As mandated by law, the Department of Education (DepEd) clarified that K to 12 Program will not be "abolished" and will continue to be implemented despite the launch of the new curriculum for Kindergarten to Grade 10 (K to 10).

“Nagkakaroon ng confusion na when we launch the K to 10 curriculum, may sector ng publiko na iniisip na wala na tayong K to 12 (There’s some confusion that when we launch the [new] K to 10 curriculum, some sectors think that there will be no K to 12 anymore),” DepEd Undersecretary and Spokesperson Michael Poa said in a press briefing on Aug. 10 after the MATATAG K to 10 curriculum launch.

READ:

https://mb.com.ph/2023/8/10/dep-ed-launches-matatag-k-to-10-curriculum

“Meron pa rin po tayong K to 12. Nauna lang ma-review, ma-repaso ay maisagawa itong MATATAG or itong bagong curriculum for K to 10 (We still have K to 12. We just completed first the review and revision of the MATATAG or the new curriculum for K to 10),” Poa explained.

“Tuloy-tuloy pa din ang K to 12 (The K to 12 continues),” Poa said. “In fact, we’re now reviewing Grades 11 and 12,” he added.

DepEd launched the MATATAG K to 10 Curriculum of the K to 12 Program after reviewing the curriculum for Kindergarten to Grade 10. “We made adjustments in current curriculum, that’s why we launched this MATATAG curriculum,” Poa said.

In an earlier interview, Poa said that the review of the Senior High School (SHS) is still ongoing. “There’s a national task force for this and they have a timeline,” he added.

DepEd hoped to finish the SHS curriculum review within a year. However, there are “various factors to be considered.”

“I don’t want to give a specific timeline but the national task force is having regular meetings for the review of SHS [curriculum],” Poa said.

“But the reviews of the senior high school curriculum or Grades 11 and 12 are underway and we already have a national task force doing that,” he added.

READ:

https://mb.com.ph/2023/5/12/dep-ed-creates-a-national-task-force-to-review-shs-program-find-out-why

The K to 12 Program was created by a law, the Republic Act (RA) 10533 or the Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013, passed during the administration of former president Benigno Aquino III.

Signed in May 2013, the K to 12 law formally mandated Kindergarten and a 12-year basic education curriculum in the country, replacing the old 10-year cycle.

The K to 12 Program covers Kindergarten and 12 years of basic education. It is composed of one year of Kindergarten; six years of primary education (Grades 1 to 6), four years of Junior High School (JHS) or Grades 7 to 10, and two years of SHS or Grades 11 and 12.

The K to 12 program aimed to “provide sufficient time for mastery of concepts and skills, develop lifelong learners, and prepare graduates for tertiary education, middle-level skills development, employment, and entrepreneurship.”

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