SENATOR Sherwin Gatchalian is urging education authorities to streamline general education subjects in college, emphasizing the need to fulfill the original promise of the K-12 program: a shorter college education for Filipino students.

Gatchalian pointed out that the K-12 reform, implemented 12 years ago, was designed to reduce the number of years in higher education by adding two years of senior high school.

However, many students still face extended stays in college due to overlapping or duplicated coursework.

“Proposals to streamline general education subjects must deliver on the K-12 program’s promise—that additional years in high school would lead to shorter college education,” Gatchalian said.

“Panahon na upang tuparin ang pangakong bawasan ang taon sa kolehiyo,” he added.

While acknowledging that policy decisions rest with the Department of Education and the Commission on Higher Education, the senator stressed that college curricula should be free of redundancy so students can focus on their chosen fields and graduate in under four years.

“They should not be burdened with extra semesters simply because the original goals of the K-12 reform—set 12 years ago—have yet to be fully realized,” he said.

The call comes amid ongoing discussions on improving the efficiency of the country’s education system, particularly as the government reviews the long-term impact of K-12 and considers adjustments to better align learning outcomes with labor market demands.