Our elders have long said the same thing: today’s youth no longer have the “moral identity” they once had. From pagmamano, bayanihan, and pakikisama, to strong filial ties and pagkakaisa, they remind us of values that define what it means for us to be Filipino.
Until the government says you must operate the machines.
Last week, Department of Education (DepEd) Assistant Secretary Janir Datukan asserted in a house inquiry that the new senior high school (SHS) curriculum can “shorten” college by one semester by removing three General Education (GE) courses, including ethics, art appreciation, and contemporary world, along with the realigning of five others with the new SHS curriculum.
At face value, these initiatives are valid in principle—after all, our education system has been on a steady decline since the pandemic, and the SHS program has seen a wider disconnect with college competencies and employment opportunities. However, in the long run, the absence of GE courses in a professionally laden landscape will not only risk creating robotic, profit-driven individuals but also Filipinos detached from their roots, their agencies, and their national identity.
General Education courses, minor subjects as one might dismiss, are not burdens. Regardless of what career path one is taking, these courses enrich one’s idea of oneself in their personal journey. Art appreciation, for instance, isn’t just about styles and techniques; it’s about understanding creativity, expression, and the essence of art to our humanity. Learning The Contemporary World not only highlights trends but also encourages students to be aware of the complexities of the global community and promote meaningful changes. In addition, Ethics isn’t just rooted in Western thought; it helps students examine their beliefs, question the status quo, and work towards the greater good.
Treating these subjects as mere items to be cancelled in college or downloaded to SHS defeats the very purpose of GE: mobilizing the youth to become rational minds whose humanity and identity is just as crucial as their abilities.
Our national identity is at risk of becoming collateral damage in the nation’s aim of creating profit-driven individuals. When our education system only strives to focus on economic gain without regard for their personal actualization, students turn into tireless cogs and money-makers. The concepts of pagsasama and pagkakaisa turns to pagkamakasarili, all because they scramble to take what’s only available to them—not what they rightfully deserve.
Big corporations have thrived on this exploitative set-up. Workers who lack the personal agency and collective bases often fail to push back and fight against abuse. These leave them defenseless because, ultimately, the very identity they must hold on to was taken away by the very system that was supposed to educate and enlighten them about their worth. Thus, a false sense of resiliency emerges when they look forward to receiving their paycheck long before they question their self-worth.
This is where GE courses provide a better footing in these issues. Their aim is to help people understand themselves—their identity, roles, and rights—on a deeper level. They serve as a compass for rightful action, empowering us to challenge these abusive systems. And when they are rightfully educated, they unite against systemic abuse, fighting back to claim their rightful place, not as workers, but as citizens of a just society.
It is crucial to acknowledge that our personal and national identity is, and still, the hallmark of national progress.
While we acknowledge that our country still needs to catch up on literacy and functional aptitudes, as reported by the Philippine Statistics Authority in 2024, downgrading courses to SHS and cancelling others will never be the answer. It’s a band-aid solution applied to the wrong wound. If the SHS program needs fixing, let there be. However, when one system is required to adjust big-time, chances are it will lead to more harm than good to its entities.
Real solutions to literacy and comprehension must start at the grassroots level—that is, strengthening early childhood education, providing adequate and inclusive learning resources, and addressing teaching quality issues in both cities and provinces. Applying grand changes must be made with enough security from the bottom; failing to do so will only create economically-driven but culturally-hollow learners.
Thus, the Department of Education, the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), and the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM II) must work towards an education system that does not compromise the humanity of the youth. Consultations with private learning institutions, cultural advocates, and international benchmarks are crucial in crafting a curriculum that prepares students to become professionals with ethics, morals, and ideals, strengthening their identity all the more.
After all, Filipino students are not just machines to be calibrated for efficiency. They’re humans capable of thinking, feeling, and advancing. As educators, we must create a landscape conducive to becoming real-life advocates, not just workers. Their future must not be in factories, but rather in a society, imbued by transformative education, that values them for time to come.
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