THE Department of Education in Davao Region (DepEd-Davao) clarified that the piloting of the strengthened Senior High School (SHS) curriculum is still in its experimental phase and not guaranteed for full implementation in the coming school years.
DepEd-Davao spokesperson Jenielito “Dodong” Atillo said the results of the pilot run will guide the department in deciding whether to adopt the revised curriculum, keep the current SHS tracks, or revert to the previous system.
“This is just a pilot, and it doesn’t necessarily reflect what will happen in the next years. Whether the outcome is positive or negative, that will be the department’s basis for its decision,” he said. He explained that the pilot schools would use the strengthened curriculum, while non-pilot schools would continue to follow the previous scheme.
Atillo said that under the strengthened curriculum, the four existing tracks: Academic, Technical-Vocational, Sports, and Arts would be reduced to two: Academic and Technical-Professional. He added that the tracks not included in the revised two would be categorized as electives to streamline the SHS program.
Only the selected pilot schools will implement the revised curriculum, while other schools will continue with the existing structure.
While Atillo did not disclose which schools will take part in the pilot, he confirmed that both public and private institutions across the region will be included.
He explained that the number of pilot schools in each division depends on the size of the school division office.
For smaller divisions, one public and one private school will participate. Medium-sized divisions will have two public and one private school involved, while large and very large divisions will each have three public and two private schools implementing the pilot.
Davao City, classified as a very large division, will have five participating schools — three public and two private.
Atillo assured that DepEd has a clear design for the pilot implementation and will closely monitor its progress. He emphasized that feedback from the participating schools will be essential in assessing the effectiveness and practicality of the revised curriculum.
To further inform the curriculum development process, DepEd conducted an online public consultation on the proposed SHS curriculum guides from April 4 to 11, 2025. The feedback collected during this period will be reviewed and incorporated into the final version of the curriculum.
Education Secretary Sonny Angara earlier announced that the revised SHS curriculum is set for phased implementation beginning in the academic year 2025–2026. RGP