By SHIANEE MAMANGLU

Starting this school year, engineering, architecture, nursing and accounting courses will be offered as five-year degree programs, Chairman Emmanuel Angeles of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) said yesterday.

Angeles said the development is part of the recommendations of the Presidential Task Force for Education (PTFE), which President Arroyo has approved to improve the Philippine education system.

PTFE’s final recommendations, which were submitted to the President last Dec. 9, also proposed the adoption of the "10+2+3’’ formula in reforming the country’s education system. This formula requires 10 years for elementary and secondary education, two years for preuniversity studies and three years for baccalaureate studies.

Asked why the PTFE focused on the four courses, Angeles said the PTFE wanted to formalize the prevailing situation "because said courses are already informally offered as a five-year program.’’

According to him, completing the course under the revised curriculum would be cheaper contrary to belief that the additional one year would entail additional expense for the parents.

He said that students will have more time to study under the new curriculum.

Citing the nursing course as an example, Angeles said students are still required to take three summers to complete the course, which is a lot more expensive than completing a five-year program.

On the adoption of the 10+2+3 formula, the CHED chief expressed belief that graduates under the new system would be globally competitive and internationally acknowledged.

"Gusto nating kilalanin ang ating mga graduates sa international arena bilang mga propesyunal," he said, lamenting that under the current system many Filipino engineering graduates are considered as technicians when they apply for overseas employment.

Angeles, the vice chairman of the PTFE, said that the PTFE 21-page report that was forwarded to Malacanang last year called for urgent reforms of the country’s educational system to keep up with international standards.

"The Philippines is one of only two countries that has a 10-year of basic education system. The other country is Botswana. In other countries, their basic education lasts 12 years," he said.

Angeles said a twoyear pre-university or prespecialization under a "polytechnic system" at the college level will also start.

This would mean that for two years, students would be provided skills which could immediately land them jobs should they choose not to pursue college education, he said.

Some sectors gave mixed reaction on the impending implementation of the five-year curriculum program for nursing and three other courses.

"Ang accounting, engineering and architecture ay matagal ng offered as a five year course. I think the CHEd chairman is misinformed. The new curriculum should only apply to nursing since it is only offered as a four-year program,’’ said Azshel Flor, a parent and a teacher from Quezon City.

He, however, believes that the additional one year for nursing will help minimize the financial burden of parents.

"Sa palagay ko, kahit parang mukhang dagdag ito sa gastos, malaking bagay kung mawawala na yung three summers sa nursing,’’ he said.

In view of the global economic crisis, some educators said that the implementation of a five-year curriculum should be lengthily discussed with parents and the students since they are the most affected by the changes.