Interesting question.

In my home country, Greece, formally there is no General Education classes or units that apply to all higher education courses. There are voices supporting that they should be introduced. It certainly has advantages and disadvantages.

I would suggest that it is a matter of priorities.

Dear Dr. Bello,

I looked at articles dealing with this issue:

1) Imed Bouchrika, Phd 2025, What is General Education? Definition, Requirements & A List of Courses for 2025, May 2025, Copyright © 2025 Research.com, https://research.com/education/what-is-general-education

2) Lin, C.JY. General education competencies from students’ perspectives: a case study of a sports university in Taiwan. Humanit Soc Sci Commun 10, 848 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-023-02344-z, open access, https://www.nature.com/articles/s41599-023-02344-z

In Finlan,d there are two different degrees of general education:

a) University of Turku: Master's Degree Programme in Education and Learning: https://www.educations.com/institutions/university-of-turku/masters-degree-programme-in-education-and-learning?fl=2

b) Humak University of Applied Sciences - Bac­he­lor's Deg­ree in Ad­ven­tu­re and Out­door Edu­ca­tion, https://www.educations.com/institutions/humak-university-of-applied-sciences/bachelors-degree-in-adventure-and-outdoor-education?fl=2

Please let me argue that general educational courses are relevant for any university degree.

Sincerely, Bulcsu Szekely

General Education Courses (GEC) should not be completely removed from the tertiary curriculum because they help students develop critical thinking, communication, and problem-solving skills that are valuable in any career. While some may see GEC as unrelated to their major, these courses provide a broader understanding of the world and promote well-rounded education. However, the curriculum could be improved by offering more flexible or career-relevant GEC options. This way, students gain both specialized knowledge and essential life skills.

General Education Courses should be retained in the tertiary curriculum. These courses represent widespread global knowledge management to the extent of knowledge sharing. greatly grea

General education courses are essential and shouldn't be completely eliminated. A carefully chosen selection of courses that directly support students' majors should remain. Beyond academics, these courses contribute significantly to students' personal and social growth. To avoid overburdening students, however, the number of required hours or credits should be reduced. This ensures that general education continues to foster well-rounded individuals without adding unnecessary academic pressure.

My personal suggestions. The GEC are important, however it is recommended to be reduce both number of subjects and units, there are subjects that can be incorporated into a single subject.

There should be an alignment between what courses were already taken up in the Junior and Senior High School Curriculum so there will not be a replication in the GEC for Tertiary education. We cannot do away with GE courses. It's part of the skills and training for our students to have a holistic education in terms of critical thinking, creativity, writing acumumen, and even understanding our past to appreciate our current situation and mapping out our future. Upgrading skills in the use of AI, Basic Accounting skills, and Art Appreciation, even Learning a New Language can be added in GE to make it relevant to the times.