Higher education reform package clears second reading

The House of Representatives approved a comprehensive package of higher education reforms on second reading Tuesday, signaling a major shift in the governance and curriculum of state universities and colleges nationwide.

Representative Jude Acidre, chairperson of the House Committee on Higher and Technical Education and a TINGOG Partylist representative, presented the measures in plenary. He described the package as a structural response to institutional constraints that have hindered the global competitiveness of the Philippine education system.

“As our economy becomes more complex and more competitive, our higher education system cannot remain static,” Acidre said. “We must remove outdated constraints, strengthen institutional leadership, and ensure that what we teach responds to the realities our students will face.”

A centerpiece of the reform is House Bill No. 5019, which seeks to allow the appointment of faculty, researchers and administrators with dual citizenship to public higher education institutions.