Senator Sherwin Gatchalian says that 99.5% of the world’s education systems have more than 10 years of basic education, emphasizing that reverting to a shorter cycle would isolate the Philippines from global education standards.

The senator’s office analyzed the theoretical duration of basic education in 214 countries and jurisdictions, based on UNESCO microdata. The analysis shows that 57 countries or almost 3 out of 10 (26.6%) have 13 years of basic education. Six out of 10 (63.1%) or 135 have 12 years of basic education. These countries include the United States, Japan, and South Korea.

Seven out of ten ASEAN countries, including Vietnam, Cambodia, and Myanmar also implement a 12-year basic education system. Only Singapore implements a 10-year cycle because its pre-tertiary sits outside the basic education system.

“Imbes na bumalik tayo sa sampung taon ng basic education, isinusulong nating iklian na lang ang taon sa kolehiyo,” added Gatchalian, who filed the Three-Year College Education (3CE) Act, which allows college degree programs to be completed in no more than three academic years.