The Department of Education (DepEd) has unveiled a strengthened Senior High School (SHS) curriculum aimed at addressing long-standing criticisms of the program.

This initiative, which opened for public consultation on April 4 and ends on Friday, April 11, seeks to better prepare students for higher education and the workforce while streamlining the learning experience.

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https://mb.com.ph/2025/4/7/online-public-consultation-on-revised-shs-curriculum

In line with the administration’s commitment to education reform under President Marcos, DepEd invited stakeholders to provide feedback on the updated Grade 11 and 12 curriculum guides (CGs) through online public consultation.

“The consultations are open to the general public, including teachers, learners, parents, and industry representatives,” DepEd said in a statement issued on April 9.

DepEd explained that this initiative follows earlier stakeholder engagements from January to February 2025, where over 2,000 participants across 14 regions shared insights on the proposed features of the strengthened SHS program.

“The feedback from the online consultations will be reviewed and integrated into the final SHS curriculum framework,” DepEd said.

Key changes

To allow students to focus on essential topics, one of the key changes in the strengthened SHS curriculum is the reduction of core subjects.

The curriculum also introduces a more flexible system, enabling students to select electives across clusters rather than being confined to specific strands.

DepEd noted that an important feature of the new curriculum is the reduction in the number of core subjects from 15 (offered per semester) to five (offered for a full year in Grade 11).

The new subjects are Effective Communication, Life Skills, General Mathematics, General Science, and Pag-aaral ng Kasaysayan at Lipunang Pilipino.

“The updated core SHS subjects are designed to deepen learners’ foundational competencies in communication, scientific and mathematical thinking, and personal development, better preparing them for lifelong learning and active civic participation,” DepEd explained.

“Time allotments for the subjects have also been revised to give students more opportunities to master essential competencies,” the agency added.

Moreover, DepEd noted that elective subjects have been “updated and organized into clusters” to help schools manage teachers and learning resources more efficiently.

“Students will now have the option to choose electives across multiple clusters, rather than taking a fixed set of subjects based on their strand,” DepEd said.

Another salient feature of the strengthened SHS program, DepEd said, is that it will shift to only two tracks: Academic and TechPro. Electives related to Arts and Sports will remain but will now fall under the Academic track.

DepEd is also rolling out a “doorway option,” enabling students to choose subjects aligned with their desired exit pathways. This approach offers learners more flexibility to tailor their education according to their individual goals.

Concerns raised

While it welcomes the opportunity for stakeholders to provide feedback on the revised SHS curriculum, the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT)-NCR Union viewed with “critical concern” DepEd’s announcement regarding the public consultations.

“We must emphasize that meaningful consultation requires more than just a week-long online survey to address the fundamental issues plaguing our education system,” ACT said in a statement.

In particular, ACT noted that the streamlining of core subjects from 15 per semester to just five per year raises “serious concerns” about the comprehensive development of the students.

“While we recognize the need to address curriculum congestion, we are worried that this drastic reduction may compromise the holistic education our youth deserve,” the group said.

The group said it is “particularly vigilant” about the shift toward more “electives” and the clustering of subjects under the Academic and Tech-Voc categories.

“Our experience shows that such restructuring often aligns with neoliberal education policies that prioritize producing workers for the market rather than cultivating critical thinkers for society,” ACT said.

ACT noted that while the proposed “doorway option”—which allows students to take subjects from other strands—“sounds promising in theory,” it is also concerning.

“We question whether schools—especially those in underserved communities—will have the resources to genuinely offer this flexibility,” ACT added.

Teachers’ welfare

ACT pointed out that the consultation packet mentioned a pilot implementation in SY 2025-2026 but “fails to detail” how teachers will be prepared for these changes.

“Once again, teachers are expected to shoulder the burden of curriculum revisions without adequate training, resources, or compensation,” the group said.

For ACT, any curriculum reform “must prioritize teachers' welfare as a central consideration.”

“Teachers are already overworked, underpaid, and struggling with large class sizes, inadequate facilities, and excessive administrative tasks,” ACT said. “Adding new curriculum demands without addressing these fundamental welfare issues is both unjust and counterproductive to quality education,” it added.

Related to this, ACT urged DepEd to include concrete provisions for teacher support in this curriculum revision. This, the group said, should include reduced teaching loads, appropriate compensation for additional preparation time, and comprehensive professional development.

Extend consultation period

ACT also called on DepEd Secretary Sonny Angara to extend the consultation period substantially beyond one week and to conduct face-to-face consultations with teachers, students, and communities nationwide.

Additionally, Angara was urged to first conduct a comprehensive review of the K-to-12 curriculum.

“The voices of classroom teachers, who will implement these changes, must be central to the revision process—not merely an afterthought,” ACT said.

The group also demands transparency on how these curriculum changes will be supported with appropriate funding for facilities, learning materials, and teacher training.

“Without these essential components, even the most well-designed curriculum will fail in implementation,” ACT noted.

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