Shortening degree courses to create more problems – CHED

Shortening some degree programs into fewer years will only create another set of problems, challenging higher education institutions (HEIs) to become more innovative when adding new courses, the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) said.

Academic year (AY) 2018-2019 should mark the implementation of the new General Education Curriculum (GEC) as per CHED Memorandum Order (CMO) No. 20, series of 2013 or the “General Education Curriculum: Holistic Understandings, Intellectual and Civic Competencies.”

The new curriculum has been reduced from 63 units (for Humanities and Social Science majors) or 51 units (for Science, Engineering and Math majors) to 36 units for all students. The new GEC offers entirely different courses from the old one.

“It allows that in the curriculum of all degree programs, a reduction in the total number of units,” De Vera said. “The only degree programs that did not decrease the total number of years are those that are covered by specific laws,” he added.

However, he stressed “that we have been more anticipative and already lobbied Congress to amend these laws.”

De Vera noted that shortening a four-year degree program to three years will only create another set of problems. “The reason why our professionals are not able to practice their profession abroad is because we lack the total number years of schooling,” he said.

“That’s why we added K to 12, [so] if you are going to reduce another year, then you will create another set of problem because our total number of years we lack one year, kawawa naman ang ating mga professionals (our professors will suffer),” he added.

Meanwhile, De Vera noted that it will become a challenge for universities to develop their new curriculum in time of the opening of classes.

“What the CHED is issuing, in terms of PSGs [Policies, Standards, and Guidelines], is minimum standards which means universities are expected to add courses that are innovative that are needed by the students and it’s a challenge to be able to do that,” De Vera stated.