House opposition seeks probe into proposed removal of GE subjects

Opposition lawmakers in the House of Representatives have called for a congressional inquiry into the Commission on Higher Education (CHED)’s proposed Reframed General Education (GE) Curriculum Component, which would remove half of the existing GE subjects, including Philippine History, Art Appreciation, Mathematics, and Science and Technology.

House Deputy Minority Leader and ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. Antonio Tinio, Gabriela Party-list Rep. Sarah Elago, and Kabataan Party-list Rep. Renee Co made the call through House Resolution No. 999, saying CHED’s proposal would erase vital subjects that foster critical thinking, historical consciousness, and social responsibility.

“Now, therefore, be it resolved, that the House of Representatives call for an urgent investigation, in aid of legislation, into CHED’s proposed Reframed General Education Curriculum Component for higher education,” the resolution read.

In the resolution, the lawmakers questioned how the proposed curriculum framework supposedly prioritizes market demands over holistic education, which they said reflects CHED’s alleged failure to adequately consult stakeholders.

“It is a market-driven and job-centric framework and shows CHED's lack of study and genuine consultation with affected stakeholders, including teachers and students,” the resolution read.

“It appears that the CHED views higher education as a tool to manufacture a workforce tailored to a market that demands ‘digital literacy,’ ‘entrepreneurial competencies,’ and ‘global citizenship,’ while sacrificing critical thinking, historical understanding, ethical reasoning, and appreciation of culture,” it added.

The lawmakers also warned that the proposal could adversely affect faculty members, particularly those teaching humanities courses.

“Cutting GE in half and removing standalone humanities courses as mandated subjects will inevitably shrink departments, reduce teaching loads, and threaten the job security of teachers, especially in private universities where employment is directly tied to units and assigned teaching loads,” they said.

CHED’s proposed higher education curriculum sets a national minimum of 18 GE units for all higher educational institutions (HEIs), except for autonomous HEIs, which would be allowed to expand their required GE units to a maximum of 36.

The proposed core and mandated GE courses include:

• Professional Communication
• Global Trends and Emerging Technologies
• Data, Evidence, and Ethics in a Knowledge Society
• Rizal and Philippine Studies
• Labor Education

Meanwhile, the inclusion of constitutionally mandated GE courses would depend on the particular HEI, but these must be “identity-driven, cross-program, [and] non-specialized.”

“The compression of several disciplines in the guise of ‘interdisciplinarity’ and addressing alleged redundancies with the basic education curriculum and with professional education and specialization courses will necessarily result in the removal of subjects and displacement of faculty,” the resolution said.

The lawmakers also said the proposed overhaul failed to provide clear safeguards for teachers’ employment and did not specify funding for retraining and transition support.

“This will necessarily lead to a repeat of the experience during the K to 12 rollout, where schools and teachers were left to their own devices, as mere collateral damage of ‘reform,’ amid the massive displacement of faculty and reduction of workloads,” the resolution read.

In an interview on "Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon," Edizon Fermin, chairperson of the Technical Panel for CHEd General Education, said the agency continues to receive comments, recommendations, and other inputs from stakeholders in the higher education sector regarding the proposal.

“Sa kasalukuyan ay patuloy na tumatanggap ang ating Commission on Higher Education ng mga karagdagang puna, mungkahi, at iba pang mga kaisipan mula sa ating mga kasamahan sa sektor ng higher education hinggil dito sa panukala," Fermin said.

(At present, the Commission on Higher Education continues to receive additional comments, suggestions, and other ideas from our colleagues in the higher education sector regarding this proposal.)

"Uulitin ko, ito ay nananatiling panukala. Hindi maaaring ipatupad ng CHED ang isang direksyon sa patakaran sa higher education nang hindi natatapos ang mga malawakang konsultasyon. Nilinaw po natin ito sa nagdaang public hearing,” he added.

(I repeat, this remains a proposal. CHED cannot implement a policy direction in higher education without completing extensive consultations. We clarified this during the recent public hearing.)—MCG, GMA News