Back to basics in ‘adjusted’ K to 10 curriculum

THE chairman of the House Committee on Basic Education and Culture has said the revised K to 10 curriculum, otherwise known as the Matatag curriculum, would help improve functional literacy in the Philippines.

Pasig City Rep. Roman Romulo said recalibrating the basic education curriculum by reducing the number of competencies and focusing more on foundational skills such as literacy and numeracy would boost the academic performance of Filipino students.

Students listen to their teacher during their first day of classes at the Aurora Quezon Elementary School in Manila. PHOTO BY RENE H. DILAN

Romulo pointed out the dismal results of the Philippines in large-scale international assessments of student achievement such as the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (Timss), and Southeast Asia Primary Learning Metrics (SEA-PLM).

He also cited a June 2022 World Bank report stating that 91 percent of Filipino children suffered from learning poverty, which is defined as being unable to read and understand a simple text by age 10. This situation was worsened by the Covid-19 pandemic.

He pointed out further that the current curriculum failed to meet the K to 12 promise of employment after graduation from senior high school.

The Department of Education tapped 117 specialists, over 500 supervisors and school heads, more than 400 consultants, external experts and organizations and international experts to review the K to 12 curriculum. In sum, they concluded that we needed to go back to the basics.

It used to be called the 3Rs, which focused on reading, 'riting and 'rithmetic. In short, the new curriculum is a throwback to the old one. Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte was correct in saying that there were too many competencies that overburdened the children.

There will be only five subjects in the new curriculum: Language, Reading and Literacy, Mathematics, Makabansa, and Good Manners and Right Conduct or GMRC. The success of its implementation will be tested when the country participates in national and international assessments.

Duterte said the revised basic education curriculum is tailored to produce competent, job-ready, active, responsible and patriotic citizens.

DepEd Bureau of Curriculum Development Director Jocelyn Andaya said the review, which took them two years to undertake, pruned the curriculum by 70 percent.

Andaya said it includes the development and drafting of shaping papers and curriculum guides, which were validated, revised and went through a public review before being finalized.

The DepEd has announced that the Matatag curriculum will be implemented in SY 2024-2025 for kindergarten and Grades 1, 4 and 7.

With the new curriculum, DepEd seeks to address issues in the previous system, including the congestion of content.

“The old 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,” Duterte said.

In the present system, there are seven identified foundational skills or learning areas for students: mother tongue, Filipino, English, Mathematics, Araling Panlipunan, Mapeh, and Edukasyon sa Pagpapakatao.

Under the adjusted K to 10 curriculum, learning areas have been reduced to only five: Language, Reading and Literacy, Mathematics, Makabansa, and GMRC.

Andaya said kindergarten learning will use a “play-based approach,” and formal subjects will only begin in Grade 1.

For Grade 1 pupils, DepEd has given “flexibility” to teachers when it comes to the language to be taught to students. The “mother tongue” will no longer be taught as a subject at all grade levels and will only be used as a medium of instruction.

At the outset, we see a glimmer of hope in this adjusted curriculum. It values the importance of intersectionality in the learning process. The mother tongue will be integrated into the teaching of language and literature and used as a medium of instruction. It will no longer be taught as a separate subject, which caused confusion before, especially among teachers from Luzon.

There is also special emphasis on the “Makabansa” learning areas across all levels, which DepEd sees as an important way to teach students Filipino culture and identity, as well as the importance of loving one's country.

The new K to 10 curriculum will also integrate peace competencies, highlighting the promotion of non-violent action and the development of conflict-resolution skills in learners.

Two other additional skills are needed, though: an emphasis on digital technology and critical thinking, which students also need in the 21st century global workplace.