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Bu-lat-lat (boo-lat-lat) verb: to search, probe, investigate, inquire; to unearth facts Issue No. 34 October 7 - 13, 2001 Quezon City, Philippines |
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Bu-lat-lat (boo-lat-lat) verb: to search, probe, investigate, inquire; to unearth facts Issue No. 34 October 7 - 13, 2001 Quezon City, Philippines |
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Commentary: The proposal to liberalize the General Education program should not just be a concern of the University of the Philippines (UP) because it is possible for other schools to follow suit. All concerned students and faculty members should watch with interest the developments in UP as regards the proposed Revitalized General Education Program (RGEP). BY
DANILO ARAŅA ARAO
Can
a student graduate from college without taking up History, Communication and
Mathematics? In the University of the Philippines (UP), that possibility looms
if the proposed Revitalized General Education Program (RGEP) is implemented. The
program, proposed by no less than UP President Francisco Nemenzo, Jr., promises
to be most fractious compared to past controversies that had seen the academic
community split at its core. The division appears to be more serious given the
fact that the program, its critics aver, will virtually force the university to
abandon core courses which have otherwise made it known for academic freedom and
a strong nationalist foundation. Under
the RGEP, students will be given a free hand in choosing the GE subjects they
want. Assuming that the subjects are worth three units each, they can select any
five GE subjects for each of the three domains of knowledge (Social Sciences and
Philosopy, Arts and Humanities, Natural Sciences and Mathematics). An
exception to this rule is when there are prerequisite subjects to the major
subjects they will be taking. For example, a student, before enrolling in
Journalism 101 (Introduction to Journalism), must have passed the two subjects
Communication I and II (or their Filipino equivalent). In
any school, the GE program is essentially the set of prescribed subjects that
provide a healthy mix of disciplines, normally taken during the first two years
of college. A structured approach was made precisely to ensure that every
student, regardless of the course they are taking, would be exposed to the same
prescribed subjects. This
situation provides for the common realm of experience for college students who,
in their freshman and sophomore years, remain ambivalent on what course they
really want to take. Various
disciplines The
GE program aims to expose them to various disciplines so that they could have a
broad appreciation of different fields of knowledge. Once equipped with ideas
acquired from GE subjects, they can decided on their choices of specialization. Through
the GE, schools can promote the necessary core values. For example, sectarian
schools prescribe Theology subjects because of the perceived need to strengthen
their students' Christian faith. The same is true for non-sectarian schools like
UP that prefer to add, for instance, the subject Science, Technology and Society
(STS) in order to provide socio-political relevance to the Natural Sciences. At
present, "revitalization" of the GE program in the eyes of the UP
administration entails the adoption of a semi-structured approach and
learner-customized content. This, in effect, results in a situation of
"false equivalencies" among subjects where, say, Kasaysayan I (History
of the Philippines) is pitted against other subjects belonging to the Social
Sciences and Philosophy domain. There is no distinction anymore between subjects
that are deemed important and those that can be considered as electives. The
RGEP, as formulated, also removes the common realm of experience among students
since the latter become ultimately responsible for the subjects they take. The
six UP units (Diliman, Manila, Baguio, Los Baņos, Visayas and Mindanao) would
end up specializing only in courses that they can offer best. It becomes
possible for them to forget about developing other courses which are important
but which they cannot offer for whatever reason. Language
policy To
make things worse, the RGEP remains silent on the language policy since,
according to the UP administration, the use of Filipino as medium of instruction
is not implemented anyway. It only goes to the extent of saying that teachers
will be "encouraged" to teach in Filipino under the RGEP. Shouldn't
any curricular reform be made to correct deficiencies in the current GE program,
among them the strict implementation of the Filipino language policy? Such a
move will be consistent with Art. XIV, Sec. 6 of the 1987 Constitution which
states that the national government must "initiate and sustain the use of
Filipino as a medium of communication and as language of instruction in the
educational system." One
cannot help but suspect, therefore, the lack of a scientific study that is
supposed to be the basis for the adoption of a semi-structured content and
learner-customized approach. In various consultations and fora, representatives
of the UP administration argue that the 1991 and 1995 system-wide GE program
reviews pointed to weaknesses in the GE subjects brought about by, among others,
inadequate facilities and incompetent teachers. These
reviews, however, did not identify the structured approach as the root of the
identified problems. Likewise, they did not explicitly recommend the adoption of
the semi-structured approach and learner-customized content which the proposed
RGEP is advocating. Ironically, these reviews recommended the strengthening of
the current GE program! In
the absence of a system-wide conference to deliberate on it, each UP unit must
approve the RGEP. Questionable
vote Both
the University Council (UC)- a body composed of teachers with the rank of
Assistant Professor and higher - of UP Visayas and Los Baņos have already
approved the RGEP last July. In Los Baņos, however, concerned students and
faculty members are moving for a recall of the vote due to the haphazard manner
by which the vote was held. The UC of UP Baguio reportedly approved the RGEP
last September 26. The
end of the first semester in the UP this month only signals the beginning of
intensified efforts to rush the approval of the RGEP in other UP units. The
UP General Education Movement (UP GEM), an alliance of students and faculty
members calling for a democratic review, consultation and revision of the
current GE program, is currently in the forefront of the campaign against the
RGEP. Among
its demands is the holding of a system-wide conference that would review and
approve an appropriate GE program to be implemented system-wide in UP. Such a
mechanism should have the participation of students, a process reminiscent of
the curriculum review and revision in 1987. The UP administration, however,
continues to turn a deaf ear on this matter. In the final analysis, the issue of the RGEP should not just be a concern of UP because it becomes possible for other schools to adopt it. All concerned students and faculty members, therefore, should watch with interest from now on the developments in UP as regards the RGEP. Bulatlat.com We want to know what you think of this article.
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