THE NEW curriculum issued by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) sparked debates among Loyola Schools (LS) faculty members and administrators during Faculty Day held on June 27.
In line with the Kindergarten to Grade 12 (K-12) program, CHED Memorandum Order (CMO)No. 20, series of 2013 reduces the General Education Curriculum (GEC) from 63 units for humanities and social sciences majors, and 51 units for mathematics, sciences and engineering majors, to 36 units for all students.
This entails the retrenchment of General Education courses being taught in universities and colleges, displacing higher education faculties to teach these courses to Grades 11 and 12 students instead.
The new GEC paves the way for more interdisciplinary courses to be taught in the tertiary level.
According to Appendix F of the CMO, the GEC will take effect “when the first batch of Grade 12 students graduate,” or earlier than 2018.
The Faculty Day is an annual forum that serves as an avenue for the discussion of the university’s progress and current developments.
It is also a platform for addressing the concerns of LS faculties and administrators on various academic issues. LS students do not have classes on Faculty Day.
Official stand
In the morning plenary session attended by all members of the administration and the faculty, Filipino Department Assistant Professor Gary Devilles asked for the Ateneo’s response on the mandatory retrenchment of faculty members brought about by the CMO.
According to Devilles, press releases regarding the CMO point to technical experts from the Ateneo and the University of the Philippines (UP) as the architects of the basic courses.
Devilles said UP’s denial of its involvement in the GEC revision prompted him to call for the Ateneo’s official statement on the matter.
“Kapag naglabas [ang CHED] ng statement, ang sinasabi din nila ay ginawa nila ito in consultation with Ateneo and UP technical experts. So ang dating din sa mga taumbayan, kapag nabasa nila itong statement, [ang] nangyayari, bumabalik dito sa Ateneo, sinusundan lang ang Ateneo (Whenever CHED releases a statement, they usually say that they did it in consultation with technical experts from the Ateneo and UP. So when the people read the statement, fingers seem to point back to the Ateneo, that they are just following the Ateneo),” he said.
In an email interview with The GUIDON, Devilles said that, in taking a stand on the issue, the Ateneo should consider the other universities.
Devilles explained that other colleges and universities will be resolved to cut down their faculty should they be obliged to comply with the CMO.
According to him, with the Ateneo being in the frontlines of academic changes and adjustments, its statement could serve as a framework in the decision making of other colleges and universities.
In the same plenary session during Faculty Day, University President Jose Ramon Villarin, SJ said that the changes in the curriculum will involve losses in the faculty. He addedthat the school will address the problem accordingly without jeopardizing the tenured professors.
In a separate interview with The GUIDON, Villarin said, “We hope to manage this surplus in faculty by allowing them to teach in Grades 11 and 12, which will have a high demand for teachers.”
Villarin also clarified that the Ateneo has no intention of laying off its permanent faculty, who will instead be prioritized when the revised GEC takes effect.
“If [the CMO yields] any effects, it will be on the part-time or contractual faculty assignments,” he said.
However, Villarin added that the Ateneo will still hire part-time and contractual faculty “as needed.”
In addition to that, he said that the Ateneo’s constant communication with CHED allows the university to further raise concerns directly to CHED commissioners.
In this regard, Villarin said that the Ateneo is also willing to extend its help to other schools that are trying to adjust to the changes in the curriculum.
Mixed views
In a separate forum held by the School of Humanities (SOH) on Faculty Day, Filipino Department Chair Joseph Salazar, PhD expressed some of his department’s views on the CMO.
“Ang [isang] mahalagang puna na ibinibigay [ng Kagawaran ng Filipino] doon sa kasalukuyang curriculum ng CHED ay ang paraan nito ng pagpapabor sa mga usapin ng globalisasyon nang walang kongkretong plano na ibinibigay sa usapin ng mga lokal na identidad o lokal na kultura (A significant comment that the Filipino Department has on the current CHED curriculum is its way of favoring globalization without a concrete plan for local identity or local culture),” he said.
For English Department Associate Chair Danilo Reyes, the revision of universities’ and colleges’ curricula lacks direction.
However, Reyes believes that the Ateneo is taking responsible measures in dealing with this transition.
He added that the Ateneo’s academic representations from the Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines, the Philippine Accrediting Association of Schools, Colleges and Universities, and CHED could help clear up the issue by proposing effective ways to approach the crisis.
During the SOH forum, Reyes said, “If [our legal representations] could release a statement alongside of better and enabling steps towards educational reform, I think we have to go beyond the idea of abolishing departments or dissolving departments.”
Reyes also expressed the English Department’s interest in teaching courses on Arts Appreciation and Purposive Communication—two of the eight core courses included under the GEC.
Because of the inclusion of the Arts Appreciation course in the GEC, Fine Arts Chair Jerry Respeto, PhD envisions a positive future for the Fine Arts Program.
“Magkakaroon na [ang Fine Arts Program] ng malinaw na puwesto dito sa core [curriculum]. Mabubuhay talaga ang Fine Arts Program para dito (The Fine Arts Program will finally have a clear position in the core curriculum. It will really be revitalized for this),” he said.
Respeto added, “Handa rin akong tumulong [sa mga kagawarang may kaugnayan sa isyu] dahil galing din ako sa Kagawaran ng Filipino. Lumalahok pa rin ako sa mga meeting at usapin tungkol [sa CMO] (I am also ready to help the departments concerned with this issue since I come from the Filipino Department. I still participate in meetings and discussions about the CMO).”
The SOH departments agreed that they should carefully review the CMO in order to further clarify their concerns.
Separate forums were also held by the School of Social Sciences, the School of Science and Engineering, and the John Gokongwei School of Management during Faculty Day.
UPDATED: July 6, 2014, 9:09 PM
