SENATOR Sherwin Gatchalian on Tuesday urged the Department of Education and the Commission on Higher Education to collaborate in harmonizing the senior high school program to reduce the number of years spent in college.

Gatchalian recalled that during the deliberations on the Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013, or the K to 12 Law, it was promised that two additional years of high school would lead to fewer years in college. However, he noted that this has not materialized.

The Year Two Report of the Second Congressional Commission on Education flagged low proficiency levels among SHS students, based on below-proficient National Achievement Test 2022 scores for Grade 12.

Gatchalian added that because senior high school graduates are not yet college-ready, higher education institutions still need to implement bridging programs. These programs, however, do not contribute to reducing college years.

The senator called for the removal of these bridging programs, emphasizing, “The entire system promised that when we moved to K-12, college would be shortened, so the overall duration of schooling would not be extended by an additional two years.”

As Chairman of the Senate Committee on Basic Education, Gatchalian urged DepEd and CHED to work together, stressing the importance of reducing the time spent in college to help students graduate and join the workforce sooner. “Mahalagang pag-usapan at pag-isipan ito nang maigi ng DepEd at CHED. Pagsikapan nating mapababa ang bilang ng taon sa kolehiyo upang makapagtapos na sila agad at makapagtrabaho na sila agad,” he added.