DepEd eyes reducing SHS core subjects to 5

The Department of Education (DepEd) is set to fast-track the review of the curriculum for senior high school (SHS) and reduce the number of subjects, allowing learners to focus more on work immersion.

During the 2024 Regional Conference on Educational Planning in Asia on Monday, Education Secretary Sonny Angara said that DepEd aims to reduce the core subjects of the SHS curriculum to five or six. 

“So, we must have flexibility in our system,” Angara said in a statement. 

“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 so that our senior high school graduates will become more employable even if they lack work experience,” he added. 

DepEd officials earlier met with academic experts to accelerate efforts in reviewing and streamlining the SHS program and subjects.

Last year, DepEd organized a national task force to conduct a review on the implementation of the SHS program in both DepEd and non-DepEd schools.

Angara’s predecessor, Vice President Sara Duterte, said the revision of the K to 12 curriculum aims to produce more job-ready and responsible graduates.

In February, Duterte said that the revised SHS curriculum may be piloted in School Year 2025-2026. 

DepEd first launched the revised K-10 curriculum of the K-12 program in August 2023.

Under the recalibrated K-10 curriculum, which is now in its phased implementation, the number of learning competencies was reduced by 70% from around 11,700 to 3,600. 

DepEd also cut down the number of subjects, with greater emphasis given on the development of Kinder to Grade 3 learners' foundational skills such as literacy, numeracy, and socio-emotional skills.

—VAL, GMA Integrated News