The Department of Education (DepEd) is set to reduce the number of core subjects to focus more on students’ employability.
Photo: DepEd
Education Secretary Sonny Angara said at the 2024 Regional Conference on Educational Planning in Asia that they are headed in the “right direction” to reduce the core subjects of the SHS curriculum to five or six.
“If we reduce the subjects of our SHS curriculum, the students will have more time for the on-the-job training or work immersion needed by the industry so that our senior high school graduates will become more employable even if they lack work experience,” he said.
There are currently 15 core curriculum subjects in the SHS program. Regardless of the learner’s chosen track, they must take these subjects during the two-year SHS program.
Below are the 15 core subjects of DepEd’s SHS curriculum:
- 21st Century Literature from the Philippines and the World
- Contemporary Philippine Arts from the Regions
- Earth and Life Science
- General Mathematics
- Introduction to the Philosophy of the Human Person
- Komunikasyon at Pananaliksik sa Wika at Kulturang Filipino
- Media and Information Literacy
- Oral Communication
- Pagbasa at Pagsusuri ng Iba’t Ibang Teksto tungo sa Pananaliksik
- Personal Development
- Physical Education and Health
- Physical Science
- Reading and Writing
- Statistics and Probability
- Understanding Culture, Society, and Politics
The review of the SHS curriculum aims to enhance learners’ preparedness and competencies for employment.
However, a study by the Philippine Business for Education (PBED) found that only “about 20 percent” of 70 of the country’s leading companies hire SHS graduates.
Many companies across various sectors prefer to hire job applicants with at least two years of college education, which often excludes those who are only SHS graduates.
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