Moving GE subjects to high school proposed

MANILA, Philippines — Teaching general education (GE) subjects in senior high school instead of in the first two years of college can be a better way of developing critical thinking among Filipinos, according to Trade Secretary Alfredo Pascual.

“GE subjects are very important in developing a mindset of critical thinking. And mindset is primary over skills and knowledge. Mindset involves a set of beliefs provided by GE subjects that orient us in the way we handle problems and situations,” Pascual, a former president of the University of the Philippines, said in a statement Friday.

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) heads a 10-agency group called the Philippine Skills Framework (PSF) Council tasked to facilitate human capital development and equip workers with new digital skills.

“GE should be taken up in Grades 11 and 12 as senior high school students number at least three times that of college students. We will develop more critical thinking in more Filipinos if GE subjects are taken up in senior high school than in college,” he said.

GE subjects include Arts and Humanities, English Language and Literature, History, Mathematics and Science and Social Sciences.

Pascual said his proposal, if adopted, would make college years shorter.

“I am not for abolishing the GE subjects in college. I am for moving them to senior high school,” he stressed.

Pascual said removing GE subjects from the college curricula would also allow for the introduction of specific GE subjects in specific courses.

“For example, engineering students need a set of social science subjects specific to engineers. Future engineers would benefit from subjects such as the philosophy behind buildings and bridges,” the trade chief explained.

Pascual said this would not be too different from the college curriculum before K-12 was adopted.

“The ages of those who are taking Grades 11 and 12 are the same as the college freshmen and sophomores before the K-12 system was introduced,” he said.

The PSF Council also includes the Technical Education Skills Development Authority, Department of Labor and Employment, Professional Regulation Commission, Department of Education, Commission on Higher Education, Department of Agriculture, Department of Information and Communication Technology, Department of Science and Technology and the Department of Tourism.

In cooperation with concerned industry associations and other partners from the private sector, the PSF Council assists higher education and training institutions in revising existing curricula or designing new courses that are more relevant and responsive to current industry needs and emerging market demands.

Apart from moving the GE subjects to senior high school, Pascual also stressed earlier the need for companies to review their hiring qualifications so they can accept K-12 graduates.

“If you look at it, the job descriptions today almost all require a college degree. That should be changed because we have K-12 now,” he said.

Pascual emphasized that the purpose of the K-12 program was to produce holistic Filipinos.

“This means when you graduate, assuming that the K-12 is implemented properly, you can start working. You don’t need to go to college,” Pascual said in Filipino.

He, however, pointed out that the mindset of people today is that students won’t be fully prepared for work if he or she does not have a college degree. He called such mindset erroneous.

Pascual emphasized that there might be a need for a review of the education system to ensure an effective K-12 program.