Dr. Ramon Santiago, CHED’s education program specialist in the Cordillera.

Initially, the program had 40 teacher-trainees, according to Santiago. The trained teachers would eventually transfer their acquired skills to their fellow mentors until all English instructors become confident in teaching students.

According to Santiago, the English proficiency re-tooling program is designed for teachers in recognized higher educational institutions (HEIs) only. He did not disclose the number of CHED recognized schools in the Cordillera.

The Technical Education Skills Development Authority (TESDA) is undertaking jointly with CHED the said training for English teachers, to prepare students better and give them a better chance as call center agents.

Meanwhile two language skills institutes have been catering to Cordillera students. One such school is in Loakan in Baguio City and the other is in Tabuk City, Kalinga, according to TESDA’s Chief Regional Officer Marilyn Nesisito.

Nesisito said interested trainees in the language schools must be at least 18 years old, computer-literate and must pass a qualifying examinations for a scholarship slot. # Lyn V. Ramo for NORDIS