DepEd eyes ‘phased’ rollout of new senior high school program in 2025
MANILA, Philippines – After years of calls to review the senior high school curriculum, Education Secretary Sonny Angara announced on Wednesday, January 22, that the Department of Education (DepEd) plans to implement a “phased” rollout of the “decongested” K to 12 program this year.
Angara said DepEd would reduce the core subjects for Grades 11 and 12 to just “5 to 7 important subjects,” down from the current 15 for each grade level. He also provided a preview of the subjects that will remain, which include:
- communications
- Filipino history
- mathematics
- science
- “computing”
- “life or soft skills”
“So kung suma-tutali mo, nasa 30 ang subject ng isang senior high school student for two years. 30 subjects. Sobrang dami,” he said in an interview at Kapihan sa Manila Bay. (So if you sum it all up, a senior high school student takes around 30 subjects over two years. 30 subjects. That’s just too many.)
Angara also said the remaining subjects would be electives, though it is still unclear how many of these will be mandatory for students.
The education secretary said the decision to reduce the core subjects in the senior high school curriculum was based on insights gained from their school visits abroad.
“Pinag-aaralan namin ‘yung ibang sistema sa mundo. Ako, galing ako sa [United Kingdom]. Three to four subjects lang ang required,” he said. (We’re studying other systems around the world. Personally, I came from the [United Kingdom], where only three to four subjects are required.)
Even before K to 12 was launched in 2012, many were already clamoring against the additional two years of basic education. Despite a classroom shortage, lack of textbooks, tables and chairs, the ambitious program was implemented. Policy makers and proponents of K to 12 marketed it to the public as a curriculum preparing “graduates for tertiary education, middle-level skills development, employment, and entrepreneurship.” (READ: INFOGRAPHIC: 10 things about K to 12)
A study by the Philippine Business for Education (PBEd) revealed that only 20% of 70 of the country’s leading companies across all sectors were inclined to hire SHS graduates. The study also noted that employers accepted only job applicants with at least two years of college education, excluding SHS graduates from consideration. – Rappler.com