DepEd eyes cutting core senior high subjects by more than half

Metro Manila, Philippines – The Department of Education (DepEd) is pushing to cut the number of core subjects in senior high school (SHS) by more than half, the agency said on Thursday, Nov. 7.

In a press release, the agency said five or six core subjects will allow students to focus on immersion activities. The SHS curriculum has 15 core subjects.

The program began in 2016 to improve employability of high school graduates.

“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,” Education Secretary Sonny Angara was quoted as saying in the 2024 Regional Conference on Educational Planning in Asia held on Monday, Nov. 4.

The agency said it met with academic experts early this week to fast-track the SHS program review.

In 2023, a task force was formed to review the SHS curriculum under then education chief and Vice President Sara Duterte.

DepEd carried out the revised K-10 program under the K-12 curriculum for school year 2024-2025.

NewsWatch Plus correspondent Lance Mejico contributed to this report