Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte has announced an initiative to pilot a revised curriculum for senior high school students in the academic year 2025-2026. This move aims at enhancing the educational framework to better prepare students for employment and responsible citizenship post-graduation.
The Department of Education (DepEd) is actively reviewing the current curriculum for Grades 11 and 12, with the goal of refining and updating the educational content to meet the demands of both the job market and societal responsibilities. Undersecretary Michael Poa highlighted that the review process for the entire Kindergarten to Grade 12 (K-12) curriculum is expected to conclude by May 2024, setting the stage for the pilot implementation.
This curriculum overhaul follows the August 2023 introduction of the revised K-10 curriculum under the K-12 program, currently being tested in 35 schools across the country. The revision significantly reduced the number of learning competencies from approximately 11,700 to 3,600, a 70% decrease aimed at streamlining and focusing educational goals.
The adjustment also includes a reduction in the number of subjects, with an intensified focus on developing foundational skills such as literacy, numeracy, and socio-emotional learning for Kinder to Grade 3 students. The phased implementation will see the new K-10 curriculum introduced to Grades 2, 5, and 8 in the school year 2025-2026, followed by Grades 3, 6, and 9 in 2026-2027, and concluding with Grade 10 in 2027-2028.
Vice President Duterte’s vision for the revised senior high school curriculum is to create a more relevant and effective educational system that aligns with the needs and challenges of the modern world, ensuring Filipino students are well-equipped for the future.