Senate working groups to discuss 12-year basic ed plan

The Senate will organize technical working groups (TWG) to study the proposal to add two years to the current 10-year basic education system in the country, Senator Edgardo Angara said on Thursday. Angara said he will call for a wider consultation on the 12-year basic education proposal, which he hopes to include the government, academe, parents, teachers, students, and other stakeholders. "We want to get the discussions as wide and far-reaching as possible so that we can hear different points of view," said the senator, who heads the Senate committee on education, arts, and culture. Based on the recommendation of Senator Franklin Drilon, the TWGs are also expected to study another proposal, this time to change the opening of classes from June to September, Angara said. "Our school opening falls on the peak of the rainy season, and we know the great difficulty our students go through to get to school. It is an issue of safety and practicality. We need to get as much technical knowledge on the issue," Drilon said in a statement. Angara is the author of the Free High School Act and the laws creating the Commission on Higher Education and the Technical Education Skills Development Authority.—Kimberly Jane T. Tan/JV, GMANews.TV