AMID growing calls to abolish Senior High School (SHS) from the K-12 education system, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian urged caution, suggesting that instead of removing SHS, reforms should focus on shortening college years to make the education system more efficient and practical.

In an interview with DWIZ, Gatchalian acknowledged the widespread dissatisfaction among parents with the K-12 system, particularly due to the two additional years introduced by SHS.

However, he warned of the possible consequences of removing SHS altogether.

“I understand that many parents are not satisfied with the K-12 system, especially the added two years of senior high school,” he said.

“But if we remove SHS, graduates could be as young as 16 years old. They might immediately seek employment and never return to school, which could increase unemployment,” he added.

Rather than eliminating SHS, Gatchalian proposed reducing college years by streamlining the curriculum. He pointed out that many general education subjects taught in college are already covered in SHS.

“Instead of repeating general subjects in college, let students focus on their major courses,” he explained.

“I’m considering a bill that would limit college to just two or three years, with all general education subjects completed in senior high. For example, subjects like Physical Education don’t need to be repeated,” he added.

Gatchalian noted that while passing a law to reduce college years may not be strictly necessary, it could help accelerate implementation.

“Sometimes, without legislation, reforms take too long. That’s why we’re drafting a bill,” he said.

The senator emphasized the need for strong coordination between the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and the Department of Education (DepEd), stressing that both agencies must align to avoid subject redundancy.