25/07/2025
๐๐๐ฉ๐๐ ๐๐ข๐ฅ๐จ๐ญ๐ฌ ๐๐ญ๐ซ๐๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ง๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ซ๐ซ๐ข๐๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ฎ๐ฆ ๐ข๐ง ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ก๐จ๐จ๐ฅ๐ฌ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐๐๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ ๐ซ๐๐ฆ ๐๐๐ฉ๐ฌ
The Department of Education (DepEd) will implement the pilot of the Strengthened Senior High School (SHS) Curriculum in 800 schools across the country starting School Year 2025โ2026 as a response to the problems faced by the current SHS program and to better prepare students for college, work, business, or technical careers.
๐๐จ๐๐ฅ ๐จ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ซ๐ซ๐ข๐๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ฎ๐ฆ
The goal of the new curriculum is to solve the problem of too many subjects, reaching up to 31 subjects, including those that donโt need to be repeated or are similar โ and the lack of freedom in choosing; students have only a few elective subjects to choose from.
There is also a lack of facilities and teachers โ many schools do not have enough equipment or experts in specialized subjects. The quality of learning is also low. Tests from both local and international sources showed that students only had a small improvement in their skills.
๐๐จ๐๐๐ซ๐ง ๐๐๐๐๐๐ฆ๐ข๐ ๐๐ซ๐๐๐ค
Under the strengthened SHS curriculum, the system will be reorganized into two main tracks โ the Academic Track and the Technical-Professional (TechPro) Track.
The number of core subjects will be lowered from 15 to 5 interdisciplinary subjects โ including Effective Communication, General Mathematics, General Science, Life and Career Skills, and the Study of History and Philippine Society.
There will also be more elective subjects arranged into clusters. Using the โdoorway option,โ students can choose a subject from a different track, depending on their interest and life goals.
Work immersion will also be longer โ from the previous 80โ320 hours, it will now be 320โ640 hours, so students can gain more real experience.
Also, there will be a standardized exit assessment, especially for Alternative Learning System (ALS) learners, to fairly measure what they have learned.
โSo this June, we will start changing in 800 schools where there will be a pilot implementation of the new SHS curriculum,โ said Education Secretary Sonny Angara.
โOur goal is to make learning more relevant, practical, and aligned with the realities of the labor market. We want our students to graduate not just with diplomas, but with actual skills and opportunities,โ he emphasized.
The curriculum was formed based on the Strengthened SHS Shaping Paper and the study made in 2024 by the Assessment, Curriculum, and Technology Research Centre (ACTRC). The new curriculum focuses on skills needed in todayโs world such as Critical Thinking, Creativity, Collaboration, Effective Communication, and Digital Literacy.
๐๐ก๐๐ง ๐๐ญ ๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ญ
This move follows President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.โs vision for a โfuture-readyโ education system. It is also supported by the DepEd SHS National Task Force and coordinated with TESDA and partners from different industries.
The pilot implementation started on June 16, 2025, and will last for one full school year (2025โ2026). The final decision if it will be done nationwide depends on the results and on Congress.
โEducation is the foundation of a progressive and resilient nation,โ President Marcos said. โBy upgrading our curriculum, we are giving Filipino learners a fighting chance in a fast-changing world and an edge in both local and global arenas.โ
Through this reform, DepEd hopes to give students a more practical, more flexible, and more effective education for true success in the future.
//written by Princes Issiahna Calipay
//layout by John Earl Barrera
