ANGARA SUPPORTS PROPOSAL FOR 12-YEAR BASIC ED

Senator Edgardo J. Angara today expressed support of the Department of Education's proposal to extend the basic education curriculum to 12 years.

He said this will bring the country at par with global education standards, making Filipino graduates more competitive in domestic and international labor markets.

"Our graduates especially in the fields of engineering, nursing, architecture and science are considered second-class professionals in the global workforce because of our 10-year basic education, which falls short of the world's 12-year standard. We need to align our number of years of schooling with global standards so that we may be able to keep up with competition with other countries," said Angara, Chair of the Senate Committee on Education.

Angara said he will call for a wider consultation on the issue, with the participation of the academe, parents-teachers associations, student representatives, industry leaders and potential employers and members of different education advocate groups.

"We have brilliant graduates but because of this technicality of lacking two years in basic education as opposed to most of the world's 12 years of formation, they are in many ways disadvantaged in job placements or opportunities for promotion," he said.

Angara said that apart from adding two years to the country's basic education, government needs to address the lack of classrooms, the shortage on textbooks and to provide more teacher training and development to enhance teachers' capacities.

"We need to improve our curriculum and make sure our materials in mathematics and science are up-to-date," he added.

Angara, a former President of the University of the Philippines, is the author of landmark education laws including the Free High School Act, the laws creating CHED and TESDA and the massive scholarship program Government Assistance to Students and Teachers in Private Education (GASTPE).

During the 8th Congress, he chaired the Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM) which provided important recommendations to improve the state of Philippine education.