THE 2ND Congressional Commission on Education or EDCOM 2 and the Commission on Higher Education had started discussing ways to improve the tertiary education in the country.

House Committee on Higher and Technical Education Chairperson and EDCOM 2 Co-Chairperson Representative Mark Go said that the panel seeks to create legislation that will address the most pressing problems of the sector as well as policies that will empower higher education institutions to thrive while providing accessible quality education.

He said that education standards should never be compromised.

CHED Chairman Prospero De Vera III said that academic freedom and government intervention should be balanced to maintain HEIs’ quality standards.

He added that HEIs should continue to produce graduates who are up to international standards.

De Vera also outlined his agency’s priorities that include improving access to quality education, quality assurance, enhancing graduate education, research and innovation and promoting teacher education programs.

Meanwhile, House Committee on Basic Education and EDCOM 2 Co-Chairperson Rep. Roman Romulo zeroed in on reducing the required general education units in higher education through the Philippine Credit Transfer System.

He said this would help shorten the years of studying, especially for students who underwent the K to 12 Program.

De Vera reported that some HEIs reduced the GE courses in certain programs to give way to longer industry immersion.

EDCOM 2 Co-Chairperson and Senate Committee on Basic Education Chairperson Senator Sherwin Gatchalian also pushed for the expansion of technical-vocational education and training for students seeking degree programs.

De Vera shared that the CHED is considering engineering and health as some of the fields of study where credit transfer may be maximized.