July 12, 2024 - The University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) is now on its fourth week of offering free online review classes for aspiring agriculturists preparing for the upcoming Licensure Examination for Agriculture (LEA) this November.
The program, named "ExcelLEArate: A Review and Strategy Program to Empower Students for Licensure Examination for Agriculturists," involves at least 26 faculty members from UPLB, 72 facilitators, and 960 student-reviewers from participating universities and colleges.
This initiative stemmed from a memorandum of agreement signed in May by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), UP, and 15 State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) to boost student performance in the LEA. The national passing rate for the LEA in the past five years has been at a low 35.56%.
UPLB Chancellor Jose V. Camacho, Jr. sees this program as an opportunity to explore new methods of knowledge delivery. The structured review program covers all six subjects included in the LEA and is offered to students from 15 SUCs across the country.
CHED Chairman J. Prospero E. de Vera III emphasizes that this is just one of many programs aimed at assisting students from marginalized sectors. He estimates that students can save P10,000 to P20,000 on review classes. The program also aims to encourage more graduates to pursue careers in agriculture and fisheries.
Officials from the participating SUCs see the program as a valuable partnership that benefits the next generation of agriculturists. UP President Angelo A. Jimenez highlights UP's commitment to providing these low-cost and impactful interventions. He adds that the university plans to offer similar review classes for Forestry and Fisheries board examinations in the future.