THIS particular party-list, the EduAKSyon, deserves full support from many concerned sectors come May 2025 midterm polls for it pushes genuine educational reforms that other similar groups in the past failed to deliver.
With the first nominee Michael Alexander Ang, The Manila Times’ chief financial officer; second nominee Kristjan Vincent Gargantiel; and third nominee Dr. Aldrin Darilag, EduAKSyon Party-list is advocating the reduction of the standard four-year college curriculum to three years in a bid to streamline education and make it more accessible and efficient for Filipino students.
The three years will be broken down into two years of classroom learning and one year of on-the-job training, Gargantiel said.
This is really logical and since general education subjects like Filipino and Natural Science were already taken up during secondary education, the three-year curriculum would instead focus on core subjects specifically made for the specific course.
The country’s current four-year system is outdated and no longer reflects the realities of a rapidly changing job market, he said.
The party-list group hopes to align education more closely with the needs of modern industries where specialized skills are increasingly valued over general knowledge.
With the proposed change, Ang said this would effectively reduce both financial strains on families and student debt.
He said that education shouldn’t be a burden but a pathway to opportunity.
“We need to make sure that our students are equipped with the necessary skills to compete in the global job market, and we believe that shortening the curriculum is one way to achieve this.”
EduAKSyon Party-list pointed to other countries where three-year degree programs are common, particularly in Europe, as evidence that shorter programs can be just as effective.
With the party-list’s recommendations, both the Department of Education and the Commission on Higher Education can conduct feasibility studies as to the impact of the curriculum change.
The group’s proposal is expected to spark lively debate among policymakers, educators and students.
EduAKSyon is hoping that its focus on education reform will resonate with voters in the forthcoming May 25 elections, positioning itself as an advocate for accessible and modernized learning.
