DepEd Launched The K To 10 Curriculum, Reduces Focus From 7 To 5 Learning Areas

This article was updated on July 4, 2024.

After two years of in-depth review, the Department of Education (DepEd) launched on Thursday, August 10, the adjusted K to 10 curriculum also called the “Matatag Curriculum”. 

The in-depth review of the K10 curriculum stemmed from former DepEd Secretary Leonor Briones’ findings which state that there are “alarming poor performance learners in national and international assessments.”

“The curriculum required instructors to teach an excessive number of learning competencies with very limited time available for instruction. Both learners and teachers are overburdened with lessons and other school tasks and activities. The result was devastating for our learners,” Vice President and DepEd Secretary Sara Duterte said the launch event in Pasay City.

RELATED: Reading, Math, GMRC Focus For Grade 1 to 3, Says Lawmaker

“It compromised their mastery of fundamental skills such as reading and solving simple math problems,” VP Sara also added. 

DepEd addresses this issue of having too much content in the classes of children in Kindergarten to Grade 10. 

What is the difference between the K to 12 and K to 10 curriculums?

As per DepEd Director IV Jocelyn Andaya of the Bureau of Curriculum Development, about 70 percent of the learning competencies of the current K to 10 curriculum have been removed. In the present K to 12 system, there are seven foundational skills or learning areas: 

• Mother Tongue
• Filipino
• English
• Mathematics 
• Araling Panlipunan
• MAPEH
• Edukasyon sa Pagpapakatao

In the adjusted K to 10 curriculum, these learning areas are reduced to only five:

• Language
• Reading and Literacy
• Mathematics
• Makabansa
• GMRC (Good Manners and Right Conduct)

In a press conference, Andaya explained, “There are competencies that repeat. There are competencies that are nice to know but not a ‘must to know’ that is why we aimed for essential learning competencies.” 

“Ito iyong mga dadalhin ng mga bata na kahit tapos na siya sa pagaaral sa isang baitang ay dadalhin niya sa susunod na baitang. Hindi niya ito makakalimutan,” she also added. 

What is the MATATAG Curriculum all about?

In January 2023, the Matatag Agenda was first introduced by the then-Department of Education Secretary and Vice President Sara Duterte. The project initially aimed to revise the basic education curriculum, accelerate the delivery of facilities and services, prioritize the well-being of students, and provide better support for teachers, said this news outlet. 

In August 2023, the Matatag Curriculum was launched by DepEd, set to be implemented this school year 2024-2025. Based on DepEd Memorandum Order No. 054 series 2023 also known as ‘Pilot Implementation of the Matatag Curriculum’, the Matatag Agenda was launched as the new direction towards improving the quality of basic education in the Philippines. It also enumerated the Matatag Curriculum's important features that aim to decongest the curriculum, focus on foundational skills, balance cognitive demands, clear articulation of 21st-century skills, reduce learning areas, intensify Values and Education and Peace Education, and be on par with international education standards. 

“The past years showed us the alarmingly poor performance of Filipino learners in national and international assessments,” Vice President Sara Duterte said during the curriculum launch in August 2023. The Matatag Curriculum sets to be DepEds first steps in responding to the Philippines’ learning crisis. Additionally, a World Bank study showed that over 90% of learners struggled to comprehend age-appropriate text.

One of the reasons for students’ performance is over-congestion with subjects, thus the decision to lessen subjects and shift learning focus to fundamental skills.

RELATED: Reading, Math, GMRC Focus For Grade 1 to 3, Says Lawmaker

What are the subjects per grade level in the Matatag Curriculum?

Another major change in the curriculum is for Kindergarten learning, which will use a “play-based approach”, and will only begin formal subjects at grade 1. 

Here are the subjects for each grade level:

• Grade 1: Language, Reading and Literacy, Mathematics, Makabansa, GMRC
• Grade 2: Filipino, English, Mathematics, Makabansa, GMRC
• Grade 3: Filipino, English, Mathematics, Makabansa, GMRC, Science
• Grades 4-10: Filipino, English, Mathematics, Science, Araling Panlipunan, Technology and Livelihood Education, MAPEH, GMRC

DepEd also gives teachers the ‘flexibility’ when it comes to the language to be taught to students, “Ang gagamitin dito ay iyong lengwahe na alam ng bata, the language that the learners speak,” Andaya explained.

DepEd highlighted that the previous subject "Mother Tongue" will no longer be a subject in all grade levels, but will only be used as a medium of instruction. 

Undersecretary for Curriculum and Teaching Gina Gonong explained, “Marami kasi tayong nakitang suliranin sa pag-iimplement nito kung kaya pinagiisipan pa natin kung ano ang tamang paraan upang matuto pa rin ang mga bata sa kanyang mga asignatura.”

She also added, “Mother tongue as a subject is actually something that can be explained also or taken up in the languages and reading and literacy.  The mother tongue as a subject has caused confusion sa teachers lalo na sa Luzon area.”

Another highlight of the Matatag Curriculum is the new subject called “Makabansa”, which DepEd says is an important tool to teach students about Filipino identity and nationalism.

READ ALSO: DepEd Made A Slight Tweak In The Panatang Makabayan To Make It 'More Inclusive'

Rowell Paderna, the focal person for the Makabansa learning area said, “Ang gagamiting pag-unawa ng mga bata, halimbawa sa usapin ng pagkilala sa sarili at kolektibong pagkilala sa kanyang lipunan at kultura ay gagamit ng kaisipan at ideya na appreciation sa arts, music, PE at health.”

VP Sara also said that the adjustment in competencies incorporates “clearer articulation of 21st-century skills” that will also teach students to be “peace-loving” individuals.

“The new K to 10 curriculum will integrate peace competencies—highlighting the promotion of non-violent actions and the development of conflict-resolution skills in learners. For after all, there is security, there is peace,” VP Sara said.

DepEd said that class hours will remain the same with the adjusted K to 10 curriculum. 

When will K to 10 curriculum be implemented?

The Matatag Curriculum will be piloted this upcoming school year 2023-2024, while DepEd is in the process of identifying the particular grade levels and schools that will use it.

Formal implementation will be done in phases until 2028:

SY 2024-2025

• Kinder
• Grade 1
• Grade 4
• Grade 7

SY 2025-2026

• Grade 2 
• Grade 5
• Grade 8

SY 2026-2027

• Grade 3
• Grade 6
• Grade 9

SY 2027-2028

• Grade 10

For Grades 11 and 12, DepEd eyes completion of curriculum review until next year. 

Matatag Curriculum FAQs

Here are other important things to know regarding the implementation of the Matatag Curriculum:

Will Senior High be scrapped?

No. Senior High School will not be abolished. DepEd is reviewing the senior high curriculum (Grades 10 to 12) and will launch the revisions sometime in 2024.

It was announced in December 2023 that the Senior High School program will be discontinued in State Universities and Colleges and Local Universities and Colleges, according to the Commission on Higher Education (CHED). Besides the universities and colleges mentioned, the senior high program is still running.

What will happen to the Mother Tongue Subjects?

According to DepEd, “Mother Tongue” will no longer be taught as a subject, but will be incorporated into other subjects. DepEd Director IV Jocelyn Andaya explained that teachers will use the language commonly spoken in the locality, reports this local publication. “Ang gagamitin dito ay iyong lengguwahe na alam ng bata (What will be used here is the language the child knows), the language that the learners speak,” she said.

Is the new curriculum applicable to private schools?

Yes, the MATATAG Curriculum applies to private schools.

DepEd rolled out trainings for teachers and principals for the implementation of the new curriculum before the school year starts. This included teaching professionals in the private sector. In February 2024, VP Sara led a meeting with private schools, “Isa sa mga napag-usapan ang pagpapatupad ng Matatag Curriculum para sa SY 2024-2025 upang masiguro na maayos ang implementasyon nito (One of the topics discussed is the implementation of the Matatag Curriculum for the school year 2024-2025 to ensure its smooth implementation),” she said, according to this news outlet.

Private institutions have the discretion to add subjects such as religious education, which is not required for public schools.

When will the learning materials be ready?

DepEd published curriculum guides through its website, including the revised subjects per grade level. It includes curriculum goals and curriculum design principles based on the Matatag agenda. It also has sample blocks of time that serve as guides for teachers for suggested daily activities, descriptions, and suggest time allotment per session and per class.

Sample curriculum guide from DepEd for the revised Kindergarten curriculum can be found in this link.

For the updated and revised books based on the Matatag Curriculum, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian said in an interview that these are expected to be released in July 2024. Senator Gatchalian heads the Senate Education Committee. He admitted that the printing schedule is tight, given the number of books that must be printed is seven to eight million books.

Expert advice: Streamlining is good for teachers and students

Smart Parenting Board of Experts member, early childhood educator and Toddlers Unlimited and Thinkers Unlimited Managing Director Thumby Server-Veloso said "I think that by removing Mother Tongue, it makes it less confusing and allows teachers to focus on the other subjects."

She adds that the reduction in the curriculum content to 70% of the former load is good news for teachers and school administrators. "There's a lot of pressure on teachers to cover so much material to the point that both students and teachers are so pressured for time. And gives less chances to master skills or engage in lengthy projects where students can apply their knowledge."

Veloso also says that the shift from K to 12 and K to 10 does not discount the good qualities of the former curriculum. "There were many good things about the current curriculum, but definitely a streamlining was needed to help both the teachers and students. Especially since many schools had to deal with a different kind of learning modality during the pandemic. Which, at the time was the best schools could do, still pales in comparison to face-to-face classes. And now, many teachers are seeing some learning gaps that need to be filled in as students return to regular school."

To help you child develop good study habits, read this story.

 

With additional reports by Ronna Bonifacio