DepEd opens new school year with pilot run of revised SHS curriculum

Students try to shield themselves from the heat of the noonday sun at President Corazon Aquino High School in the Baseco community in Tondo, Manila, on April 2, 2024. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News/File

MANILA (UPDATE) — The Department of Education on Monday opened the new school year 2025-2026 with the pilot implementation of the revised curriculum for the senior high school program.

The DepEd will test the new curriculum in more than 800 schools nationwide as millions of public school students return to classes today, June 16.

In the new SHS curriculum, core subjects are reduced from 15 to 5. These are Effective Communication (Mabisang Komunikasyon), Life and Career Skills, General Mathematics, General Science, and Pag-aaral ng Kasaysayan at Lipunang Pilipino.

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Unlike the previous curriculum — in which most core subjects were taught in just one semester — the new set of subjects will now be delivered across two semesters to promote better lesson retention and ease academic workload.

Based on schools' availability of qualified teachers, resources, and classroom space, some 841 public and private pilot schools have been selected for the new curriculum's pilot implementation. 

The DepEd hopes the curriculum overhaul will better prepare learners for higher education and employment after graduation.

But the principal of Rizal High School, Pasig City’s most populated school, expressed some concern over the revised SHS curriculum.

Principal Richard Santos said they hoped to be one of the pilot schools for the implementation of the new program to study its possible impact.

“So kasi as of this time we have 144 teachers. So kung mababawasan ng sabihin na natin na 3 or 5 learning areas or subjects, ‘yung teachers who handle that classes— saan sila magtuturo? Magiging Zoom class ba sila? Or do we need to follow the strict implementation of student classroom ratio of senior high school" Santos asked.

"Kasi ang laboratory ng senior high school, ang standard talaga ay 1 is to 25, 1 is to 30. Maximum dapat walang lalagpas na 1 iso 40... Magiging epekto naman sa amin, magdu-double shift kami,” he added.

'PERSISTENT SHORTAGES'

Meanwhile, the Teachers' Dignity Coalition said the pilot implementation of the new SHS curriculum lacked support.

"Reports from the field show that some schools participating in the SHS pilot are not adequately supported to deliver the new curriculum effectively," Benjo Basas, TDC national chairperson, said in a statement.

"[T]he school opening will be marred by persistent shortages in basic resources such as classrooms, armchairs, water and sanitation facilities, and learning materials, especially books aligned with the newly revised curriculum," he added.

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Basas noted that while the DepEd had acknowledged these problems, he believed that "the cynical response, particularly in pushing for adequate budget allocations in Congress, has been insufficient."

Iya Trinidad, president of the National Union of Students of the Philippines, also lamented the lack of overall funding for education in an interview on DZMM Sunday.

Trinidad pointed out the budget cuts in education, which she said led to inadequate facilities and a lack of funding for school activities.

Education Secretary Sonny Angara last week said the agency was opening 20,000 teaching positions for the new school year to improve the quality of education and reduce class sizes across the country.

RIZAL HIGH SCHOOL IN PASIG

At Rizal High School in Pasig City, Santos, the principal, believes the 13 additional SHS teachers about to start work on Wednesday are enough for the 12,661 enrollees this school year.

The number of students in Pasig’s most populated school increased this year from around 12,485 in the previous year.

“The number of teachers that was deployed by our SDO (Schools Division Office) is based on the needs of our school. Ibig sabihin po noon, senior high school kami binigyan ng additional teachers kasi doon kami may pangangailangan. So, mayroong kaming buffer po kasi para lumalabas sa aming junior high school department ay medyo sobra ng konti yung teachers namin,” Santos told ABS-CBN News.

But there is still room for more enrollees, with Santos explaining their projected count for this SY is 12,750.

The principal added they are able to keep the teacher-student ratio at 1:40 for most classes.

But a teacher noted some classes, especially under popular SHS strands like Information and Communication Technology (ICT), have over 50 students. Due to the high number, some students have had to use monoblock chairs instead of those with attached desks.

Grade 12 teacher Bryan Austria said they are already processing the request for additional chairs.

“Last year, as a grade 11 teacher, I handled 6 plus 1. So, 6 subjects, 6 classrooms plus advisory class. This year, I'm handling only 5 subjects plus 1 advisory class. So meaning mayroon talagang improvement when it comes to distribution of class schedules and teaching loads sa mga teachers natin," he said.

BATASAN HILLS NAT'L HS IN QC

Meanwhile, the opening of classes at Batasan Hills National High School in Quezon City was organized and peaceful amid thousands of students because of the blended learning being implemented in Grades 7 to 10.

A flag-raising ceremony was held around 5:30 in the morning of Monday, marking the first day of back-to-school, with grade 10 students being the first batch to be welcomed by school staff. 

For the afternoon session, grade 9 students will take over the classrooms.

The blended learning setup helps the school to decongest classrooms and avoid an excess number of students.

Around 15,000 high school students were enrolled at Batasan Hills National High School, with 800 grade 11 students who have a full week of face-to-face classes.

"Yung anak ko nga po 3:30 (am) pa lang gising na," said Lorvie Pabroa, mother of a student.

Pabroa is satisfied with the quality of education being offered by the school under the blended learning modality.

"Maganda po kasi nakikita po namin lahat lalong-lalo na sa anak ko. Ang anak ko po nasa special section. Kaya niya pong makipagsabay ng mga bata namin dito sa mga estudyante kahit saan na mag-aaral. Nagkaklase po sila ng online, talagang tinututukan sila ng teachers," she added.

The school principal admitted they are still facing challenges along the way because of inconsistent internet signal.

"Malaking challenge po 'yung pag maintain po namin ng website. Minsan 'yung aming provider doon nalalaglag, wala kaming magawa roon," Joseph Paliso, the school principal, mentioned.

SCHOOL SAFETY

The government, Trinidad added, should also allocate funds to ensure the safety of students inside and outside of school premises.

More than 37,000 police officers will be deployed nationwide at 45,974 public and private schools for the opening of classes on June 16, the Philippine National Police said.

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Thousands of volunteers have also joined the annual Brigada Eskwela program to ensure schools are ready for the opening of classes.

— With reports from Francis Orcio, Christopher Sitson, Agatha Gregorio, and David Dizon, ABS-CBN News

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