ADVERTISEMENT
Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider DepEd will not remove Grades 1 and 11 in SY 2025–2026: Here's why

DepEd will not remove Grades 1 and 11 in SY 2025–2026: Here's why

Grades 1 and 11 will remain in the K to 12 curriculum this school year, after DepEd labeled the circulating posts about their removal as 'fake news'

Published May 16, 2025 01:46 pm

At A Glance

  • DepEd has officially denied viral claims that Grades 1 and 11 will be removed from the basic education system this school year, calling the information fake news.
Grades 1 and 11 remain part of the Philippine education system, as DepEd has yet to release any policy removing them—and such a move would require legislation. (DepEd / MB Visual Content Group)
Grades 1 and 11 remain part of the Philippine education system, as DepEd has yet to release any policy removing them—and such a move would require legislation. (DepEd / MB Visual Content Group)
Claims circulating online that the Department of Education (DepEd) will be removing Grades 1 and 11 starting this school year have caused confusion and panic among students, parents, and educators.
However, DepEd has categorically denied these rumors, calling them fake news.
“Fake news ang kumakalat na post sa social media tungkol sa pagtanggal ng K to 12 program sa darating na SY 2025–2026 (A false post is circulating on social media claiming that the K to 12 program will be removed in SY 2025–2026),” DepEd said in a public advisory.
DepEd warns the public to avoid sharing or trusting unverified posts from social media or messaging platforms. (DepEd/FB) 
“Pinaaalalahanan ng DepEd ang publiko na mag-ingat at maging mapanuri laban sa misinformation (DepEd reminds the public to stay vigilant and critically assess information to avoid misinformation),” the agency added.
DepEd also urged the public to report any form of misinformation about basic education to [email protected].
Fake news
In an online post, it was falsely claimed that DepEd had announced there would be “No Grade 11 and Kinder” starting in June.
The post also alleged that DepEd had “stopped accepting K to 12” by removing Grade 11 and claimed, incorrectly, that Grade 10 completers could now go straight to college.
Additionally, it was falsely claimed that all five-year-old [children] could be admitted to Grade 1 without completing kindergarten.
Why are these claims false
Simply put, DepEd cannot unilaterally remove Grades 1 and 11 for both legal and structural reasons.
In addition to publicly debunking the rumor, here’s why DepEd is legally and operationally incapable of removing Grades 1 and 11 from the basic education system:
Removing Grades 1 and 11 violates the law
DepEd cannot remove these grade levels because doing so would violate Republic Act No. 10533, also known as the Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013.
This law mandates the implementation of the K to 12 Basic Education Program in the Philippines, which includes: Kindergarten, six years of elementary education or Grades 1 to 6, four years of Junior High School (JHS) or Grades 7 to 10; and two years of Senior High School (SHS) or Grades 11 to 12.
Under this law, Grade 1 is an integral part of elementary education, and Grade 11 is the entry point to Senior High School.
DepEd does not have the legal authority to override or ignore this law. Only Congress can amend or repeal it.
There is no official announcement or policy change
DepEd has not issued any memorandum, order, or announcement supporting the removal of these grades.
Any legitimate change to the curriculum or grade structure would require a formal process, which includes: policy review, stakeholder consultation, and legislative alignment, particularly when it impacts existing laws.
Since none of this has occurred, there is no basis for the claims.
Grades 1 and 11 are critical to the K to 12 Program
Grade 1 marks the beginning of formal education, where students develop foundational literacy, numeracy, and social skills.
Grade 11 is the first year of Senior High School, where students start to specialize in academic or technical-vocational tracks.
Removing these grades would disrupt the entire K to 12 structure and impair students’ learning progression.
Curriculum reforms are not grade removals
Some confusion may stem from the rollout of the MATATAG Curriculum, which simplifies subjects in the early grades.
However, despite these curriculum reforms, no grade levels are being removed.
In School Year 2025–2026, Grade 1 will continue to exist but with fewer subjects to improve foundational learning.
Grade 11 will also remain, although its curriculum will be updated as part of the gradual improvement of SHS.
Just last month, DepEd opened online applications for the SHS Voucher Program for SY 2025–2026.
This program provides financial assistance to qualified Grade 10 completers to enroll in private SHS, non-DepEd public schools, or state/local universities and colleges offering SHS.
The harm of false information
DepEd reminded the public that spreading or believing in fake news fosters misinformation, causes unnecessary panic, and erodes trust in the education system.
The agency urges everyone to verify information using official sources such as: www.deped.gov.ph; @DepEdPhilippines on Facebook, and DepEd regional offices.
Grades 1 and 11 to continue
Contrary to the malicious posts, DepEd maintained that Grades 1 and 11 will continue as usual in the upcoming school year.
Recent initiatives of DepEd clearly show that Grades 1 and 11 are not being removed—they are being enhanced.
DepEd cannot remove these grades because: it is prohibited by law, there is no official policy supporting such a move, these grades are vital to student development, and curriculum changes do not eliminate any grade levels.
The idea that DepEd is removing Grades 1 and 11 is false and legally impossible without an act of Congress.

Related Tags

DepEd K to 12 Program Philippines education system SY 2025-2026 Fake news
ADVERTISEMENT
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1561_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1562_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1563_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}

{{ articles_filter_1564_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.mb-article-details { position: relative; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview, .mb-article-details .article-body-summary{ font-size: 17px; line-height: 30px; font-family: "Libre Caslon Text", serif; color: #000; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview iframe , .mb-article-details .article-body-summary iframe{ width: 100%; margin: auto; } .read-more-background { background: linear-gradient(180deg, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0) 13.75%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0.8) 30.79%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000) 72.5%); position: absolute; height: 200px; width: 100%; bottom: 0; display: flex; justify-content: center; align-items: center; padding: 0; } .read-more-background a{ color: #000; } .read-more-btn { padding: 17px 45px; font-family: Inter; font-weight: 700; font-size: 18px; line-height: 16px; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle; border: 1px solid black; background-color: white; } .hidden { display: none; }
function initializeAllSwipers() { // Get all hidden inputs with cms_article_id document.querySelectorAll('[id^="cms_article_id_"]').forEach(function (input) { const cmsArticleId = input.value; const articleSelector = '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .body_images'; const swiperElement = document.querySelector(articleSelector); if (swiperElement && !swiperElement.classList.contains('swiper-initialized')) { new Swiper(articleSelector, { loop: true, pagination: false, navigation: { nextEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-next', prevEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-prev', }, }); } }); } setTimeout(initializeAllSwipers, 3000); const intersectionObserver = new IntersectionObserver( (entries) => { entries.forEach((entry) => { if (entry.isIntersecting) { const newUrl = entry.target.getAttribute("data-url"); if (newUrl) { history.pushState(null, null, newUrl); let article = entry.target; // Extract metadata const author = article.querySelector('.author-section').textContent.replace('By', '').trim(); const section = article.querySelector('.section-info ').textContent.replace(' ', ' '); const title = article.querySelector('.article-title h1').textContent; // Parse URL for Chartbeat path format const parsedUrl = new URL(newUrl, window.location.origin); const cleanUrl = parsedUrl.host + parsedUrl.pathname; // Update Chartbeat configuration if (typeof window._sf_async_config !== 'undefined') { window._sf_async_config.path = cleanUrl; window._sf_async_config.sections = section; window._sf_async_config.authors = author; } // Track virtual page view with Chartbeat if (typeof pSUPERFLY !== 'undefined' && typeof pSUPERFLY.virtualPage === 'function') { try { pSUPERFLY.virtualPage({ path: cleanUrl, title: title, sections: section, authors: author }); } catch (error) { console.error('ping error', error); } } // Optional: Update document title if (title && title !== document.title) { document.title = title; } } } }); }, { threshold: 0.1 } ); function showArticleBody(button) { const article = button.closest("article"); const summary = article.querySelector(".article-body-summary"); const body = article.querySelector(".article-body-preview"); const readMoreSection = article.querySelector(".read-more-background"); // Hide summary and read-more section summary.style.display = "none"; readMoreSection.style.display = "none"; // Show the full article body body.classList.remove("hidden"); } document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", () => { let loadCount = 0; // Track how many times articles are loaded const offset = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]; // Offset values const currentUrl = window.location.pathname.substring(1); let isLoading = false; // Prevent multiple calls if (!currentUrl) { console.log("Current URL is invalid."); return; } const sentinel = document.getElementById("load-more-sentinel"); if (!sentinel) { console.log("Sentinel element not found."); return; } function isSentinelVisible() { const rect = sentinel.getBoundingClientRect(); return ( rect.top < window.innerHeight && rect.bottom >= 0 ); } function onScroll() { if (isLoading) return; if (isSentinelVisible()) { if (loadCount >= offset.length) { console.log("Maximum load attempts reached."); window.removeEventListener("scroll", onScroll); return; } isLoading = true; const currentOffset = offset[loadCount]; window.loadMoreItems().then(() => { let article = document.querySelector('#widget_1690 > div:nth-last-of-type(2) article'); intersectionObserver.observe(article) loadCount++; }).catch(error => { console.error("Error loading more items:", error); }).finally(() => { isLoading = false; }); } } window.addEventListener("scroll", onScroll); });
Join Our Newsletters

Sign up by email to receive news.

© 2025 Manila Bulletin The Nation's Leading Newspaper. All Rights Reserved.