Bill seeks three-year college curriculum

Metro Manila, Philippines - A bill seeking to trim college education by a year was filed in Congress on Tuesday, July 1, in a bid to streamline the curriculum and focus on specialization.

The “Three-Year College Education (3CE)” bill filed by Sen. Win Gatchalian aims to allow the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) to shorten the time for students to finish their bachelor’s degree “based on assessed industry needs, international standards, or benchmarks, and recognized best practices.”

All general education (GE) courses will be removed at the collegiate level and shifted to senior high school (SHS).

“The CHED, in coordination with the Department of Education shall ensure the alignment of the SHS curriculum with the knowledge base required for specialization at the college level to foster critical thinking and ensure college readiness of students, provide more time for internship and advanced specialization in higher education, enhance the overall efficiency and quality of higher learning, and avoid remedial and duplication of basic education subjects,” the measure stated.

In May, the Second Congressional Commission on Education said the current tertiary curriculum is heavy on GE subjects but falls short on providing internship training.

“Noong nagdagdag tayo ng dalawang taon sa high school, ipinangako natin sa ating mga kababayan na iikli ang panahong kailangang ilaan sa kolehiyo. Panahon na upang tuparin natin ang pangakong ito,” Gatchalian said.

[Translation: When we added two years to high school, we promised our fellow Filipinos that the time needed for college would be shortened. It's time for us to fulfill that promise.]