K-10 pilot implementation receives ‘positive feedback’
AN Education official reported positive feedback from students and teachers on the ongoing pilot testing of the new and revised K-10 (Matatag) curriculum, which aims to “decongest” the competencies of the current curriculum.
Department of Education Central Visayas (DepEd 7) Director Salustiano Jimenez said teachers find it easier to deliver instructions due to the revisions.
“Both teachers and learners will be happy. Teachers will no longer be burdened by the multitude of competencies, and learners will also no longer be overwhelmed by the lessons,” Jimenez said, adding that this is aligned with the standardized curriculum followed abroad. DepEd defines learning competencies as the “knowledge, understanding, skills and attitudes that students need to demonstrate in every lesson and/or learning activity.”
Jimenez said the first phase of the Matatag curriculum, which covers Kindergarten, Grades 1, 4 and 7, will be implemented across the country in the upcoming school year 2024-2025, with the second phase piloted in the same schools that participated in the pilot implementation of the first phase.
The Matatag curriculum had its pilot implementation in 35 schools nationwide last Sept. 25. It was participated in by five schools each in Central Visayas, National Capital Region, Cordillera Administrative Region, Regions 1, 2 and 12, and Caraga.
In Central Visayas, the schools selected for the pilot implementation are Tindog Integrated School in Medellin town, North Central Elementary School in San Fernando town, Tabogon Central Elementary School, Dumanjug National High School and Liloan National High School.
Jimenez said the Matatag curriculum will bring about significant adjustments in subjects and their allocation across grade levels. Full implementation is scheduled for different grades over the next few school years.
Under the Matatag curriculum, Grade 1 students will be taught five subjects: Language, Reading and Literacy, Mathematics, Makabansa and Good Manners and Right Conduct (GMRC). This is a reduction from the previous seven subjects, which were Mother Tongue, Filipino, English, Mathematics, Araling Panlipunan, MAPEH, and Edukasyon sa Pagpapakatao.
For Grade 2 students, the subjects will include Mathematics, Makabansa and GMRC, with English and Filipino replacing language, reading and literacy. Science will be introduced in Grade 3 in addition to the existing five subjects.
Jimenez said the medium of instruction for Kindergarten to Grade 3 would be the mother tongue language, specifically Cebuano for the region.
From Grades 4 to 10, students will study eight subjects: Filipino, English, Science, Mathematics, Araling Panlipunan, MAPEH, Technology and Livelihood Education, and GMRC.
The revised curriculum will be implemented in several phases as follows: Kindergarten, Grades 1, 4 and 7 in the academic year 2024-2025; Grades 2, 5 and 8 in the academic year 2025-2026; Grades 3, 6 and 9 in the subsequent academic year, and Grade 10 in 2027-2028.