Educators, students gather amid ongoing threats to GE

MANILA, Philippines — Educators, students, education workers and advocates renewed their calls to defend nationalist education amid ongoing threats to General Education (GE) in the country as they gathered last Friday at the Palma Hall AS steps of the University of the Philippines Diliman to commemorate the 165th birth anniversary of Jose Rizal.

The General Education Movement (GEM) and the UP Departamento ng Filipino at Panitikan ng Pilipinas said educators and students continue to oppose the proposed Reframed General Education Curriculum Component (RGECC), which seeks to significantly reduce GE units and further marginalize Humanities and Social Science disciplines in higher education.

According to the group, the proposed GE cuts represent the latest stage in a broader trend of narrowing education based on market demands and labor requirements.

“At a time when disinformation, historical distortion, social inequality and democratic challenges persist, the country needs a strengthened General Education, not less. The weakening of Humanities and Social Sciences undermines the capacity of students to understand society, engage in public life and participate meaningfully in nation-building,” the group added.

The protesters said the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) should totally junk the proposed RGECC and restore and strengthen disciplines in the current GE framework that promote historical and civic understanding, and ensure that no educators lose their jobs as a result of curriculum changes.

Shirley Agrupis, CHED Chairperson, has announced that the implementation of the proposed reframed GE curriculum would be suspended for Academic Year 2026-2027, adding that CHED is now targeting the implementation of the reframed GE curriculum in 2028 to allow further review and consultations with stakeholders.