THE Department of Education yesterday said the pilot testing of the revised K to 10 curriculum in 35 schools in seven regions in the country proceeded without a hitch but added that class program designs will undergo refinement.
DepEd Undersecretary and spokesperson Michael Poa said the regions participating in the pilot study reported to the DepEd Central Office that “teachers were adequately prepared for the pilot implementation due to capacity building activities and orientation sessions” on the revised curriculum conducted before the first day of implementation last Monday.
“Generally speaking, the first day of the pilot implementation of the Matatag K to 10 curriculum was met with positivity as learners, teachers, and schools were receptive to the new curriculum,” Poa said.
Despite the initial positive feedback, Poa said class program designs are undergoing further adjustments in some schools to address the changes in time allotments of particular learning areas.
However, he stressed this should be expected as the revised curriculum is still under pilot study.
“This period of adjustment is expected – as the very purpose of the pilot implementation is to monitor and determine areas that may need to be improved or enhancements that may be put in place in preparation for the nationwide phased-implementation of the Matatag curriculum come school year 2024-2025,” he explained.
DepEd Assistant Secretary Francis Cesar Bringas had earlier said they had ironed out any kinks that might mar the start of the pilot study, including ensuring that teachers who will handle the new curriculum are adequately oriented and trained and learning resources are downloaded to them.
He added that “funds have been downloaded to support the implementation” from the national office to the respective regional and division offices where the schools that will pilot test the revised curriculum will be held.
The DepEd said it has allocated P39.2 million for the production and printing of learning resources and another P7.9 million for the conduct of orientation and training of teachers and other education officials.
‘GUINEA PIGS’
The Alliance of Concerned Teachers yesterday asked the DepEd to stop what it said was the premature implementation of the revised K to 10 curriculum and treat learners as “guinea pigs.”
The group said it would be better if DepEd stopped its implementation of the revised curriculum under the Matatag education agenda of the Marcos administration and consulted with education stakeholders for a “relevant and responsive curriculum.”
“Just like in the implementation of K-12 in 2012, it is disheartening that after more than a decade, the DepEd would tell the public that an implemented curriculum is problematic,” the group said, adding that despite the rosy statements of the department, the revised curriculum was just a “mere rebranding” of the current curriculum whose main goal is to produce and meet the global demand for “cheap and docile” workforce.
ACT said DepEd should come up with a curriculum that “genuinely” produces graduates who can contribute to nation-building.
“The benchmarking of the 21st-century skills development to produce graduates is aligned to the demands of foreign entities. This runs counter to our need to produce graduates that should be inclined to the constitutional mandate of education to establish, maintain and support a complete, adequate and integrated system of education relevant to the needs of the people and society,” ACT added.
The group also bewailed the lack of an “open, democratic and genuine” consultation by DepEd with education stakeholders, especially teachers, who will teach the revised curriculum.
The group said DepEd should conduct an “evidence-based” nationwide assessment to determine the extent of learning loss brought about by the current “faulty” curriculum and the two-year physical closure of schools during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The DepEd has yet to comment on ACT’s statement.
The DepEd earlier said it has tapped 117 specialists, 533 teachers, school heads and supervisors, 126 consultants, 205 external experts, 180 private schools and organizations, and seven international experts to conduct the review of the curriculum.
