Gatchalian welcomes DepEd’s move to review K-12 program

Senator Sherwin Gatchalian welcomed the plan of the Department of Education (DepEd) to review the K-12 curriculum after two years of implementation, noting that the program “should be in sync with the changing times.”

“As better employment opportunities for graduates is the ultimate goal of the K-12 program, the review will update the curriculum to make it more attuned to the needs of local, regional, and global labor markets,” Gatchalian said in a statement on Tuesday.

Citing the need to be relevant in the age of technological innovations, Education Secretary Leonor Briones recently announced that they will “thoroughly review” the curriculum.

Gatchalian also welcomed Briones’ plan to shift the learning strategy of the K-12 curriculum “from memorization to analysis and problem solving” to help students develop critical thinking skills, which she said is useful when they enter the workforce.

“Bukod sa pagsasanay ng mga estudyante upang madali silang makahanap ng trabaho pagkatapos nila sa pag-aaral, kailangan din nating humubog ng mga mamamayang marunong mag-isip para sa kanilang sarili, at marunong kilalanin kung ano ang tama sa mali,” the senator said.

(Aside from training our students so they can get a job after graduation, we also need to develop citizens who can think for themselves and distinguish right from wrong.)

The K-12 program covers 13 years of basic education from kindergarten to senior high school. /ee