The Department of Education (DepEd) announced on Thursday, Nov. 7, its plans to "simplify" the Senior High School (SHS) curriculum by reducing the number of subjects and placing greater emphasis on work immersion.
In a statement, DepEd said that one of its priorities under the leadership of Education Secretary Sonny Angara is to fast-track the review of the SHS curriculum, which will feature fewer subjects to allow learners to “focus more” on work immersion.
“We’re on the right track to reduce the core subjects of our SHS curriculum to just five or six subjects,” Angara said during the 2024 Regional Conference on Educational Planning in Asia.
Angara underscored the need for “flexibility in our system.”
He also noted that “if we reduce the subjects in our SHS curriculum, students will have more time for on-the-job training or work immersion, which is needed by the industry so that our senior high school graduates will become more employable, even if they lack work experience.”
Earlier this week, DepEd met with academic experts to accelerate efforts to review and streamline the SHS program and subjects.
The meeting with consultants from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) aimed to provide recommendations on the structure of the SHS curriculum, specifically focusing on the content of English, Science, and Math standards and curriculum guides.
Additionally, DepEd has partnered with ADB to offer technical assistance and professional guidance to DepEd specialists in revising the SHS curriculum.
Angara previously highlighted that the country’s basic education curriculum was overly crowded, as noted by education experts from other countries.
The consultation meeting was attended by DepEd Undersecretary for Curriculum and Instruction Gina Gonong, Assistant Secretary Dr. Joyce Andaya, Teacher Education Council Executive Director Jennie Jocson, and Office of the Secretary Director Maggie Del-Valle Ramoso.
EDCOM Executive Director Karol Mark Yee was also present at the meeting.
The ADB was represented by consultants Margaret Bigelow, Mary Coupland, Michael Murray, Mel Dixon, Gerard Edward McCloughan, and Dagmar Arthur, who discussed their role in providing technical advice to the Department. They emphasized their focus on evidence-based approaches and strategies in the curriculum review and revision process.