Angara admits lackluster K to 12 curriculum, says SHS abolition up to Congress

Photo by Congress.

Education Secretary Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara acknowledged the shortcomings of the previous K to 12 program implementation but left it to Congress to decide whether it should be continued.

“Hindi maganda ang naging implementation nitong nakaraang dekada. Masyadong marami ang subjects at nakahon masyado ang mga bata. Hindi sila nakakapili ng subject/s,” Angara said in a statement.

Angara, a former senator who authored few education-related laws, emphasized the Department of Education (DepEd) is currently revising the Kindergarten to Grade 12 (K to 12) curriculum, which he described as “highly congested.”

“So this June, we will begin implementing the revised senior high school curriculum in 800 schools as part of the pilot rollout,” he added.

In response to growing calls to scrap the current curriculum and Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada filing a measure seeking to rationalize the basic education system in the country by removing the SHS, Angara stressed that only Congress has the authority to decide on the matter.

“Having said that, ang desisyon kung ipagpapatuloy ang SHS o hindi ay Kongreso lamang po ang makakapagsabi at makakapag-pasya,” said the former senator.

Estrada earlier filed a proposed measure seeking to remove senior high school and streamline the basic education system citing that it “still has not fully achieved its goal” to produce skilled and job-ready graduates 12 years after the enactment of Republic Act 10533, also known as the Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013. 

Angara nonetheless pointed out that the agency is slated to employ changes this coming School Year 2025-2026 through the pilot run of the revised SHS curriculum.

Currently, there are 841 schools set to participate in the pilot run of the revised SHS curriculum which went through intensive deliberation and consultations from education stakeholders.