DepEd launches MATATAG Curriculum to deal with issues in basic education

The Department of Education (DepEd) officially launched the MATATAG Curriculum, which Education Secretary and Vice President Sara Z. Duterte assured would decongest the current K to 12 Curriculum.

Duterte mentioned in her speech the revisions in the new basic education curriculum which include the reduction in the number of competencies and more focus on the development of foundational skills such as literacy, numeracy, and socio-emotional skills to kindergarten to Grade 3 learners.

In adherence to the Good Manners and Right Conduct (GMRC) and Values Education Act as well as the articulation to 21st Century Skills, Duterte said the curriculum will focus in the intensified formation of learners' values and character development.

She also said among the features of the MATATAG Curriculum are the peace competencies highlighting the promotion of non-violent actions, and development of conflict resolution skills.

This curriculum will be integral in DepEd's MATATAG Agenda unveiled in January this year. DepEd's track remains to be fundamentally illuminated by the wisdom of our slogan 'MATATAG: Bansang makabata, batang makabansa', meaning DepEd's programs and reforms are intentionally tailored to produce competent, job-ready, active, responsible, and patriotic citizens,

she explained.

MATATAG stands for:

MA-ke the curriculum relevant to produce job-ready, active, and responsible citizens

TA-ke steps to accelerate the delivery of basic education services and provision facilities

TA-ke good care of learners by promoting learner well-being, inclusiveness learning, and positive learning environment

G-ive support for teachers to teach better

Duterte emphasized that the review of the K to 12 went under extensive and painstaking process that demanded the collaboration of education stakeholders.

She also noted that the review started even before the time of former DepEd Secretary Leonor Briones.

"Pursuing these reforms has been marked by foresight and demonstrated DepEd's desire to change the learning landscape of the Philippines for the sake of the future of our learners," she said.

DepEd Bureau of Curriculum Development Director Jocelyn Andaya said the review took them two years to be able to decongest the curriculum by 70 percent.

The decongestion included developing and drafting of Shaping Papers and Curriculum Guides, which were validated, revised, and went through a public review before being finalized.

After going through the revision process, we have subjected the curriculum to a public review, which I have previously mentioned, is something novel as this is the first time that a national curriculum was subjected to public scrutiny,

Andaya said.

Shaping Papers gained 96 percent public approval rate in a survey with 4,843 respondents which includes students, teachers, public/private school owners, government agencies, private organizations, and non-government organizations,

she added.

Andaya noted that the review was guided by the curriculum review findings, international large-scale assessments and benchmarks, as well as the MATATAG Education Agenda.

She also mentioned the review's findings which include congested curriculum content, misplaced prerequisite learning competencies, and cognitive demand imbalance.

DepEd said MATATAG Curriculum will be implemented in SY 2024-2025 for Kindergarten, Grades 1, 4, and 7.

Grades 2, 5, and 8 will be under the new curriculum in SY 2025-2026, while Grades 3, 6, and 9 will be in SY 2026-2027 with Grade 10 joining them on SY 2027-2028.