Philippine E-Journals

Strengthening the Senior High School and the General Education Programs: Reflections on the 2016 Policy Forum of the National Research Council of the Philippines

Brian Saludes Bantugan

 

Abstract:

Last December 6, 2016, the National Research Council of the Philippines (NRCP) held the forum titled Policy Forum on Strengthening the Senior High School and the General Education Program at the Crowne Plaza, Manila Galleria in Ortigas, Quezon City. The forum was organized to discuss the concerns and problems regarding the Senior High School and the current modes of addressing these issues; to examine the latest General Education (GE) Program, its courses of instructions and planning tools in relation to the goals and context of the GE to a Filipino-oriented education; to initiate needed revisions, if any, involving the Senior High School program and GE courses, and their teaching towards a program anchored on Philippine culture and responsive to national and Medium Development Goals; and finally, to propose relevant policies and research agenda emanating from the discussions. Speakers in the forum were Dr. Rizalina J. Villaneza, Chief of the Bureau of Learning Delivery of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED); Dr. Filomeno A. Aguilar, Chair of the Technical Panel on General Education of the CHED; Dr. Maria Cynthia Rose B. Bautista, former commissioner of the CHED; Prof. Felipe De Leon, Jr., Chair of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts; Dr. Jose Y. Dalisay, Jr., member of the University of the Philippines English and Creative Writing Department; Dr. Francis A. Gealogo, member of the History Department of the Ateneo de Manila University; and Dr. Voltaire M. Mistades, Dean of the Br. Andrew Gonzalez, FSC College of Education of De La Salle University. Their talks were geared towards highlighting the academic different fields under the new General Education Pro-gram. Academic discussions were held twice, once during the morning break, in between sets of speakers, and another immediately before the lunch break. Immediately after the break, the attendees were briefed about the parallel workshops that would look into the issues that were pertinent to four specific clusters (Humanities, Social Science, Math, Science and Technology, and the implementation of the Senior High School program. Reports from each cluster were presented, thereafter. The syntheses of the day were presented before the program closed. Out of the presentations, discussions, and workshop reports, policy recommendations will be drawn out by the NRCP.