SEN. Sherwin Gatchalian yesterday said he will file a bill aimed at shortening college education when the 20th Congress opens next month.
“When the 20th Congress opens, I intend to file a bill that will shorten college education, depending on the program. Kailangang tuparin natin ang pangakong mababawasan ang taon sa kolehiyo kasunod ang pagdagdag ng dalawang taon sa high school (We need to fulfill the promise to shorten college education after we added to more years in high school),” Gatchalian said in a statement.
Gatchalian said he will propose to rationalize and bring down General Education courses to senior high school and eliminate the duplication of courses to enable students to focus on their specialization.
“We should also prioritize the teaching of soft skills to our SHS learners, including critical thinking, communication, problem solving, socio-emotional skills, creativity, and collaboration, among others,” he added.
Gatchalian, in an interview with Bilyonaryo News Channel, said research by the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2) showed there is evidence that tertiary education can be reformed and shortened by as much as two-and-a-half years to three years, depending on the course that a student is taking.
He said there are a lot of general education subjects in college that can be taken up in senior high school and would just be a waste of time, money, and effort if they were taken up again in college.
“Once the student enters college, they will just focus on the subject matter they want to take…All the general education subjects will now be pushed and handled by the senior high school. These are the soft skills that everyone needs to learn anyway,” he said.
He said having shorter college years will enable a student to concentrate on major subjects, which will enable him or her to finish earlier than the usual four-year college education.
He said countries like England, Canada, and Australia have a three-year college period.
