Highschool students playfully jump over a puddle of water on Dagat-dagatan Street in Caloocan City on September 19, 2022 after classes as the monsoon season brings sudden torrential rains in the metro. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News/File

MANILA — The Department of Education has updated its proposed curriculum for the "strengthened" Senior High School program, which will be piloted in over 800 schools this coming school year.

Instead of the five core subjects in its initial proposal, the DepEd adopted in its proposed SHS curriculum five of the eight general education subjects for college students, to help reduce the number of years in college and remove the bridging programs.

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Under the new proposal, the SHS core subjects will include (1) Purposive Communication, (2) Understanding the Self, (3) Mathematics in the Modern World, (4) Science, Technology and Society, and (5) Readings in Philippine History.

During a briefing before the House Committee on Basic Education and Culture on Wednesday, Education Assistant Secretary Janir Datukan said this is the result of the inter-agency meeting among the DepEd, the Commission on Higher Education, and the TESDA, following the recommendations of the House panel last week.

“Lima po ina-adopt namin, aligned with the CHED GE courses, and we are adopting that as our core courses,” Datukan told the panel.

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The remaining three of the eight general education subjects for college students, meanwhile, may be mapped against existing basic education curriculum subjects, according to the DepEd.

These are Art Appreciation, The Contemporary World, and Ethics.

That is why the DepEd is recommending the removal of the said subjects from the college curriculum.

“For example, art appreciation can be mapped in basic education arts subject/learning area, the contemporary world can be mapped against araling panlipunan in our basic education and ethics can be mapped against GMRC and values education… the recommendation is for CHED to remove these three GE courses,” Datukan said.

With the proposed SHS curriculum, committee chairperson Rep. Roman Romulo expects the years in college to be reduced by one semester once it is fully implemented.

“Based sa discussion kanina… open na ang CHED na maaaring mawala ng isang buong sem sa kolehiyo,” he said.

Romulo also asked the DepEd to study whether in the absence of a law, it can provide a way for Grade 10 or 11 students to skip the remaining years in basic education after passing an exam, and immediately begin college education.

Marikina City 2nd District Representative Stella Quimbo, meanwhile, raised a concern regarding dismantling of the strict strand system in the strengthened SHS curriculum. 

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“In this proposal, so instead of strands, we have clusters, and students are allowed to choose electives within those clusters. It is actually possible for example if I am in the STEM cluster… to avoid trigonometry?” Quimbo asked.

“We are strengthening guidance counseling program to exactly avoid that kind of incidence,” Datukan replied.

“Not all schools have guidance counselors, sir… At hindi required ang bata na makinig sa counselor,” Quimbo pointed out.

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