IMPROVING literacy and numeracy and creating "peace competencies" will be the priorities of the Department of Education (DepEd)'s review of the K to 12 curriculum, Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte said.
Duterte said that the revision of the K to 12 curriculum will make learners "more responsive to our aspiration as a nation, to develop lifelong learners who are imbued with 21st-century skills, discipline, and patriotism."
The learning areas from Kinder to Grade 3 will be reduced from seven to five to focus on foundational skills and literacy and numeracy, particularly among disadvantaged students.
Duterte said that the revised curriculum will also embed the culture of peace, which is not only vital in ensuring learners will lead the promotion of peace and order in war-inflicted areas.
"We will integrate 'peace competencies' such as social awareness, responsibility, care for the environment, value for diversity, self-esteem, positive character, resilience, and human security into the various learning areas of the K to 12 curriculum," she said when she presented her Basic Education Report on Monday.
The DepEd, Duterte added, will aim to improve English proficiency while recognizing linguistic diversity through the review of the Mother Tongue-based Multilingual Education Policy implementation.
The DepEd will also reduce the number of learning areas to focus on foundational skills and intensifying the values formation of learners. It will also be transparent with curriculum guides and test scores and will share test items with schools and teachers to strengthen the use of assessment.
The DepEd will coordinate with the Commission on Higher Education, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority and industry partners to address skills mismatches of high school graduates.
Meanwhile, The Students First Coalition lauded the student-centered agenda of Duterte, as well as the Philippine Development Plan 2023-2028 which aimed to address the education crisis in the country.
Lead convenor of Students First Coalition Dr. Victor Limlingan said that the inclusion in the Basic Education Report and the Philippine Development Plan of the expansion of education vouchers will enable students and families to choose the type of education that they will receive, regardless of their socioeconomic background.
Dr. Vicente Paqueo of the Philippine Institute for Development Studies said that resolving the crisis demands a "whole of nation" approach where the government will utilize resources and expertise from the public and private sectors.
