12,000 Pinoy engineers, architects posibleng masibak sa Qatar (Bunsod ng educational requirement)

NAKATAKDANG magtungo ang mga opisyal ng Professional Regulation Commission at Commission on Higher Education sa Qatar upang kombinsihin ang education officials sa Doha na pagkalooban ang Philippine-educated engineers at architects ng ‘equivalency’ ng kanilang academic qualifications at relevant work experience upang maipagpatuloy ang kanilang pagtatrabaho sa Gulf nation.

“We are optimistic that the PRC-CHED mission will successfully meet its goal to convince Qatari authorities to give our Filipino engineers and architects the equivalency. Qatari employers, based on information that has reached me, are open and supportive of the Filipino professionals’ request,” pahayag ni Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz.

Ayon sa labor department, sina CHEd chairman Patricia Licuanan at acting PRC chairman Angeline T. Chua Chiaco ang tutungo sa Doha upang makipagpulong sa mga opisyal ng Qatar Supreme Education Council at ipararating ang kanilang kahilingan para sa 12,000 engineering at architecture professionals sa Qatar.

Ang ‘equivalency challenge’ ay nag-ugat sa mahigpit na pagpapatupad ng Qatar sa kanilang batas, nag-uutos na ang mga engineer ay dapat magparehistro sa Urban Planning and Development Authority (UPDA).

Gayonman, hindi ito magawa ng Filipino engineers dahil ang requirement ng Supreme Education Council, dapat ay sumailalim sila sa 12-year basic education, sa total na 16 taon ng edukasyon, para makapagparehistro bilang propesyonal sa Qatar.

“The Supreme Education Council considers the 12-year basic education program as equivalent to a high school diploma. As such, Filipino engineers could not register with the UPDA because all of them underwent only 10 years of basic education, and the Qatari authorities have only issued a two-year diploma equivalency for engineering degrees earned in Philippine higher education institutions (HEIs),” pahayag ni Baldoz.

Dagdag ni Baldoz, itinakda ng Qatar government sa Enero 31 ang deadline para sa pagpaparehistro sa UPDA.

“If an OFW engineer, or any foreign engineer for that matter, is unable to register with the UPDA, he/she cannot practice his profession in Qatar. In short, the 12,000 OFW engineers could possibly be displaced from their jobs,” ani Baldoz.

Gayonman, tiniyak ni Baldoz na ang OFW engineers na nagtatrabaho sa 20 to 30 percent ng construction consultancy firms sa Qatar, ay hindi agad masisibak dahil mismong ang Qatari authorities, gayon din ang employers, ang nagpahayag ng pagiging bukas para sa full equivalency ng educational qualifications and relevant work experience ng Filipino engineers upang makapag-practice pa rin sila ng kanilang propesyon sa Qatar.