Amended SHS program set for full implementation by SY 2026-2027
The full rollout of the amended Senior High program is targeted to begin by school year 2026-2027, the Department of Education said.
According to DepEd Undersecretary Gina Gonong, the pilot implementation of the amended SHS program in 841 schools this year, which runs from June 16 to March 31, 2026, serves to address all possible challenges in preparation for the new curriculum's full execution next year.
“We need to review on how to strengthen the program once it is fully implemented. If we have a pilot (program), we will learn. We want to address the challenges. There will be feedback from the teachers so these learnings will be used for the national implementation of the senior high school program,” Gonong said in a radio interview.
Out of the 841 pilot schools, 580 are public and 261 are private. The vast majority are in urban areas, with only 35 in rural communities. These pilot schools represent about 6.6% of the country's 12,739 senior high schools.
“This is the first revision of the Senior High School program since its first implementation. The directive of the President is to strengthen the senior high school program so that our students will be well prepared,” Gonong added.
Furthermore, she said that Education Secretary Sonny Angara wants to decongest the subjects in the senior high school curriculum, lessening the core subjects from 15 to five.
“There are so many subjects in the senior high school curriculum. As a result, there is no comprehensive teaching to the students,” Gonong noted.
Under the revised curriculum, the five core subjects are: Effective Communication, Life Skills, General Mathematics, General Science, and Pag-aaral ng Kasaysayan at Lipunang Pilipino.
She added that the students can choose their own elective subjects "depending on their prepared path." Grade 11 students can pick two, while Grade 12 students can choose seven electives.
Additionally, the revised SHS program will feature an extended work immersion component as they see this as a "demand," with hours increasing from 340 to 640, according to Gonong.
Gonong explained that this change directly responds to calls from industry partners, who emphasized the need for more comprehensive student preparation to enhance their employability.
She also announced that the National Educators Academy of the Philippines has been tasked with training teachers involved in the pilot implementation of the revised SHS curriculum.
The DepEd will launch the Academic Recovery and Acceleration Program in the upcoming 2025-2026 school year. This program, approved by Congress, aims to provide tutoring for students facing academic difficulties, ensuring they achieve grade-level competency and functional literacy.
Gonong emphasized that the overarching goal of all these reforms is to better prepare students for their future.
“We want them to give more opportunities to guide whether they choose college or if they want to become entrepreneurs. We want them to be prepared in their senior high school,” she said. (with reports from Bella Cariaso)
