Former Defense Secretary and senatorial candidate Gilbert (GIBO) Teodoro wants state universities and colleges (SUCs) to strengthen their partnership with international educational institutions to expand exchange program opportunities for students. This he said in an interview on the Education Radio program on DZRJ 810AM.

“It is important for our SUCs to partner with educational institutions around the world, especially for gap year program offerings,” Gibo Teodoro said. “A gap year abroad is a good experience for our students for them to acquire skills and for their development.”

Gibo Teodoro, the 1989 Bar top-notcher, said that taking a gap year abroad will help students to have a global mindset that could be an advantage when they join the workforce.

A gap year is a semester or full year of experiential learning typically taken between high school graduation and college enrollment. Gap years give students a pause from academics to figure out further education and the career they wish to seek.

The former Tarlac congressman added that basic language skills should be brought back into the college curriculum to expand the linguistics skills of students and prepare them for global opportunities.

“As we promote our country as a destination for tourists and multinational companies, it is strategic that we prepare our students to think global by exposing them to international exchange programs,” Gibo Teodoro added.