[Time Trowel] What happens when we remove history?

A trowel (/ˈtraʊ.əl/), in the hands of an archaeologist, is like a trusty sidekick – a tiny, yet mighty, instrument that uncovers ancient secrets, one well-placed scoop at a time. It’s the Sherlock Holmes of the excavation site, revealing clues about the past with every delicate swipe.

More than a century ago, classrooms in the Philippines became extensions of colonial policy. In 1899, as the Philippine-American War unfolded, the American colonial government moved quickly to reorganize education. Textbooks were rewritten, narratives reframed, and a new generation of Filipinos introduced to a version of the past aligned with US colonial priorities. Education was used to shape how people understood themselves and their place in society.

The relationship between education and power has never disappeared. What is included in the curriculum, what is reduced, and what is removed altogether reflect broader decisions about the kind of society a country hopes to build.

This is why the ongoing discussion surrounding the Commission on Higher Education’s proposed reframing of the General Education curriculum deserves attention. The proposal has generated concern among educators, historians, cultural workers, and students, particularly regarding the possible reduction of history-related courses.

CHED has since clarified that the curriculum remains under consultation and refinement. That clarification is important because it keeps the discussion open. It also creates an opportunity to reflect on what higher education is meant to accomplish beyond workforce preparation.

Universities are expected to prepare students for employment in a changing global economy. No one disputes the importance of science, engineering, business, technology, or other specialized fields. Educational systems must adapt to new industries, new forms of labor, and rapid technological shifts. Yet education is not solely about technical competency. It is also about preparing individuals to participate in society with awareness and the ability to evaluate the world around them.

Knowledge of history plays a central role in that process.

Shaping civic awareness

Young people who engage with history and heritage often participate more actively in civic life. They follow public issues, vote, volunteer, and engage in discussions about governance and social responsibility. Historical knowledge situates individuals within a broader narrative. It encourages them to see themselves not just as isolated actors pursuing personal goals, but as participants in longer social processes shaped by earlier generations.

In addition, programs that introduce young people to local history, heritage, and ecological issues demonstrate how education can shape civic awareness at an early stage. In Bicol, initiatives such as Bicol 101 by CHED ROV will expose students to the region’s history, environmental challenges, cultural heritage, and contemporary social issues beyond the classroom. These forms of engagement help prepare future citizens, policymakers, and decision-makers who understand that communities, landscapes, and public issues are products of long historical and environmental processes.

As such, historical understanding influences how individuals approach decisions. People who understand context tend to recognize recurring patterns, identify long-term consequences, and evaluate policies with greater awareness. These are not abstract academic skills as they affect governance, planning, professional practice, and everyday life.

History alongside technical fields

The role of history becomes apparent when placed alongside technical fields.

An engineer designing flood control systems in Central Luzon may possess the technical expertise to model water flow and build infrastructure. Yet the region’s flood patterns are also products of decades of deforestation, land conversion, river diversion, and earlier development policies. Local communities often retain knowledge of former waterways and previous interventions. Ignoring that history risks reproducing earlier failures.

An agriculturalist working in the Cordilleras may introduce new irrigation systems or crop varieties. Yet the rice terraces in the region are products of centuries of environmental management involving forests, water systems, labor organization, and community cooperation. Interventions detached from that historical context may disrupt systems that have long sustained the landscape.

Urban planning offers similar examples. Attempts to remove informal settlements in Metro Manila without understanding the histories of migration, displacement, and uneven economic development often reproduce the same conditions elsewhere. Technical knowledge allows professionals to act. Historical understanding helps them act with awareness of context and consequence.

This is particularly important in the Philippine setting, where contemporary realities remain deeply shaped by history. Colonial rule, internal migration, regional inequalities, land dispossession, and competing ideas of identity continue to influence political and social life. These are not distant issues confined to textbooks but remain embedded in debates about governance, heritage, development, education, and resource access.

Issue broader than curriculum design

When historical engagement becomes limited, simplified narratives often take its place. These narratives are easier to circulate because they reduce complexity into familiar slogans or selective memories. Public discourse becomes more vulnerable to distortion because fewer people possess the tools necessary to interrogate claims about the past.

We know that history does not disappear when it is sidelined. It returns in altered forms, shaped by those with the power to promote particular narratives.

This is why discussions about General Education should not revolve solely around employability, efficiency, or the number of academic units assigned to particular subjects. The issue is broader than curriculum design. It concerns the role of universities in shaping citizens capable of interpreting information critically, recognizing historical patterns, and understanding how societies arrive at their present conditions.

The example from 1899 shows that educational reform has long carried political and social implications. During the American colonial period, reshaping education formed part of a broader effort to establish authority and influence public consciousness. Today, the context is different, but the stakes remain considerable. Choices about what to teach continue to reflect what society values.

Long-term effects

Reducing historical engagement may create more curricular space or appear to improve efficiency in the short term. The longer-term effects are more difficult to measure. They emerge gradually in how people engage with public life, interpret information, evaluate leadership, and respond to social challenges that require more than technical solutions.

If higher education is meant to prepare individuals for participation in society, then history remains central to that task. It provides context, perspective, and continuity. It connects the present to the past in ways that shape how people imagine the future.

George Santayana once warned that “those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” More than a century later, the warning continues to resonate because societies repeatedly demonstrate its relevance. When historical understanding weakens, distortions fill the gap.

The same idea appears in José Rizal’s words: “Ang hindi marunong lumingon sa pinanggalingan ay hindi makararating sa paroroonan.” (Those who do not know how to look back to where they came from will never reach their destination.)

The discussion before us, therefore, is larger than course requirements or curriculum structure. It concerns the kind of citizens universities hope to shape and the kind of society they will help build. – Rappler.com

Stephen B. Acabado is professor of anthropology at the University of California-Los Angeles. He directs the Ifugao and Bicol Archaeological Projects, research programs that engage community stakeholders. He grew up in Tinambac, Camarines Sur.