BAGUIO CITY — Despite the recent postponement of the Commission on Higher Education’s proposed 2026 Reframed General Education Curriculum, high school and university educators in Baguio City and Benguet are urging the commission to abandon the proposal entirely and conduct democratic consultations that place teachers, students and local communities at the center of future education policy reforms.

In a statement, a newly formed group composed of high school and university teachers from various learning institutions in Baguio City and Benguet said the deferment of the proposed reframed curriculum should not be mistaken for a permanent cancellation of the policy, which they said aligns schooling with market demands rather than societal needs.

The educators expressed opposition to the involvement of private industries and business technocrats in local school curriculum design. According to the group, a market-driven approach to academic programs compromises academic freedom by reducing teachers and students to participants in a system geared toward exporting cheap labor.

The teachers also criticized the planned inclusion of artificial intelligence subjects, warning that increasing digital dependency while reducing social science courses undermines critical thinking and creates equity gaps for rural higher education institutions lacking technological infrastructure.

A major point of contention in the proposal is the reduction of general education requirements from 36 units to 18 units. The educators said reducing core subjects weakens holistic learning at a time when humanities and social sciences are essential to developing reasoned judgment.

The group warned that the curriculum change could lead to widespread retrenchment, particularly among contractual faculty members who lack advanced degrees and cannot afford further studies, potentially worsening existing teacher shortages.

While autonomous higher education institutions retain the flexibility to keep the original 36-unit general education structure, state universities do not share the same freedom, the group said.

The educators called on school administrators to reject the proposal and prioritize faculty welfare over industrial output demands. They also urged school officials to stand with faculty members to prevent educational institutions from becoming “production lines” for corporations.

The group also appealed to congressional representatives and education officials in Baguio City and Benguet to formally support their campaign.