A Statement on the Proposed Strengthened SHS Program, and Removal of Art Appreciation Courses in the College Curriculum
The ongoing restructuring of the Senior High School (SHS) curriculum, alongside proposals to remove subjects like Art Appreciation in Higher Education, raises disturbing concerns on the gradual and growing de-emphasis on the arts within Philippine education. These reforms, supported by a questionable rationale to ‘decongest’ the curriculum to produce work-ready graduates more efficiently, strike at the very core of what education should stand for.
Education must prepare our students not just for employment, but for a future they cannot yet know or imagine. It should equip them to think critically, to live meaningfully, and to respond to the challenges of a changing world. Reducing or removing the arts from basic and higher education sends a dangerous message— that creativity, self-reflection, and human expression are optional to an individual’s holistic growth and development. That our students’ inner lives, mental health, and imaginative capacities are somehow less important than their employability.
The recategorization, reduction and outright removal of several core SHS subjects into a new set of Core Academics heavily implies that academic subjects are more valuable than others. Yet, it should be recognized that all subjects contribute to not only the holistic development of the learner, but also to the attainment of both the Department of Education and the Commission for Higher Education’s educational goals for Filipino students. These should be our bases in everything we decide to include, or exclude in our classrooms. To diminish the arts because they are not ‘academic’ is to ignore the fact that they teach us how to think critically, communicate ideas, explore emotions, question systems, and collaborate across differences. It teaches our students a genuine love for their culture and country, and an ability to understand that their actions could bring about positive change. Through visual expression, performance, and storytelling, students learn not only how to speak, but how to be heard.
It is thus, that we, the members of ARTguro, ArtVAN, Anino Shadowplay Collective, and Baryo Balangaw Creative Initiatives, call on our education leaders to pause and reflect: Are we truly strengthening our curriculum by subtracting its most humanizing elements? Are we truly fixing problems at their root or merely applying short-cut solutions? What kind of future are we building if we raise Filipino generations without the arts?
We urge for greater transparency, more extensive public consultation, and better-aligned, research-based decision-making. Let us not sacrifice the imagination of our learners for the illusion of efficiency. We call for a vision of education that does not merely train our students for employment, but transforms them into capable and caring citizens of our country.
As we celebrate National Teachers Month, we honor the dedication of art educators who continue to nurture creativity and critical thinking despite the challenges facing our schools. The current state of art education in our country reflects both the resilience of teachers and the urgent need for better support and recognition of this sector.
Would you like to learn more about the state of art education not only in the Philippines but all over the world? Read the CAN International Art Education Report!
From Margins to Masterpieces: Charting Pathways to Strengthen Arts in Global Public Education, is a report commissioned by Community Arts Network and Community Arts Lab/Porticus led by researcher Dr. Heddy Lahmann. It identifies the challenges facing arts education, highlights key drivers of change, examines global advocacy efforts, and outlines strategic recommendations for integrating and reinvigorating arts into public education systems. The report is a call to action and offers a roadmap for strengthening arts education worldwide. A must-read for educators, policymakers, and advocates.
Ⓒ2025 ARTguro Philippines | Ⓒ2025 Cathy Lasam Ballo.
All Rights Reserved.