MANILA — Opposition lawmakers in the House of Representatives are pushing for a congressional inquiry into the Commission on Higher Education (CHED)’s proposed Reframed General Education (GE) Curriculum Component, which seeks to reduce existing GE subjects by half, including Philippine History, Art Appreciation, Mathematics, and Science and Technology.

In a report, House Deputy Minority Leader Antonio Tinio, along with Gabriela Party-list Rep. Sarah Elago and Kabataan Party-list Rep. Renee Co, filed House Resolution No. 999 calling for an investigation in aid of legislation.

“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 stated.

The lawmakers said the proposed framework could remove essential subjects that develop critical thinking, historical awareness, and civic responsibility.

They also criticized the proposal as prioritizing labor market demands over holistic education.

“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.

The measure also warned that the restructuring could lead to job losses among faculty members, particularly in private universities where teaching loads are tied to employment.

“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,” the lawmakers said.

Under CHED’s proposal, higher education institutions would adopt a minimum of 18 GE units, except autonomous institutions, which may expand GE requirements up to 36 units.

The proposed core subjects include Professional Communication, Global Trends and Emerging Technologies, Data, Evidence, and Ethics in a Knowledge Society, Rizal and Philippine Studies, and Labor Education.

The lawmakers further warned that compressing disciplines under “interdisciplinarity” could result in faculty displacement and subject removal, saying safeguards for employment and retraining were not clearly outlined.

“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 stated.

Meanwhile, CHED Technical Panel for General Education chairperson Edizon Fermin said the agency is still receiving feedback from stakeholders and emphasized that the proposal is not yet final.

“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.

“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,” he added.