The New K-10 Curriculum, “Matatag”

      All throughout the years, the Philippines has shown the frighteningly poor performance of Filipino learners both in national and international studies (Education Secretary Sara Duterte, 2023). The article about the new K-10 curriculum in the Philippines, “Matatag”, seeks to analyze its effects and contribution to the country’s improved educational system. It also highlights the emphasis on the revision of subjects and the incorporation of “Mother tongue” into other subjects. The article also stated the struggles of both the students and teachers in the current curriculum, hence the need to change it. 

The Philippines' educational crisis is meant to be addressed with the new curriculum. According to World bank study, over 90% of students struggled to comprehend texts. This is quite alarming considering the fact that the country was still ranked as one of the lowest out of the 81 participating countries for 2022 in reading comprehension (Servallos, 2023). Another issue was the overloaded lessons and subjects of the past curriculum resulting in the overburden of both teachers and learners, Duterte said. Due to the excessive number of learning competencies, there is a limited time available for teaching. 

Jocelyn Andaya, the curriculum director at the Department of Education, stated in her address that they have "decongested" the existing curriculum by 70%. The foundational subjects focus on five areas which are language, reading and literacy, mathematics, makabansa (nationalism), and good manners and right conduct (GMRC). Whereas, there is different focus of subjects per grade level—1st grade – Reading and literacy, language, mathematics, Makabansa, GMRC, 2nd grade – Filipino, English, math, Makabansa, GMRC, 3rd grade – Filipino, English, math, Makabansa, GMRC, science, 4th to 10th grade: Filipino, English, math, science, Araling Panlipunan (social studies), technology and livelihood education, GMRC, MAPEH. According to DepEd, “Mother tongue” will no longer be taught as a subject, instead it will be incorporated into other subjects. This means that even if their focus is on general communication skills, the language that will be used is what the learners speak. It was also stated that the new curriculum is applicable to private institutions however they have the option to add subjects like religious education. DepEd said that the learning materials will be ready and soon to prepare for the 2024-2025 school year rollout. 

To sum up, the Matatag curriculum has the ability to promote constructive transformation in the Philippine educational system. It builds the framework for a more comprehensive, inclusive, and learner-centered educational experience by addressing long-standing problems and adopting innovative approaches.  Enabling Filipino students to prosper in a world that is always changing is becoming a reality as long as stakeholders collaborate to overcome the obstacles in their path.

Macasero, R. (2023, August 11). New K-10 curriculum in the Philippines: What you need to know. RAPPLER. https://www.rappler.com/nation/deped-k-10-curriculum-philippines-things-to-know/