Biotechnology institutionalized as a general education course

Local colleges and universities will soon offer biotechnology courses in a move to promote safety of transgenic crops and boost biotechnology education and public awareness in the country.
“The sustained campaign to inform the public about biotechnology has been a big challenge for us. The integration of the biotechnology course in college curriculum, hopefully, will help sustain our efforts in educating the people about biotechnology,” said Segfredo R. Serrano, undersecretary for policy and planning and chair of the Department of Agriculture’s biotechnology program steering committee.
The DA biotechnology program, in cooperation with the University of the Philippines-National Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (NIMBB) and the Commission on Higher Education, developed the General Education Biotechnology Course Syllabus: “Instituting a General Education Biotechnology Course in Philippine State Universities and Colleges.”
Biotechnology courses cover a variety of topics from the history of traditional and modern biotechnology, the use of biotechnology for health, environment, industry, legal battles and ethical issues.
The integration of biotechnology course in college curriculum is also seen as a tool to transform biotechnology education into something that will be more beneficial to the people.
“Instituting it in colleges will greatly improve awareness of biotechnology,” Dr. Cynthia R. Hedreyda, director of the NIMBB, said.
She cited that biotechnology education in the country is disorganized, disseminated primarily through workshops and symposia conducted by scientists, people from the academe, and government agencies like the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Science and Technology (DOST).
These attempts are, however, not sufficient to make knowledge of benefits derived from products of the new technology, particularly the agricultural products of modern biotechnology.
At present, only UP-Diliman and UP-Mindanao have instituted biotechnology as a general education course. Since the course was offered in 2004, the interest of students was heightened.
The course syllabus was completed with the contribution of the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications (ISAAA), the Biotechnology Coalition of the Philippines, SEARCA Biotechnology Information Center, the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), University of the Philippines–Diliman, and the 16 SUC collaborators.
“One of the many initiatives that we are undertaking to vigorously promote the safe and responsible use of biotechnology is its inclusion in the college curriculum, initially in 16 selected State Universities and Colleges,” Agriculture Secretary Arthur C. Yap said.
“Our aim is to equip Filipino teachers, students and other interested individuals with the basic knowledge, and enable them to make informed decisions on biotechnology products and latest breakthroughs and developments, and related issues on human health, and the environment, and ethical concerns,” he added
“Further, through this initiative, we hope to encourage more Filipino youth to pursue a career in the field of biotechnology, either as researchers and scientists or entrepreneurs,” the DA chief said.