Educators, students, and advocacy groups filed petitions on May 12 seeking to halt CHED's plan to reduce general education units from 36 to 18. The move comes amid concerns over teacher displacement and a market-driven shift in higher education.
Teachers, students, and advocacy groups filed petitions with the Commission on Higher Education on May 12 to scrap the proposed reframed general education curriculum. They submitted a consolidated petition with 13 demands and around 2,000 signatures, alongside separate position papers. The Alliance of Concerned Teachers highlighted issues including potential displacement of faculty and the market-oriented direction of the changes.
After the filing, 19 representatives met with CHED Chairperson Shirley Agrupis and other officials. Agrupis noted that at least 8,000 teachers could be affected based on data from over 200 higher education institutions. She stated that additional petitions would help finalize the curriculum but did not confirm if pilot testing for school year 2026-2027 would be suspended.
The proposal would cut GE units to 18 from the current 36 established under CHED Memorandum Order No. 20 in 2013 and implemented since 2018. A public hearing on the changes was held on May 5. ACT Teachers Representative Antonio Tinio also filed a House resolution calling for a congressional investigation.
