As part of efforts to entice the youth to become agriculturists, the University of the Philippines - Los Baños campus (UPLB) is set to offer free review classes for students taking the board exam for agriculturists.
UPLB has been chosen as among 16 state universities and colleges (SUCs) in the Philippines that will take part in the ExcelLEArate: A Review and Strategy Program to Empower Students for Licensure Examination for Agriculturists" of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED)
The program aims to increase the number of licensed agriculturists in the Philippines, according to CHED chairperson Prospero de Vera, Jr.
CHED has lamented the fact that only an average of 35.56 percent, or around a third, of test takers passed the board exam from 2019 to 2023.
“Students in these areas fail the licensure tests because there are no review schools in the area or they have to travel far to attend review classes,” de Vera noted.
“We will use the expertise of the UP Los Baños to conduct free licensure classes for our agriculture students who are preparing for the LEA (Licensure Examination for Agriculturists),” he added.
The review classes will start in June, four months before the Agriculturists Licensure Exam in October.
Agricultural studies and research have been a mainstay of the UPLB campus since it was founded in 1909 as the University of the Philippines College of Agriculture.
UPLB is also home to several international agricultural research institutes, including the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), ASEAN Center for Biodiversity, World Agroforestry Centre, and the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA).
Photo Courtesy: PhilStar Global
#WeTakeAStand #OpinYon #OpinYonNewa #SEARCA #ASEAN #CHED #UPLB #LEA #IRRI