Bea Allyson Alimangohan

The Department of Education (DepEd) Secretary Sonny Angara featured the priority of DepEd to simplify the Senior High School (SHS) curriculum by reducing the number of subjects to “5 or 6” during the 2024 Regional Conference on Educational Planning in Asia on Nov. 5 to Nov. 7.

Photo Courtesy of Manila Bulletin.

“If we reduce the subjects of our SHS curriculum, the students will have more time for the on-the-job training or work immersion needed by the industry,” Angara said.

DepEd intended to boost the review of SHS curriculum that will help students to focus on the work immersion for them to “become more employable even if they lack work experience”.

Angara responded to the objection of universities which is the ‘overcrowded’ system and described the revision of SHS curriculum as “the right direction”.

According to experts from other countries, the recent basic education curriculum in the country was already congested because of more or less 30 subjects students needed to take.

The department partnered with academic experts such as consultants from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to assist DepEd in reviewing and simplifying the said curriculum.

DepEd conducted a meeting with ADB for technical assistance and professional guidance to department’s specialists.

ADB also provided recommendations to review the content of the English, Science, and Math standards and curriculum guide which are evidence-based approaches and strategies.

Consultants from ADB, Mary Coupland, Margaret Bigelow, Dagmar Arthur, Michael Murray, Mel Dixon, and Gerard McCloughan with DepEd Undersecretary for Curriculum and Teaching Gina Gonong, 2nd Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM) Executive Director Karol Mark Yee, and other DepEd staffs attended the meeting.

According to Angara, the revision is aimed to be done and implemented in the upcoming Academic School Year 2025-2026 and DepEd already consulted various stakeholders and experts for it.