CHED defers reframed GE curriculum to 2028

MANILA, Philippines —  The implementation of the proposed reframed General Education (GE) curriculum would be suspended for Academic Year 2026-2027, Commission on Higher Education (CHED) Chairperson Shirley Agrupis announced last night.

Agrupis said CHED is now targeting the implementation of the reframed GE curriculum in 2028 to allow further review and consultations with stakeholders.

“We just had a meeting, an inter-agency meeting composed of Department of Education (DepEd), Teacher Education Council (TED), Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM2) and of course CHED really presented the collective manifestations from the different sectors and we came to a decision that there will be no reframed GE implementation across all programs this school year,” Agrupis said.

The proposed overhaul seeks to reduce GE units from 36 to 18, a move strongly opposed by academic groups and educators who warned it could lead to the removal or dilution of Humanities and Social Science disciplines, large-scale labor displacement and the weakening of critical and holistic education.

Agrupis said the suspension would give CHED and other agencies time to study the concerns raised by stakeholders, adding that even teacher education programs would not undergo pilot testing this year.

“This is to give us time, especially the technical panel and the Department of Education, to analyze and study the different manifestations well because we understand where they are coming from and even in teacher education, there will be no pilot testing of this reframed curriculum,” she added.

CHED, according to Agrupis, intends to continue consultations before implementing the revised curriculum.

“The target of this will be in 2028 so that this will give us time to study and then listen more from the different stakeholders,” Agrupis added.

The announcement came amid mounting opposition from academic organizations, faculty unions and education stakeholders.

On Tuesday, Agrupis held a dialogue with the General Education Movement (GEM) and other stakeholders.

Representatives from academic organizations and faculty unions reiterated their opposition to the reduction of GE units to 18, the removal and dilution of Humanities and Social Science disciplines, the threat of large-scale labor displacement, and the absence of genuine democratic consultation in the drafting process.

“CHED continues to frame the issue as a matter of technical adjustments and consultation management, when the real issue is the neoliberal restructuring of higher education, threats to the livelihood of tens of thousands of educators, and the systematic weakening of critical, nationalist, and humanistic education,” GEM initiator professor Jonathan Geronimo said.

He added that the proposed GE cuts cannot be separated from the broader commercialization and marketization of Philippine education, where universities are increasingly pressured to prioritize labor-market adaptability, cost-efficiency, and corporate demands over critical inquiry and public service.

“The reduction of GE is part of a wider effort to narrow education into technical training for market needs while marginalizing disciplines that cultivate historical consciousness, ethical reasoning, and critical social analysis,” Geronimo added.

Leaders and representatives from Tanggol Wika likewise joined the protest action and dialogue with CHED officials, reiterating their long-standing call for the revival of Filipino and Panitikan core courses in higher education.

The group said these subjects are essential not only in cultivating nationalism and social consciousness, but also in strengthening students’ communication, reading comprehension, and critical thinking skills.

Despite CHED’s refusal to provide firm commitments, Geronimo said the organizations considered the dialogue an important gain resulting from the growing nationwide opposition to the GE overhaul.

Still, Geronimo warned that consultations without concrete commitments would not address the fundamental issues raised by educators and students.

“We welcome any reopening of discussion, but consultation alone is not enough… As long as CHED refuses to abandon the framework of GE reduction and market-oriented restructuring, educators and students will continue to organize and broaden the struggle for nationalist, scientific, and mass-oriented education,” he noted.

Educators, students, academic workers and concerned citizens are set to gather at the Philippine Normal University on May 16 for a forum-assembly aimed at discussing the next phase of nationwide campaigns and coordinated actions against the proposed GE overhaul, GEM convenors announced.