Education Secretary Sonny Angara admitted that the additional two years in the basic education curriculum has failed to produce skilled and job-ready graduates.

Angara, a former senator who authored various laws to advance the country’s educational system, noted that his agency is currently revising the Kindergarten to Grade 12 (K to 12) curriculum as it is “highly congested.”

“Implementation has not been good the past decade. There are just too many subjects and the students are not able to choose,” Angara said in a statement.

“So this June, we will change them in 800 schools where there is a pilot implementation of the new senior high school curriculum,” the DepEd chief added.

As to the calls to remove senior high school from the basic education curriculum, Angara said it is up to Congress to decide whether or not to continue it.

“Having said that, the decision on whether to continue implementing senior high school is for Congress to decide,” he said.

Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada has filed a measure seeking to rationalize the basic education system by removing senior high school under the K to 12 program.

Under the proposed measure, the fundamental principles of RA 10533 without the SHS level will be retained in a bid “to simplify the high school system while still making sure students get quality education that meets global standards.”

The Department of Education has also revised the age cut-off policy for admission so that more Filipino children would be eligible for Kindergarten starting this upcoming school year.

Under the updated guidelines, children who turn five on or before 31 October of the school year may enroll in Kindergarten — extending the previous cut-off date of 31 August. The move aims to provide a more inclusive and developmentally attuned enrollment window, especially for families with children born in the latter part of the year.