More groups buck reframed GE curriculum

MANILA, Philippines — Various academic groups and universities expressed opposition yesterday to the Commission on Higher Education (CHED)’s plan to reduce General Education units from 36 to 18, warning that the proposal could weaken critical and humanistic education in the country.

In a joint statement, Tanggol Wika, Pambansang Samahan para sa Linggwistika at Literaturang Filipino, Tanggol Kasaysayan, People’s Education Commission, Kilos na para sa Makabayang Edukasyon, Association of Faculty and Educators of De La Salle University, Centro Escolar University Faculty and Allied Workers Union, University of Santo Tomas Faculty Union, Far Eastern University Faculty Association, All University of the Philippines Academic Employees Union and the UP System Office of the Faculty Regent argued that the proposed reframed GE curriculum would transform universities into training grounds for market-adaptable labor instead of spaces for critical inquiry, democratic reflection and holistic human development.

Under the proposal, the 18 units include 15 units of core/mandated GE and three units of institutional GE. Standalone courses in philosophy, ethics, literature, art appreciation and Philippine history – classes in the current curriculum – no longer appear as required subjects.

Instead, the five core GE courses would be professional communication, global trends and emerging technologies, data evidence and ethics in a knowledge society, Rizal and Philippine studies and labor education.

The groups opposed the removal of the said disciplines as “they cultivate historical consciousness, ethical reasoning, critical thinking and social analysis,” stressing that “these subjects are among the few remaining spaces in the university where students are taught to interrogate social realities, understand historical processes and examine the structures of power shaping their lives.”

Echoing these groups, the UPLB Standing Committee on National Issues, Promotion and Protection of Academic Freedom and Human Rights also expressed “deep concern” over CHED’s plan to reframe the GE curriculum.

“While technical proficiency is a necessity, a curriculum reduced to utilitarian outcomes threatens to produce graduates who are adept at sustaining existing systems but insufficiently equipped to examine them. At UPLB, we believe that education must not be a mere instrument of the market; it must be a catalyst for the conscience,” the committee said.

“These disciplines provide the discernment necessary for responsible citizenship, enabling our students to move beyond compliance toward participation and from participation toward systemic transformation. The challenge before us is to ensure a principled balance. A truly responsive GE framework must seamlessly integrate contemporary technical competencies with the enduring depth of humanistic inquiry,” it added.

According to the groups, the proposed reforms reflect the broader commercialization and marketization of Philippine education, warning that CHED’s direction could have serious consequences for Philippine society.

“At a time marked by disinformation, widening inequality, militarization, imperialist aggression, genocide and ecological collapse, the weakening of Humanities and Social Sciences undermines the very capacities necessary for meaningful civic participation and social understanding. A society may produce technically skilled workers yet remain impoverished in historical memory, ethical judgment and democratic consciousness,” the statement read.