Roilo Golez is against additional one year for college education

Clean up ranks instead of extending college course, CHED told
01/28/2009 01:39 PM
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MANILA, Philippines - The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) should clean up its own ranks and professionalize the college-level teaching sector instead of extending some college programs to five years, Senior Deputy Minority Leader Roilo Golez said on Wednesday. "A five-year college program is not the solution," the Parañaque representative said in a text message sent to reporters. "It will just aggravate the problem especially for those who can barely afford the daily cost of going to school. What is needed is to correct the mismatch between graduates and industry demand. There are industries which don't have adequate supply of graduates. There are industries that have an oversupply."CHED could also do better by reviewing if college curricula are still relevant."It is the schools and the teaching staff, not the students, that need to be repaired," Golez said. "The college level teaching sector must be professionalized. College professors must be licensed. CHED should also clean up their ranks. Many CHED accreditors have reportedly questionable practices, making it possible for undeserving schools to be accredited."The agency should also close down "fly by night schools that lure and victimize students to irrelevant courses." Rep. Luzviminda Ilagan, a Gabriela party-list lawmaker, has similar sentiments, noting that adding an extra year to tertiary education would be ill-timed considering the current global financial crisis."This is an utter denial of the Filipino youths' right to education as enshrined in the Philippine Constitution," Ilagan said in a statement. "With the ongoing of global financial crisis, this move will guarantee the unprecedented increase in the number of out-of-school youth, as only a very few will be able to afford university education due to the high tuition and other fees."Earlier, the CHED said it wanted to extend nursing and education courses to five years as part of the its efforts to reform the educational system. - Johanna Camille Sisante, GMANews.TV