Ka Leody urges revival of history classes

Presidential aspirant Leody de Guzman. (FILE PHOTO)

MANILA, Philippines— Presidential candidate and labor leader Leody de Guzman on Wednesday called on the Department of Education (DepEd) to restore the teaching of history as separate subjects following the embarrassingly incorrect answers given by teen contestants in a televised quiz show.

“The incident, even if seemingly a small matter, demonstrates the bigger problem of limited knowledge and lack of importance shown by the youth toward our history and greatness of our forebears,” De Guzman said in a statement.

He accused the DepEd of being “deaf” to calls to restore and strengthen the teaching of Philippine history as a separate subject, particularly in high school, which threatened the next generations of Filipinos with “collective amnesia.”

“The youth today, who will be voters and members of the labor force someday, will be more vulnerable to fake news, disinformation, historical revisionism and other forms of deception by those in power. How will those being taught to look back where they came from become the hope of the nation?” he said.

De Guzman said his education platform includes the restoration and strengthening of the teaching of Philippine history, literature, and culture, as well as the inclusion of peace and human rights education in the curriculum.

Regardless of the results of the election, De Guzman said he would continue his campaign in the education sector and the citizenry to pressure the DepEd to restore the teaching of history as a separate subject.

With the implementation of the K-12 program in 2014, history as a separate subject was taught to grade 5 and grade 6 students and no longer to grade 7 students, or high school freshmen.

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