A Senate Bill has been introduced by Senator Win Gatchalian which purports to provide for a three-year specialization college education in the Philippines, thus reducing the existing required minimum college years from four to three.  The Act shall be known as the “Three-Year College Education (3CE) Act.”  The bill will allow the State to ensure that college education focuses on immediate specialization in the students’ fields of study, following the completion of general education courses at the basic education level.  It assumes that current attempts of some sectors to shorten once again basic education to ten years by repealing the K to 12 Law will not prosper and that the so-called Senior High School (Grades 11 and 12) will be retained.

            The proposed bill assumes that the subjects taken during the Senior High School (also called Junior College in some colleges or universities) are sufficient to deliver what is called General Education defined by the proposed law as the “component of the curriculum oriented towards  broad or wide-ranging understandings and exposes students to various domains of knowledge and ways of comprehending social and natural realities, developing in the process intellectual capacities such as critical, analytical and creative thinking, and  multiple forms of expression, and civic capacities demanded of membership in the community, country, and the world. 

            The proposed law is meant to shorten the time needed for graduates of the basic education program (K to 12) to qualify for a specific profession or knowledge-intensive occupation, such as law, medicine, teaching, social or physical scientist, economist, etc. (as distinguished from occupations that require a greater amount of manual skills or dexterity such as farming, fishing, carpentry, plumbing, etc. which are sometimes called “vocational courses.”).  There is an explicit provision removing General Education Courses in the College Curriculum, mandating that general education courses shall not be required for the completion of the requirements of any bachelor’s degree in higher education institutions.  It is assumed that all requisite general education courses, including those in communication, humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, and mathematics can be integrated and completed within the Senior High School (SHS) Program under the K to 12 Basic Education Curriculum.

            As a college educator for more than 60 years (Harvard University, De La Salle University, University of the Philippines and the University of Asia and the Pacific), I beg to disagree that all the general or liberal arts education courses needed for a thorough preparation for knowledge-intensive professions can be completed for the average student during the SHS years.  Some of the liberalizing subjects like Philosophy, Literature, Social Sciences, Mathematics, the Physical Sciences must be offered at a higher level of knowledge at the college level if we are to have world-class medical doctors, lawyers, economists, social and physical scientists, management practitioners, engineers, etc.  I contend that at the average teenage years of 16 to 18, when students are enrolled in the SHS level, they are not sufficiently mature both emotionally and intellectually to fully benefit from the liberal arts subjects.  The liberal arts exposure that students get in the K to 12 curriculum merely give them the intellectual foundation for life-long learning but are not sufficient to prepare them for the knowledge-intensive professions, especially as the Philippines is increasingly exposed to what is called the Industrial Revolution 4.0 (Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, Internet of Things, Data Science, etc.)

            To understand this point better, let me describe more fully the objectives of a Liberal Arts, General Education, or Humanities program.  Turning to ChatGPT, we get the following AI overview of what a liberal arts education offers. The Liberal Arts originally included the seven classical subjects divided into two groups:  Trivium (grammar, rhetoric and logic) and Quadrivium (arithmetic, geometry, music and astronomy).  Today liberal arts typically include a wide range of subjects in the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences and sometimes the arts, such as literature, philosophy, history, psychology, and sociology.

         The Liberal Arts promotes the development of critical thinking, communication and problem-solving skills.  It also fosters adaptability, lifelong learning, and a broad understanding of various subjects, making graduates well-rounded individuals prepared for diverse careers and future challenges.  Liberal arts education emphasizes analytical and critical thinking, encouraging students to evaluate information, form seasoned arguments, and solve complex problems.  This is achieved through a curriculum that often involves interdisciplinary approaches, where students are exposed to diverse perspectives and encouraged to connect different fields of study.  We can refer to this as multi-disciplinary thinking, which is especially critical to medical practitioners, economists, other social scientists, top executives in business, physical scientists, etc.

            Also very important for knowledge-based professionals (not as necessary for technical workers) are strong communication skills.  Liberal arts programs typically focus on developing both written and oral communication skills, which are crucial for success in professional or knowledge-intensive work.  Students learn to articulate their ideas clearly and persuasively, whether through essays, presentations, or discussions.  A liberal arts education equips student tha broad  skillset applicable to various career paths.  Those who are exposed to the liberal arts are generally more adaptable to changing job markets (especially in our digital age) and can readily acquire new knowledge and skills throughout their lives.

            A liberal arts education goes beyond just preparing people for remunerative jobs.  It cultivates a deeper appreciation for the humanities, arts and culture, making graduates more well-rounded individuals.  It also provides a strong foundation for personal growth in values and virtues.  Liberal arts education also fosters a sense of social responsibility and encourages students to become informed and engaged citizens of their respective countries.  At the global level, it promotes understanding of diverse cultures, perspectives, and ethical issues, enabling the students to contribute meaningfully to society.

            Clearly, all these potential benefits to the students can hardly be reaped if general or liberal art education is not continued during the first two years of college, as the future knowledge worker or professional matures emotionally and intellectually beyond his teenage years.  Offering liberal arts subjects in the college curriculum does not involve duplication.  Rather it is a deepening of knowledge and experience in such subjects as Philosophy, Literature, and the Social Sciences.  Having taught Economics at the high school level as well as part of the liberal arts program in college  (at Harvard, DLSU and UP), I can attest to the fact that there was no duplication of educational  effort.  I can say the same thing about the teaching of Math.  While Linear Algebra and Calculus can hardly be included in the typical SHS curriculum, I am strongly convinced that these subjects are indispensable in a general education program for every college student, whatever profession he or she will choose to follow.  I cannot think of any knowledge-intensive profession that will not require a minimum understanding of derivatives and integrals as studied in Calculus, especially as AI increasingly encroaches in every profession and even in technical occupations.  To be continued.