A teachers’ group on Thursday, Nov. 30, reiterated the need to strengthen the teaching of Philippine history in the basic education curriculum as the nation commemorated the 160th birth anniversary of revolutionary hero Andres Bonifacio.

Issuing a statement, the Teachers’ Dignity Coalition (TDC) said that the K to 12 curriculum should be strengthened particularly in the areas of Philippine history, literature, arts, and culture, as well as other social science and humanities courses.

An ‘insult’ to Bonifacio, revolutionary heroes

“Ang mga usapin ng kahirapan at inhustisya ay mga dati nang suliraning kinakaharap ng ating mga ninuno, ito ang dahilan kung bakit may himagsikan noon (The issues of poverty and injustice have long been the problems faced by our ancestors; this is the reason why there was a revolution back then),” TDC Chairperson Benjo Basas in a statement.

“Ang buhay ni Bonifacio at punumpuno ng aral ng kasaysayan na hindi dapat malimuntan ng mga mamamayan lalo na ng mga kabataan (The life of Bonifacio is filled with lessons from history that should not be forgotten by the citizens, especially the youth),” he added.

However, Basas noted that “attempts to rewrite History or even ignore it in our academic program would be an insult” to Andres Bonifacio and other revolutionary heroes.

“Itong ating K-12 curriculum ay tila hinulma upang malimutan ng mga kabataan, lalo na ng mga high school students ang kanilang kasaysayan. (This K-12 curriculum seems to be designed for the youth, especially high school students, to forget their history),” Basas said.

Basas alleged that Philippine History was “removed” as a separate subject in Junior and Senior High School and was only retained at the Elementary level.

Although there have been changes in the revised K to 10 curriculum which is currently being pilot-tested in select schools, Basas noted that the return of Philippine History has “not yet been included” in the MATATAG curriculum.

READ:

https://mb.com.ph/2023/8/12/understanding-dep-ed-s-matatag-k-to-10-curriculum

“Kaya maiisip natin na baka nga sinasadya ito (So, we might think that this was intentional),” Basas explained.

Given this, TDC noted that Philippine History --- particularly the struggles of --- heroes should be given a “bigger space in Philippine education and should be taught [at] all levels.”

Meanwhile, members of the TDC also joined the multi-sectoral gathering of people's organizations calling for just wages and pro-people policies.

Along with other long-overdue benefits for teachers, the group reiterated its demands for an immediate pay increase, the implementation of the Magna Carta for Public School Teachers, reforms to the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS), funding for classroom instructional materials, and other school facilities, as well as non-wage incentives like housing and medical assistance.