Department of Education (DepEd) Secretary Sonny Angara admitted that there were shortcomings in implementing the Senior High School (SHS) curriculum under the K-12 program but emphasized that Congress holds the final decision on its continuation.
His statement follows Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada’s proposal to restructure the country’s education system by abolishing SHS, citing its failure to fully equip graduates with necessary skills for employment.
The K-12 program has been in effect for 12 years since the passage of Republic Act No. 10533, also known as the Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013.
Angara confirmed that DepEd plans to introduce changes to SHS in the upcoming School Year 2025-2026 through a pilot implementation of a revised curriculum.
One of the major adjustments in the new SHS curriculum is the reduction of core subjects from 15 per semester to five per year, allowing greater focus on essential topics.
The proposed core subjects include Effective Communication, Life Skills, General Mathematics, General Science, and Philippine History and Society.
DepEd clarified that subjects removed from the core curriculum would be classified as electives instead of applied and specialized subjects.