DepEd wants to hasten review on SHS program

CEBU, Philippines — Education Secretary Sonny Angara wants the review of senior high school curriculum and the proposed reduction of their subjects to be accelerated.

Angara told delegates to the regional conference on educational planning in Asia that the revision of senior high school curriculum remains a top priority of the Department of Education (DepEd).

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

The meeting with consultants from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) sought to provide recommendations on the structure of the SHS curriculum and on the content of English, Science, and Math standards and curriculum guides.

Angara said that having fewer subjects in senior high school will give learners more time for work emersion.

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

Education experts from other countries observed that the country’s basic education curriculum is already crowded.

“So, we’re on the right direction to reduce the core subjects of our SHS curriculum to just five or six subjects,” he added.

DepEd has collaborated with ADB to provide technical assistance and professional guidance to DepEd specialists in revising the SHS curriculum. ADB’s technical advice to DepEd will be evidence-based approaches and strategies on the process of curriculum review and revision. — (FREEMAN)