Statement of the Journalism Studies Association of the Philippines, Inc. (JSAP) On the Proposal of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) to Reframe General Education The Journalism Studies Association of the Philippines, Inc. (JSAP), representing scholars, educators, students and practitioners in journalism and communication, expresses its deep concern over the Commission on Higher Education’s (CHED) proposal to reframe the General Education (GE) curriculum.
While we acknowledge CHED’s intent to modernize higher education and align with global standards, JSAP underscores that such reforms must not erode the democratic, cultural, and intellectual foundations of Philippine education. General Education is the bedrock of holistic citizenship. For journalism students, it provides the ethical, historical, and cultural grounding necessary to practice responsible communication in a democratic society.
The proposed reduction of GE units from 36 to 18–21, alongside the folding of philosophy, ethics, literature, and history into broad skills-based courses, risks diminishing disciplinary depth, displacing educators, and weakening the intellectual formation of future professionals. Such narrowing of GE into purely technical outcomes undermines higher education’s mission to cultivate critical thinkers, engaged citizens, and socially responsive graduates.
JSAP asserts that the humanities and social sciences must remain core pillars of GE. Journalism thrives on contextual knowledge drawn from these disciplines, which equip students to interrogate structures of power, appreciate cultural diversity, and resist disinformation. Equally vital is the integration of media and information literacy across all GE courses, ensuring that graduates can critically engage with information ecosystems and contribute meaningfully to democratic discourse.
We further emphasize that GE must remain contextualized within Philippine realities. Courses on Philippine history, culture, governance, and society are indispensable in fostering national identity while preparing students for global competitiveness. Interdisciplinary learning, civic engagement, and service-learning must be strengthened to connect academic knowledge with lived social realities.
JSAP calls on CHED to safeguard the integrity of General Education by retaining a balanced distribution of units across disciplines, embedding media literacy as a core requirement, and ensuring participatory policymaking with academic associations. Reforming GE is not a neutral administrative exercise—it is a decisive cultural act that will shape future generations. We stand ready to collaborate with CHED to ensure that reforms strengthen, rather than weaken, the democratic mission of Philippine higher education.
Postprandial Musings, 2.0 