09/05/2026
OFFICIAL STATEMENT
PUP College of Social Sciences and Development on the Proposed Reframed General Education Curriculum of CHED
The College of Social Sciences and Development (CSSD) expresses its serious concern regarding the Commission on Higher Education’s (CHED) proposed “Reframed General Education Curriculum,” particularly the removal of Understanding the Self and The Contemporary World as core General Education (GE) courses, alongside the integration of Heyograpiya at Kasaysayan ng Pilipinas and Buhay, Mga Gawain at Sinulat ni Rizal in the GE curriculum.
The College affirms the importance of strengthening Philippine-centered education through the inclusion and retention of Philippine History and Rizal Studies. At a time marked by historical distortion, disinformation, and weakening civic engagement, these courses remain essential in cultivating historical consciousness, nationalism, democratic participation, and critical citizenship among Filipino students. As emphasized by the Department of History and Philippine Studies, education must not merely produce technically skilled graduates, but citizens capable of critically engaging with the social realities of the nation.
The College strongly opposes the removal of Understanding the Self and The Contemporary World, as both courses remain indispensable to holistic, critical, and human-centered higher education.
Understanding the Self is a foundational course that develops self-awareness, psychosocial understanding, ethical reflection, emotional resilience, and mental health literacy among students. The Department of Psychology emphasizes that its removal would weaken the developmental and humanizing functions of higher education, especially in the context of increasing mental health concerns among Filipino youth. Beyond employability, universities must continue to form reflective, emotionally grounded, and socially responsible individuals.
Likewise, The Contemporary World remains essential in enabling students to critically understand globalization, digital transformation, migration, climate change, geopolitical conflicts, economic inequalities, and other contemporary global realities that directly shape Philippine society. In an era of misinformation, rapid technological change, and global interconnectedness, students must be equipped not only with historical consciousness but also with global awareness and critical literacy.
The College believes that General Education must remain holistic and interdisciplinary. Philippine History, Rizal Studies, Understanding the Self, and The Contemporary World are not competing subjects; rather, they complement one another in forming graduates who are historically grounded, psychologically resilient, globally aware, and socially responsible.
The proposed reduction and restructuring of GE courses risk narrowing higher education into a primarily market-driven and utilitarian enterprise. Universities must remain spaces that cultivate critical thinking, ethical responsibility, democratic engagement, and social transformation.
In this regard, the College of Social Sciences and Development respectfully calls upon CHED to:
•Retain Understanding the Self and The Contemporary World as core General Education courses;
•Strengthen Philippine History and Rizal Studies within the GE curriculum;
•Conduct broader and more meaningful consultations with academic institutions and stakeholders; and
•Uphold a vision of education that remains human-centered, historically grounded, democratic, and socially responsive.
The College stands in solidarity with educators, students, and academic communities in defending a General Education curriculum that does not merely prepare students for employment, but also empowers them to critically understand themselves, the nation, and the world.
Para sa edukasyong makatao, makabayan, at mapagpalaya.
