The Department of Education (DepEd) has reduced the number of subjects in Senior High School (SHS) curriculum so that the students can focus more on the work immersion program which allows them to have more hours to learn skills needed by the industry.

“We’re still reviewing our curriculum for Grades 11 and 12. We will reduce the subjects, because right now, there are 30 subjects being taken by the students,” Education Secretary Sonny Angara told reporters in an ambush interview at the sidelines of a regional conference on educational planning at the Seameo Innotech in Quezon City on Tuesday.

“It’s like the students haven’t mastered anything because they have so many subjects,” the DepEd chief added.

Angara said that the country’s basic education curriculum was already overcrowded according to education experts from other countries.

“So, we’re on the right direction to reduce the core subjects of our SHS urriculum to just five or six subjects,” he said.

Unlike in other countries, SHS students are allowed to choose what courses or specializations they want, just like in junior college, according to Angara.

“So, we have that principle, in which, at that age, the children are not yet sure what they really want to do with their life,” Angara said.

“So, we must have flexibility in our system. 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,” the DepEd chief added. Angara said they are hoping to fully implement the new SHS curriculum for school year 2025-2026.

“Our goal is to implement it by next school year,” he said.