The Department of Education (DepEd) is gearing up for the phased rollout of the revised K–10 curriculum, known as the MATATAG curriculum, starting this upcoming school year. DepEd Assistant Secretary and Deputy Spokesperson Francis Cesar Bringas assured the public that preparations are well underway.
“We are currently rolling out the teachers who will handle Kinder, Grades 1, 4, and 7 by the academic year 2024-2025,” stated Bringas in a televised interview, highlighting the ongoing teacher deployment process. He also mentioned that Division Training of Trainers will be completed by the end of June, with intensive teacher training scheduled to commence in July.
Launched in August 2023, the MATATAG Curriculum aims to streamline the existing curriculum, placing a stronger emphasis on foundational skills such as literacy, numeracy, and socio-emotional development among young learners.
DepEd outlined the phased implementation plan: Kindergarten, Grades 1, 4, and 7 for the academic year 2024-2025; Grades 2, 5, and 8 for 2025-2026; Grades 3, 6, and 9 for 2026-2027; and Grade 10 for 2027-2028.
To address concerns about the impact of a potentially shortened school year on the transition to the revised curriculum, Bringas explained modifications made in Grade 1, where the number of learning areas has been reduced from seven to five, consequently decreasing the number of learning competencies.
DepEd has proposed a return to the traditional 180-day school calendar by the 2025–2026 academic year. To facilitate this, the agency plans to shorten the school year to 166 days for the upcoming 2024–2025 academic year.
Despite these adjustments, DepEd remains committed to ensuring the quality of education. Bringas emphasized the need for innovative approaches to address potential learning gaps caused by the reduced number of school days.
As DepEd finalizes the proposed school calendar for the upcoming academic years, Bringas reassured that the Bureau of Learning Delivery is actively devising strategies to implement the curriculum effectively within the confines of a shortened school calendar.
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