A bill offering various educational paths to graduating Grade 10 students, including skipping senior high school , has been approved by the House of Representatives in its plenary session on January 28, Tuesday.
On its third and final reading, House Bill (HB) 11213, also known as the proposed Education Pathways Act, garnered 200 congressmen voting in favor, three opposing, and none abstaining.
Under the amendment, a three-track system will be implemented for Grade 10 graduates: a two-year University Preparatory Program, a Technical-Vocational Program, or an advanced placement exam. Students who pass the exam may transition directly to college, bypassing Grades 11 and 12.
“An Honors Exam or advanced placement examination shall be made available to graduating Grade 10 students, providing them the opportunity to bypass senior high school, contingent upon successful completion and passing of said exam,” the bill’s proponent, Rep. Roman Romulo, stated.
Students who did not take or fail to pass the exam but still wish to pursue college will be required to complete the two-year University Preparatory Program, which will include subjects eligible for credit in higher education.
The said subjects are said to be mandatory irrespective of the student’s chosen program, removing the existing tracks or strands.
“But Grades 11 and 12 will no longer have strands or tracks. All the mandatory subjects will all be the general subjects in first year college,” Romulo said.
“So that the student, who wishes to pursue his college degree will already be able to get advanced placement examinations and credit those subjects, and hopefully reduce the number of years in college by one year or at least one semester,” he added.
Meanwhile, students who prefer to enter the workforce upon finishing basic education will be catered by the Technical-Vocational Program under Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA).
“For those who wish to use the Tech-Voc track, we will ask that they be under the TESDA, but with an industry driven curriculum, meaning it is enterprise-based immediately,” Romulo explained.
He also said that the proposed reforms aim to ease the financial burden on parents, particularly in tuition costs.
