Calling for comments

The Technical Panel on General Education (TPGE) of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) will conduct national consultations on its draft of a Revised General Education Curriculum (RGEC). These consultations will continue those done in 2009 with the other CHED Technical Panels, the PRC Boards of Examiners, and the professional organizations.

The draft is based on the reality that, on or before 2018, students applying to universities will have had 12 years of basic education, during which they would have had Algebra, Calculus, Inorganic Chemistry, Rizal, Philippine History, Physical Education, and other subjects now usually taught in college.

The draft also includes a provision that drastically changes the timing of subjects included in the GEC: “The RGEC consists of a minimum of 12 three-unit subjects required of all tertiary-level students, equivalent to one year of full-time study, taken over a baccalaureate program either all at once in one year or spread out over an entire course of studies at the discretion of the HEI.”

Note that the GE subjects need not be taught at the beginning of a college course (which is when they are usually taught today). The Technical Panels that require students to start major subjects immediately upon admission (such as Architecture) will now have space during freshman year.

Note also the change in the number of required units, which RGEC pegs at 36. The current GEC requires as many as 63 units (not counting PE). RGEC thus cuts the college years to three instead of four (two years GE plus two years of major subjects).

If we look at the entire education cycle, then, what used to take 14 years (10 years basic, four years tertiary) for many students now will take 15 (12 basic, 3 years tertiary); instead of adding two years to the cycle, DepEd’s K-12 and CHED’s RGEC add only one year for students working for a college diploma. Due to the Bologna Process and the Washington Accord, courses that need international recognition – engineering, accounting, nursing, architecture, medicine, and others – will need extra years of major subjects, but they will still save one year of GEC.

Expected to generate the most discussion are some specific provisions in the draft.

For example, the draft RGEC has this provision: “The RGEC of a Higher Education Institution (HEI) should be required of all students in that HEI, regardless of major.”

At present, there are several GECs. There is one (called GEC-A) that is used by students majoring in humanities, social sciences, or communication. There is another one (called GEC-B) that is used by students majoring in the sciences, engineering, and a few other majors. There is one used by nursing students, one by education students, and so on. In other words, in reality, there is no General Education Curriculum, because many Technical Panels impose their own GE subjects. In fact, when Quality Assurance Teams (QATs) visit schools to see if certain major courses may be permitted to open, the GEC (in whatever version) is often overlooked. (This is the reason I always volunteer to accompany QATs in visits to NCR schools.)

There has, of course, to be a balance. We cannot expect students majoring in Mathematics to be in the same classroom in Algebra as students majoring in English. They have vastly different aptitudes and needs. On the other hand, an English major cannot be said to be educated without knowing how to solve a simple linear equation in one unknown.

Similarly, we cannot expect students majoring in physics to be as adept as literature majors in unlocking the meanings of a poem. On the other hand, a physics major who cannot appreciate the intricacies of a metaphor will not completely understand Einstein’s thought experiments nor his attitude towards quantum mechanics.

To ensure that students, no matter what their majors, will get the same general education, the TPGE named the required courses in a deliberately broad, non-prescriptive way.

Here are the provisions on the courses to be offered as part of RGEC:

“The RGEC will include five required Core Courses from the areas of Applied Mathematics, Contemporary History, Creative Communication, Environmental Science, and Ethics. These courses should be multi-disciplinary and interdisciplinary, with emphasis on developing the critical and creative capabilities of students.”

“The RGEC will include two required Integrating Courses, which will allow students to integrate their knowledge through rigorous, multi-disciplinary reflection on contemporary issues (such as Human Wealth Creation and Poverty Reduction, Paradigm Shifts of Thought and Behavior, The Entrepreneurial Mindset, and Alienation from Humanity), within classes composed of students majoring in different disciplines or pursuing different degrees.”

“The remaining five GE subjects should be electives that promote the core values of an HEI as articulated in its vision and mission. These electives should focus on generalized, interdisciplinary, and multidisciplinary issues. No GE subject should be limited to any specialized discipline.” (To be continued)

TEACHING TIP OF THE WEEK: Come on time. In China and many other Asian countries, classes begin and end exactly on time. In Germany and many other European countries, coming late is considered rude (and enough reason to fire the teacher!). If we are going to make our students global citizens, we should stop using “Filipino time” (which means being late). There is just no excuse whatsoever for a teacher coming late to class. –Isagani Cruz (The Philippine Star)