Marcos orders DepEd to rationalize SHS curriculum
Education Secretary Sonny Angara —Inquirer file photo/Niño Jesus Orbeta
MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ordered the rationalization of the Senior High School (SHS) Curriculum, informed Education Secretary Sonny Angara on Tuesday.
According to Angara, Marcos gave the directive after approving “in principle” the creation of a cabinet cluster for education during a sectoral briefing in Malacañang.
READ: Marcos OKs creation of Cabinet cluster to address education issues
“So, these are just the basics that the President ordered us to do: The rationalization of senior high school curriculum,” Angara said in a Malacañang briefing.
With this, Angara said DepEd is planning to reduce the usual 22 subjects per academic track by making the others voluntary to students.
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“We will not reduce the subjects they can get, but we will make these voluntary or elective,” Angara said.
“So, we will create a core for all four tracks commonly taken by students to make sure that they are well-equipped–they have reading and writing skills; they have communications skills; they have personal development or soft skills; they have physical education–so, they’ll become well-rounded persons no matter what they’ll do. They’ll have foundational skills,” he added.
All this will be implemented, said Angara, while ensuring that student’s electives and chosen tracks remain complementary.
Apart from rationalizing the SHS curriculum, Angara said Marcos also directed the DepEd to collaborate with industries and ensure SHS graduates could acquire high-quality jobs.
“Our link-up with industries for senior high school–that is what the President emphasized so that they have a good chance of getting a job and not just an ordinary job but quality ones that pay well and can support the person and his or her family,” he said.
