Education stakeholders buck CHED proposal to cut GE units

A group of education stakeholders, including members of the academe, writers, and artists, has opposed the Commission on Higher Education’s (CHED) proposal to reduce general education (GE) units in college, warning that the move could weaken the country’s education system and threaten thousands of teaching jobs.

In a petition shared by the Alliance of Concerned Teachers-Philippines, the stakeholders urged CHED to withdraw the proposed “Reframed General Education Curriculum Component” (RGECC) and instead hold “meaningful discussions” toward crafting a curriculum responsive to the country’s needs.

The petition has already gathered around 1,000 signatories.

The group criticized the proposal to cut GE units from 36 to 18, calling it “simply unacceptable,” especially after Senior High School core subjects were earlier reduced from 15 to five.

They argued that the RGECC departs from the classical liberal education tradition that provides students with a common intellectual foundation needed to participate in democratic discourse and public life.

The stakeholders also questioned what they described as the proposal’s “market-driven” and “job-centric” framework, saying it treats higher education institutions (HEIs) as producers of employable workers rather than institutions that develop socially conscious citizens.

They further disputed CHED’s claim that there are “curriculum redundancies” between Senior High School and college GE courses, saying this has been used to justify further cuts in college GE subjects.

The group said no revisions to the GE curriculum should proceed without first conducting a formal assessment of the current curriculum implemented under CHED Memorandum Order No. 20, Series of 2014.

The petition also called for greater emphasis on humanistic education over artificial intelligence and technology-centered approaches.

The stakeholders warned that reducing GE subjects could further weaken educational quality, citing recent National Achievement Test results that allegedly show many Senior High School graduates entering college without adequate readiness.

They also opposed proposals to merge content-heavy subjects such as Rizal’s Life and Works and Philippine Studies, saying such combinations “won’t work.”

The group raised concerns over the proposal’s possible labor impact, estimating that 60,000 to 90,000 faculty members could be affected through displacement, reduced teaching loads, and salary cuts.

While they welcomed the inclusion of Labor Education as a mandatory subject, they said the proposed course remains too focused on employment concerns and falls short of genuine labor education centered on workers’ rights, unionization, and social justice.

The stakeholders also accused CHED of “over-regulation” that could undermine academic freedom, innovation, and creativity in HEI course offerings.

During a Senate hearing on May 5, CHED officials defended the proposed revisions, saying they are intended to modernize and streamline general education rather than remove essential competencies.

Edizon Fermin, chair of CHED’s Technical Panel for General Education, said the commission is shifting away from “stand-alone subjects” toward broader learning outcomes and interdisciplinary instruction.

“We’re not operating in this context on stand-alone subjects because we’re working on outcomes,” Fermin said.

Fermin added that ethics would become a “cross-cutting consideration” integrated across several GE subjects.

CHED Executive Director Cinderella Filipina Benitez-Jaro maintained that CHED has the constitutional and legal authority to set minimum standards for higher education institutions despite criticism that the proposal violates academic freedom.—MCG, GMA News