Status of Filipino in the General Education Curriculum discussed in open forum

The Filipino Department held its annual open forum last July 12 entitled “Seryeng Panayam” at Room 508 and 509 of the Yuchengco Hall. The open forum recognized faculty members and writers who value Filipino education, culture, history, and language in their literary and scholarly works.

Filipino Department Chairperson Dr. Ernesto Carandang led the opening remarks. He said that it was the first time this year that renowned Filipino writers like Efren Abueg, Rogelio Ordonez, and Rogelio Mangahas were invited to the event to be recognized for their invaluable contributions to Filipino literature. The three authored “Mga Agos sa Disyerto”, a book that was written in response to the stagnation of Filipino literature back in the 1950s and 1960s.

A paper on the current status of Filipino as a subject and medium of instruction in the General Education Curriculum (GEC) was also presented. David Michael San Juan, author of the paper and Filipino Department professor, highlighted points on how the use of the Filipino language in the curriculum has developed since the 1900s. He added that reviewing past policies can be helpful in assessing and developing new guidelines for the curriculum.
For this year, a new GEC was developed by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) in line with the K-12 Basic Education Program. One of the changes in the proposed curriculum includes the abolition of Filipino as a subject and medium of instruction in colleges.

CHED proposed the new GEC so that education in the country would become at par with global standards, however, one of San Juan’s arguments is that the curricula thought in foreign countries such as Harvard University in the United States still include local literature. He pointed out that the Philippines’ GEC wouldn’t be any closer to global standards if it were to remove subjects on Filipino literature.

Currently, several Filipino advocates and civil groups are holding consultations with CHED with regard to retaining Filipino as a subject and medium of instruction in the GEC. Some of these groups include Tanggol Wika and the Act Teachers Party-List.