DepEd starts training teachers on ‘Matatag’ curriculum

MANILA, Philippines — In preparation for the first phase of the “Matatag” curriculum’s implementation next school year, the Department of Education (DepEd) will begin training teachers and school leaders from Jan. 22 to April 4.

“Matatag” is a revised basic education curriculum under the K-12 program that covers kindergarten up to Grade 10. It aims to “produce competent, job-ready, active, responsible and patriotic citizens.”

In a memorandum signed on Dec. 20, 2023, by Education Undersecretaries Gina Gonong and Wilfredo Cabral, it said the series of trainings would ensure that teachers and school leaders have an in-depth understanding of the revised curriculum for kindergarten, Grades 1, 4 and 7.

“Specifically, it aims to equip teachers and school leaders with the necessary knowledge, skills, and competencies to effectively implement the new curriculum in the coming school year,” the officials added.

According to the memorandum, lead trainers, including directors of the National Educators Academy of the Philippines, chiefs and training specialists will undergo the preparation work first from Jan. 22 to Jan. 26.

Maximize teachers’ load

In the next weeks, the training will be implemented at the national, regional and division levels with teachers from kindergarten, Grades 1, 4, and 7 starting a one-month school-based training on the new curriculum on March 4.

But even before that, a quality assurance and finalization of the curriculum training resource package will be done from Jan. 8 to 19, DepEd said. To ensure that all teachers concerned would be able to attend the training, school heads were advised to implement strategies like maximizing the load of those from other grade levels who would not be participating.

They may also schedule a half-day training for Kindergarten, Grades 1, 4, and 7 teachers totaling 40 hours to avoid disrupting regular classes.

For those who could afford it, school heads may consider hiring substitute teachers, or tapping teacher applicants for voluntary service during the training period.