Advocates back CHED’s reframed GE curriculum suspension
The General Education Movement (GEM) on Thursday backed the suspension of the proposed Reframed General Education Curriculum Component (RGECC) for Academic Year 2026-2027, following backlash from universities, groups, and other education stakeholders.
“This is a clear victory for our protests and engagement with CHED (Commission on Higher Education),” GEM Initiator and Tanggol Wika Convenor Jonathan V. Geronimo told BusinessWorld in Filipino in a Facebook message on Thursday.
“Education stakeholders remain determined to continue the campaign to ensure the kind of alternative GE (General Education) we are pushing for – holistic, humane, and patriotic,” he added.
With the suspension of the proposed curriculum, Mr. Geronimo noted that genuine consultations must be conducted with the involved sectors and stakeholders.
“We hope that this is not just a delaying tactic on the side of CHED, but a fulfillment of its commitment to listen to the affected sectors they should consult with,” he said in Filipino.
“Use this period to conduct a more comprehensive consultative assembly nationwide, instead of shortcut consultations through social media or surveys,” he added.
The group also proposed changing the GE technical panel and including people who “truly understand the essence of GE” beyond the frameworks of a “job-centric” and “market-driven” education.
“We envision a GE that does not serve the interest of foreign entities and big business,” Mr. Geronimo said. “We will continue to remain vigilant, sustain engagement with CHED, and above all, strengthen our sector.”
Other demands from the group include the prohibition of all forms of labor displacement arising from GE revisions and representation of rank-and-file teachers and academic labor unions in major education policymaking bodies.
CHED Chairperson Shirley C. Agrupis announced on Wednesday that the deferment of the RGECC implementation to 2028 allows the agency to “analyze and study the different manifestations well.”
“We will put finality in the many, many doubts and questions from our stakeholders,” she told reporters in a press briefing. “This will give us time to study and listen more to the different stakeholders.”
The proposed reform aims to cut the minimum GE units from 36 to 18, removing ethics as a stand-alone subject, and merging the Philippine history with the Rizal course, among others.
Previously, CHED had trimmed down GE units from 60 to 36 units, moving some subjects to the senior high school curriculum. — Almira Louise S. Martinez
