Public school students nationwide on Monday began classes as the Department of Education (DepEd) launched the pilot test of the revised senior high school (SHS) curriculum.
The pilot program covers 889 schools nationwide and comes 12 years after the K to 12 system was institutionalized under Republic Act 10533. K to 12 extended the country’s basic education by two years but has faced sharp criticism for adding costs to parents, straining school resources, and failing to improve graduates’ skills.
In 2024, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. admitted the program did not deliver on its promise to enhance employability.
The revised SHS curriculum reduces core subjects from 15 per semester to five per year to lighten students’ workload.
Its new core subjects are Effective Communication, Life and Career Skills, General Mathematics, General Science, and Philippine History and Society.
These subjects will now span the entire academic year instead of just one semester to deepen understanding.
Students will also have only two tracks to choose from, Academic or Technical Professional, down from four. They may pick electives freely, regardless of their chosen track, as part of the curriculum overhaul.
