Educators’ group demands CHED abandon market-driven curriculum changes

BAGUIO CITY — High school and university educators from Baguio and Benguet are calling on the Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) to completely abandon its proposed 2026 Reframed General Education Curriculum, despite its recent decision to postpone the rollout.

The newly formed coalition of teachers from various local learning institutions issued a statement demanding that the commission instead launch democratic consultations that place educators, students and local communities at the center of future educational policy reforms.

In a statement, the group stressed that the deferment should not be mistaken for a permanent cancellation of the policy.

They argue the revised curriculum aligns schooling with market demands rather than societal needs, and expressed strong opposition to the involvement of private industries and business technocrats in local school curriculum design.

According to the educators, 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 cutting social science courses undermines critical thinking.

They added that the shift would create equity gaps for rural higher education institutions that lack necessary technological infrastructure.