CHED urges HEIs to maintain Filipino departments

The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) encourages higher education institutions (HEIs) to “maintain” their Filipino Departments to continue offering their Filipino and Panitikan courses.

CHED Officer-in-Charge (OIC) J. Prospero De Vera issued CHED Memorandum Order (CMO) No. 04 series of 2018 or the “Policy on the Offering of Filipino and Panitikan Subjects in All Higher Education Programs as Part of the New General Education Curriculum” dated April 11, 2018 in compliance with the Supreme Court en Banc Resolution dated April 21, 2015.

The said ruling enjoined CHED from “implementing and enforcing of the provision” of its CMO No. 20 series of 2013 (The General Education Curriculum: Holistic Understandings, Intellectual and Civic Competencies) “insofar as it excluded from the curriculum for college Filipino and Panitikan as core courses.”

De Vera, in the newly issued memorandum, noted that the SC Resolution “did not, however, enjoin the Commission from implementing and enforcing the CMO No. 20 s. of 2013, hence provisions of the said Memorandum, except the exclusion of Filipino and Panitikan as core courses, will still be implemented.”

Meanwhile, De Vera enjoined all HEIs to “implement as part of all baccalaureate degree programs,” minimum requirements “insofar as Filipino and Panitikan courses are concerned.”

De Vera noted that “as to those fields of study, which are related to Humanities, Social Sciences, and Communications,” there should be a minimum of nine units of Filipino and six units of Literature.

As to students majoring in fields other than Humanities, Social Sciences, and Communication, De Vera said that HEIs may follow minimum requirements of six (6) units for Filipino and “Literature as e.g. in Humanities subjects.”

De Vera said that “in both instances, at the discretion of the HEIs,” Literature subjects “may be taught in Filipino, English or any other language as long as there are enough instructional materials for the same and both students and instructors/professors are competent in the language.”

Meanwhile, De Vera said that in order for HEIs to include Filipino and Panitikan as core courses in their curriculum, “the inclusion of 9 units of GE [General Education] electives starting Academic Year 2018-2019 as prescribed in CMO No. 20 s. of 2013 is hereby deferred.”