A paper presented at the 11th Governing Board Meeting of SEAMEO RETRAC
at the Institut Aminuddin Baki (IAB), Genting Highlands, Malaysia
27 -31 August 2008
by Dr. Teresita G. Inciong
Assistant Secretary for Programs and Projects
Department of Education, Philippines
Basic Education Curriculum Revisited:
A Look at the Current Content and Reform
I.
Introduction and Historical Background
The public school system, complemented by the private school system, has presently reached the
farthest barrio or sitio of the country. There is no known barrio or barangay, without at least a
one-teacher school offering either part of or a whole primary, intermediate, or multigrade
program to the children in the place. This is a clear indication that at least elementary education
is now accessible to all children, including the unreached indigenous and unknown groups, who
are slowly being discovered and provided with schools.
Historically, in 1935 the provisions for education were stated in a Constitution promulgated and
adopted by Filipinos in preparation for the granting of independence by the United States
Section 5 of Article XIV of the said constitution states:
The Government shall establish and maintain a complete and adequate system of
public education, and shall provide at least free public primary (four years)
instruction and citizenship training to adult citizens. All schools shall aim to develop
moral character, personal discipline, civic conscience, and vocational efficiency and
to teach the duties of citizenship.
In 1948, the Board of Consultants of the Joint Congressional Committee in Education
formulated the objectives of Philippine Education, However, in 1957, the Board of National
Education, later called National Board of Education, issued a Revised Educational Program
based on Republic Act No. 1124, which elucidating on the purposes of the first two levels of
education to wit:
The elementary school should offer adequate education for all children to prepare
them for democratic citizenship. It should give instruction in basic knowledge,
develop basic skills and attitudes, and inculcate ideals necessary for the promotion of
national solidarity and for the development of an enlightened, patriotic, useful, and
upright citizenry in a democracy. Giving emphasis to the culture, desirable traditions,
and virtues of our people, it should prepare the child for effective participation in his
community and for a better understanding of an expanding society. It shall aim to
emphasize greater opportunities for the cultivation of unspecialized skills and of
proper attitudes toward work through the training of children of suitable age in
practical and useful occupations.
The secondary school shall continue the unifying functions of elementary education
by providing general education and shall seek to discover the varying abilities,
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interests, and aptitudes of the youth, and offer courses in the different fields of
productive endeavor according to the talents of the youths and in the light of
community needs. It shall also initiate a program designed to develop community
leadership.
Taking into consideration the economic needs of the country, the school must
cultivate vocational efficiency which will help the students become effective
members of the family and the community. For those who will continue in colleges
and universities, the secondary school must offer courses to prepare the students for
effective study in the institutions of higher learning.
The curriculum revisions that accompanied the abovementioned formulations and statements of
educational objectives were said to have developed from one stage to another in response to the
changing needs of the country, to discoveries of knowledge new in content and methodology, to
new insights in how children learn and to new knowledge of the nature of the learning process
itself. Further, curriculum revisions were undertaken as brought about by changes in educational
thinking in terms of its shifts of attention which were made the basis of the school curriculum:
from the accumulation of facts and information to real life problems to the needs and resources
of the community. Thus, the Philippine curriculum has evolved and grown out of these different
stages.
However, it was felt that “the hidden curriculum has greater impact on the life of the learner than
the expressed one.”
“Educating the Filipinos for what?” This was the critical question posed in line with the
scrutiny being done to Philippine Education.
Based on the recommendations of the Presidential Commission to Survey Philippine Education
in 1971 and endorsed by the National Board of Education, maximum contribution of the
educational system to the attainment of the formulated national development goals then was
stated as a government policy in the “Educational Development Act of 1972, otherwise known
as Presidential Decree No. 6-A, issued on September 29, 1972, a week after the proclamation of
Martial Law.
Hence, re provisions that are only relevant to basic education, the aims of the educational system
then are hereby enumerated as:
1.
2.
Provide for a broad general education that will assist each individual in the
peculiar ecology of his own society to:
1.1 attain his potential as a human being;
1.2 enhance the range and quality of individual and group participation in the
basic functions of society; and
1.3 acquire the essential educational foundation for his development into a
productive and versatile citizen.
Train the nation’s manpower in the middle level skills required for national
development.
In 1972, the era of New Society under Martial Law was the period of national development,
social reconstruction and restructuring of values. It was then that the goal of Basic Education
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was conceptualized when educational indicators were considered educational benchmarks: the
drop out rate, participation rate, repetition rate, etc. In the process of introducing reforms in
Philippine education, the conceptualization of the components and of the minimum level of basic
education that all Filipinos must acquire in order to live fully as individual human beings and as
members of a domestic society was the pressing need.
Rather than interpret educational goals in terms of listing of subjects for the schools to teach
under definite time allotments, there was a need to translate these educational objectives into a
minimum body of knowledge, skills, and attitude that are clearly defined, directed at behavior
changes, performance-oriented, possible of achievement, and easily measured.
Philip H. Coombs, suggested in a study of the learning needs of children and youth in
developing countries undertaken for UNICEF, six interdependent elements of a basic education
program which are believed to be true to all societies that educators in charge of reappraising
and introducing reforms into their system would find agreement on them. These elements are (a)
positive attitudes, (b) functional literacy and numeracy, (c) scientific outlook and an elementary
understanding of the processes of nature, (d) functional knowledge and skills for raising family
and operating a household (e) functional knowledge and skills for earning a living, and (f)
functional knowledge and skills for civic participation.
Truly these elements were adopted, modified and supplemented to suit Philippine conditions in
the conceptualization of Basic Education for Filipinos. Basic education was concisely and
meaningfully described by Faure et al., in Learning To Be as:
“While dispensing fundamental knowledge, such education aims at learning how to
perceive and comprehend the world. It must instill, especially in children, a taste for
self-learning that will last a lifetime; to arouse their desire to know, to ask questions,
and to question themselves while developing the faculties of observation and
judgment and the critical spirit. Finally, it should try to awaken the feeling in an
individual that he belongs to a community and that each person has a creative
responsibility toward himself and others.”
It was noted that the scope of the principal elements of basic education correspond logically and
psychologically to the cognitive, affective, and psychomotor needs and interests of the children
and youth in the elementary and secondary cycles of schooling. However, a sequence that will fit
the maturity levels of the children in the system will be considered in translating them into
subjects and experiences for the curriculum.
Basic Education, being many-sided and multi-based can only be effectively delivered through
multiple avenues. Basic education must be designed not only for the children in-school but also
for the out-of-school youth and adults. The venue of basic education, therefore, will be the whole
community.
Realizing the need for a curriculum that would be responsive and viable in the present era, the
Department of Education, then called Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports launched the
Experimental Elementary Education Program (EEEP). This experimental program ran for two
(2) years with decongested curriculum. It offered fewer subjects merging some subjects and new
relevant ones were introduced such as the integration of Language and Reading into
Communication Arts. Work Education was introduced as a subject as early as in Grade 1
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considering the rising importance of community resources in making education relevant and
effective. Thus non-formal education assumes a major importance with other agencies offering
non-formal education, such as the National Manpower and Youth Council which played an
important role in attaining educational roles.
In 1982, financed by the World Bank, a 10-year Program for Decentralized Education
Development known as PRODED was launched under the umbrella of the Program for
Comprehensive Elementary Education (PROCEED). It was geared towards the improvement of
elementary education with focus on upgrading the quality of education and increasing pupil
participation and survival rates. Moreover, the program also attempted to address disparities
between and within regions in the delivery of services and allocation of resources according to
the degree of educational deprivation of each region.
The New Elementary School Curriculum (NESC) is the core of PRODED. A subcomponent of
this curriculum development project was entitled The Preparation of Elementary Education
Measures also known as PREEM.
The New Elementary School Curriculum has the following features:
1. It covers fewer learning areas putting greater emphasis on intellectual skills and basic
knowledge, especially reading, writing and mathematics as well as attitude formation among
pupils.
2. Its content focuses on the development of a shared values and belief system which fosters
humanism and sense of nationhood among children.
3. It aims at mastery learning among the pupils.
4. It also emphasizes the development of work skills which are as important as intellectual
skills.
5. It develops health values in the whole curriculum, not only in the period for character
building activities and science and health.
6. It develops competencies and values for social living reflected in the new dimension in
Civics and Culture expanded to include History, Geography and Work Ethic for Grade III
and in-depth learning of Geography, History and Civics in Grades IV-VI.
It is a fact that this New Elementary School Curriculum of 1982 has to two (2) vital orientations:
1) intellectual quality of Filipino society into the next century and 2) development of humanism
and sense of nationhood. Thus, the term Filipinism was coined to embody these orientations.
“Whereas, in the early 1990’s the Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM)
submitted its findings to the Philippine Congress on the education system and made several
policy recommendations. Most of those policy recommendations have been translated into
educational laws but other important recommendations remain to be acted upon.”
(Executive Order No. 46)
In December 1998 by virtue of the cited Executive Order No. 46, the Presidential Commission
on Educational Reform (PCER) was established and given one year to define a comprehensive
and a budget feasible program of reform in areas such as among others, curricula, teaching
methods, instructional media, educational technologies, textbooks, language policy and school
calendar in use at the elementary and secondary levels, using international benchmarks.
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The Committee on Information Technology, Science, Mathematics Education and Other
Technologies (ITSMEOT) cited in PCER Report:
The elementary curriculum in the Philippines is overcrowded, Grades 1-3 in
particular…Having too many subjects limits the extent to which teachers and students
can focus on those basic skills critically important for good performance and success
in the later grade levels…Research on student learning suggests that greater emphasis
should be given to reading and communication skills and to understanding basic
mathematical and scientific concepts.
As regards Secondary Education, ITSMEOT in the same report states:
The New Secondary Education Curriculum (NSEC) deserves a second look. It must
be vis-à-vis the NSAT (National Secondary Achievement Test) results of the last four
years where the students achieved mean percentage scores of only about 50%. The
lowest scores were recorded in science and mathematics indicating that these are the
most difficult subjects for the students, and for which additional contact time may be
needed and innovative teaching techniques should be devised to make them
interesting and less daunting to students…The basic education curriculum should be
streamlined such that it will provide for greater concept understanding, mastery of
skills (e.g. critical thinking and other scientific skills) and appreciation of science and
technology as applied to daily life. (PCER, 111)
To help raise the achievement level of students, a redefined curriculum in which components
have been reclustered into (a) fewer learning areas with (b) better integration of better
competencies and topics within and across these learning areas and with (c) more time not for
additional subject matter that will overload learners but for the mastery of essential
competencies and for personal analysis and reflection on the major concepts. The outcome will
be a restructured, upgraded and more integrated curriculum where every learning competency is
useful and none is superfluous. Further, there is a need to distinguish the various committees to
which curriculum and language are being addressed, for example, traditional oral communities,
traditional subsistence communities, Muslim Filipinos, and lowland Christians, rural and urban
unlike the one-size-fits-all approach that makes formal education less relevant.
II.
The Basic Education Curriculum and Legal Bases
The Education Act of 1982 or Batas Pambansa Blg. 232 provides the general objectives of
elementary, secondary and nonformal education.
The objectives of elementary education are as follows:
1. Provide the knowledge and develop the skills, attitudes and values essential for personal
development, a productive life, and constructive engagement with a changing social milieu;
2. Provide learning experiences that increase the child’s awareness of and responsiveness to the
just demands of society;
3. Promote and intensify awareness of, identification with, and love for our nation and the
community to which the learner belongs;
4. Promote experiences that develop the learner’s orientation to the world of work and prepare
the learner to engage in honest and gainful work.
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The objectives of secondary education are threefold:
1. Continue the general education started in elementary;
2. Prepare the learners for college, and
3. Prepare the learners for the world of work.
The 1987 Constitution provides the basic state policies on education, both formal and
nonformal.
Article XIV, Section 1. The State shall protect and promote the right of all citizens to
quality education at all levels and shall take appropriate steps to make such education
accessible to all.
Article XIV, Section 2 (1). The State shall establish, maintain, and support a
complete, adequate, and integrated system of education relevant to the needs of the
people and society.
Article XIV, Section 2 (4). The State shall encourage nonformal, informal, and
indigenous learning systems, as well as self-learning, independent, and out-of-school
study programs particularly those that respond to community needs.
Article XIV, Section 3 (2) states that the school
shall inculcate patriotism and nationalism, foster love of humanity, respect for human
rights, appreciation of the role of national heroes in the historical development of the
country, teach the rights and duties of citizenship, strengthen ethical and spiritual
values, develop moral character and personal discipline, encourage critical and
creative thinking, broaden scientific and technological knowledge, and promote
vocational efficiency.
The focus of DECS mandate to basic education then was to cover elementary, secondary and
non-formal education including culture and sports. In August 2001, Governance of Basic
Education Act (Republic Act 9155) was passed transforming the name of DECS to DepED and
redefining the role of field offices namely, regional, division, district and schools. The same Act
provides the over-all framework to strengthen leadership roles of school heads vis-à-vis schoolbased management within the context of transparency and accountability. Through this, the goal
of basic education which is, to provide the school age population and young adults with skills
and knowledge and values to become caring, self-reliant, productive and patriotic citizens, will
hopefully be attained.
The Governance of Basic Education Act of 2001 provides the general goal of basic education:
to develop the Filipino learners by providing them basic competencies in literacy and numeracy,
critical thinking and learning skills, socially aware, patriotic, and responsible citizens.
The Governance of Basic Education Act envisions a curriculum that shall promote the holistic
growth of the Filipino learners and enable them to acquire the core competencies and develop
the proper values. This curriculum shall be flexible to meet the learning needs of a diverse
studentry, and is relevant to their immediate environment and social and cultural realities.
Thus, in line with the vision of the Philippine Basic Education, the Department issued DepED
Order No. 43, s. 2002 known as “The 2002 Basic Education Curriculum”.
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The 2002 Basic Education Curriculum is a restructuring and not a sweeping change of the
elementary and secondary curricula (New Elementary School Curriculum and New Secondary
Education Curriculum). The goals, objectives structure and content of the 2002 Curriculum are
in compliance with the 1987 Constitution of the Republic of the Philippines, the 2001
Governance of Basic Education Act, and the 1982 Education Act.
III.
Current: The Restructured Curriculum for Formal Basic Education
The 2002 Curriculum for formal basic education aims at raising the quality of the Filipino
learners and graduates and empowering them for lifelong learning, which requires the attainment
of functional literacy. The restructured curriculum makes use of innovative, interdisciplinary and
integrative modes of instructional delivery whenever these modes are possible and appropriate.
Figure 1. Conceptual Framework of Basic Education Curriculum
Page 7 of 14
Since integration works best when teachers of different disciplines plan and teach together thus
collaborative teaching is strongly encouraged in this 2002 curriculum. The ideal teachinglearning process is interactive, and thus the curriculum has been restructured to promote more
reciprocal interaction between students and teachers, between themselves (collaborative
learning), between students and instructional materials, between students and multi-media
sources, and between teachers of different disciplines. Using the restructured curriculum, schools
are allowed to design and contextualize the implementation of Makabayan while information
communication technology shall be used in every learning area, whenever hardware and
software are available. No teacher will be made redundant and none will be underloaded or
overloaded in the implementation of this curriculum. Likewise, every teacher is a values
educator, identifying and contextualizing the values inherent in her or his discipline and serves
as a role model of the learners.
Even with the integration of values and lifeskills in Filipino, English, Science and Mathematics,
these learning areas will inevitably accentuate the development of linguistic and logicalmathematical intelligences. Therefore there is a need for one learning area to provide more
opportunities for the learner to pursue other meaningful interests and to develop the
interpersonal, spatial, musical and bodily-kinesthetic intelligences.
The design of the curriculum is based on the principle that there are two (2) main sources of
reliable and meaningful knowledge for contemporary basic education: expert systems of
knowledge and the learner’s experience in his or her context. The curriculum has been
restructured so that these two main sources will interact with one another reciprocally thereby an
interactive one.
Figure 2. Curriculum Parameters
CURRICULUM
PARAMETERS
OBJECTIVES
 Competencies
(Knowledge,
skills, attitudes)
CONTENT/PROCESS
SKILLS
 Emphasis on
learning how to
learn
 Localization/
Contextualization
MATERIALS/
RESOURCES
 Textbooks
 ICT
 Community
TEACHING-LEARNING
PROCESS
 Learner as
constructor of
meaning
 Teacher as
facilitator, enabler
and manager of
learning
EVALUATION
 Portfolio
assessment
 Authentic
assessment
 School-based
evaluation
FEEDBACK
Studies indicate that an overcrowded curriculum and its insufficient relevance to the diverse
context of our learners hinder or delay the development of lifelong learning skills hence to
decongest the curriculum and make it easier for teachers and learners to contextualize it, the
Page 8 of 14
curriculum has been restructured into five (5) learning areas namely Filipino, English, Science,
Mathematics, and Makabayan with a stronger integration of competencies within and across
these learning areas. Each of these five learning areas addresses both the individual and social
needs of learners. However Makabayan will be the learning area that stresses most on the
development of social awareness and empathy and a firm commitment to the common good.
Figure 3. Restructured Curriculum for Formal Basic Education
Edukasyon sa Pagpapahalaga
Self-Actualization
Filipino

English
Teaching-Leaning
Functionally literate
Equipped with life skills
Appreciative of the arts
and sports
Spiritual
Linguistic
Literacy
Teaching-Leaning

Socio-cultural,
politico-economic
literacy
Makabayan
Makatao
Makakalikasan
Maka-Diyos
Science
Teaching-Leaning
OUTCOMES

Scientific/
Technological
Literacy

Numeracy
Teaching-Leaning
Mathematics
Teaching-Learning
Makabayan
 Sibika/Kultura/Kasaysayan/Heograpiya/
Araling Panlipunan
 Teknolohiya, Edukasyong Pantahanan at
Pangkabuhayan (EPP/THE)
 Musika, Sining, Edukasyong Pangkatawan at
Pangkalusugan (MSEP/PEHM)
 Edukasyon sa Pagpapahalaga (GMRC/VE)
Table 1. Learning Areas for Basic Education
Grade/Year
Level
Learning
Area 1
Learning
Area 2
Learning Area 2
Learning Area 4
1
Filipino
English (with
Science)
_
Mathematics
2
Filipino
English (with
Science)
_
Mathematics
3
4
5
Filipino
Filipino
Filipino
English
English
English
Science and Health
Science and Health
Science and Health
Mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics
Learning
Area 5
Makabayan
(with
Science)
Makabayan
(with
Science)
Makabayan
Makabayan
Makabayan
Page 9 of 14
Grade/Year
Level
6
First Year
Second
Year
Third Year
Learning
Area 1
Filipino
Filipino
Learning
Area 2
English
English
Learning Area 2
Learning Area 4
Science and Health
Integrated Science
Mathematics
Elementary Algebra
Filipino
English
Biology
Intermediate Algebra
Filipino
English
Chemistry
Fourth Year
Filipino
English
Geometry
Business
Trigonometry
Mathematics
& Advanced
& Statistics
Algebra
(Track A)
(Track B)
Advanced
Chemistry
(Track A)
Physics
(Track B)
Learning
Area 5
Makabayan
Makabayan
Makabayan
Makabayan
Makabayan
Table 2. Basic Education Curriculum Weekly Time Allotment
Grade/Year Level
Filipino
English
1
400
500
2
400
500
3
4
5
6
First Year
Second Year
Third Year
Fourth Year
400
300
300
300
300
300
300
300
500
400
400
400
300
300
300
300
Science
Integrated in
English &
Makabayan
Integrated in
English &
Makabayan
200
300
300
300
300
300
300
300
Mathematics
Makabayan
Total Minutes/
Week
400
300
1600
400
300
1600
400
300
300
300
300
300
300
300
300
500
600
600
780
780
780
780
1800
1800
1900
1900
1980
1980
1980
1980
Comparatively, these are the features that make the 2002 Basic Education Curriculum different
from the previous NESC and NSEC:
a)
b)
c)
d)
restructuring of the learning areas to five (Filipino, English, Science, Mathematics, and
Makabayan,
stronger integration of competencies and values within and across the learning areas,
greater emphasis on the learning process and integrative modes of teaching, and
increased time for tasks to gain mastery of competencies of the basic tool subjects.
The NFE curriculum is not a replica of the formal curriculum, and does not have the grade levels
of formal education, although the learning outcomes of the nonformal curriculum and the
restructured formal curriculum are practically equivalent. The Non-Formal Education (NFE)
curriculum has been designed to be more responsive to the needs of out-of-school youth and
adult learners, who will be empowered to function effectively as family and community
members, workers, entrepreneurs, and Filipino citizens.
Curriculum development is a dynamic process and thus this restructured curriculum will
continue to develop year after year.
Page 10 of 14
IV.
CHALLENGES
Revisiting the basic education curriculum is looking back the pilot years, the lessons learned,
insights gained and moving forward for further improvement. It poses challenges therefore in
terms of continuous consultation among stakeholders and realizing that the legitimacy of the
curriculum does not depend on legislation or executive fiat but on a common ownership the
stakeholders have of the curriculum.
1.
Continuous capacity building
Change can indeed be threatening. It is because of this that capacity building must become
an ongoing process. Everyone must be open to policy changes such as on the following
recommendations:








2.
1. No transmutation of grades
2. Use of non-traditional assessment to complement the usual teacher-made
tests
3. Adoption of a common test design: 60-30-10 Lowering of the failing grade
that can appear in the report card from 70 to 65% and setting the lowest
passing at 75%
Customization of summer classes to learning needs
Simplified selection of honor students
Greater application of ICT in the curriculum: moving from learning about the
technology to using the technology as a tool for teaching and learning
Quality of textbooks and of instruction

3.
Emphasis on English as the language of instruction (5 out of 8 subjects shall be
taught in English)
Restoration of the unit credits in the secondary level
Change in the time allotment for Science from 400 minutes to 360 minutes per
week and for Social Studies from 200 minutes to 240 minutes per week
Individual rating instead of averaging for the components of Makabayan
Adoption of a performance-based grading system
Better quality books for the cheapest prices in addition to the revision of textbooks
to respond and include current technology such as ICT
Road Map to Education
DepED is currently pursuing a package of policy reforms called Basic Education Sector
Reform Agenda (BESRA) to build upon the effects of the Schools First Initiative (SFI) and
to create a basic education sector that is capable of achieving the Education for All (EFA)
objectives by 2015. Its centerpiece is School-Based Management (SBM) which intends to
enable and empower school stakeholders to manage their own affairs for improved delivery
of educational services through continuous improvement of school management. It covers
six (6) dimensions: (1) School Leadership (2) Internal Stakeholder Participation (3) Extent
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Stakeholder Participation (4) SIP Process (5) School-Based Resources (6) School
Performance Accountability.
The following critical interventions are being scaled up to improve the way both and public
and private schools perform:
1. School-Based Management Grants to support establishment of SBM
structures and implementation, monitoring and reporting of school
improvement plans
2. Training of teachers, school heads and education managers to improve
quality in basic education
3. Establishing Competency-Based Teachers Standards
4. Putting up of Speech Laboratories for Oral Language Proficiency
5. Implementing Programs for Excellence (Arts, Sports, Special Education,
TECH-VOC Education) to promote holistic development of children via cocurricular activities and special curricular offerings. DepED is currently
working on the provision of supplemental school budgets to support the
expenditures entailed by this unique program offering
6. Aligning National Examinations to the Requirements of the Quality
Assurance and Accountability Framework as Measures of Student Outcome
7. Providing Alternative Delivery Modes of Learning to address the basic
education needs of learners in unique or difficult situations who encounter
problems attending the formal school system. Examples are Distance
Education for public elementary schools, open high school and Project Ease
(Easy and Affordable Secondary Education)
8. Expanding Early Childhood/Preschool Education to provide quality early
childhood education for all 5-year olds since early childhood education is a
critical phase in a child’s development
9. Providing ICT in Basic Education to gain access to quality educational
materials while upgrading the capabilities of teachers and school
administrators by providing computers, softwares, coursewares and other
paraphernalia laying the foundation for a large scale technology-based
intervention through Open and Distant Learning
10. Investing on Science and Math equipment and constructing Tech-Voc
workshops to help students apply the scientific concepts, tinker with some
equipment for experimentation and learning retention while Tech-Voc
workshops is aimed to upgrade the quality of co-curricular programs
4.
DepED Thrusts and Programs
 Continuing curricular innovations
1. Refinement of English, Science and Math
2. Special Science Elementary/Secondary Schools
3. Alternative Learning System
4. Bridging learning gaps through the use of mother tongue
 Strengthening Preschool Education
1. Human Resource Development
2. Systematizing Service Contracting
3. Linkages with Stakeholders
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



ICT Integration in Teaching/Learning Processes
1. Pupil Development
2. Human Resource Development
3. Governance
Provision of Appropriate Educational Delivery System to Children at Risk
1. Children with special needs
2. Indigenous Peoples, Muslims
3. Child laborers, abused and street children
4. Others
Managing Schools and Teachers for Better Learning Outcomes
1. Appraisal of Performance of Public Elementary Schools (APPES)
2. Every Child A Reader Program (ECARP)
3. National Achievement Test (NAT) - Elementary and Secondary
4. National Career Assessment Examination (NCAE)
Strengthening Tech-Voc Education
This program is in response to the concerns on drop-outs on secondary education,
job-skills mismatch, higher learning and career preparation. Tech-Voc high
schools provide students with appropriate skills, an avenue to earn extra income
while in school and provide them with more options either to pursue higher
learning or enter into the world of work or entrepreneurship. Thus, Tech-Voc
trainings are meant to equip secondary school students with employable skills.
This program gives priority to 261 Tech-Voc high schools by putting them in a
unique place in a public secondary system categorized as, (1) arts and trades
schools (2) agriculture schools (3) fishery schools.
At present, of the 261 tech-voc high schools, there are 139 or 53.26% arts and
trade schools, 78 or 29.89% agriculture schools and 44 or 16.86% fishery schools.
Tech-Voc high schools curricular offerings are ladderized and competency-based,
having been aligned with the training regulations of Technical Education and
Skills Development Authority (TESDA) in order to produce students with the
right skills matched with the requirements and standards of the local and
international labor industries.
5.
Policy Directions
5.1 School-Based Management
 Greater authority for principals to manage own affairs based on DepED standards
for improved SBM practice
 Drilling down school budget to promote continuous school improvement
 Provision of more principal items to schools for greater accountability over results
 Provision of augmentation funds to schools with special programs in ESM, techvoc, culture, arts, sports and SPED
5.2 Expansion of the DepED Preschool Program
 DepED to expand coverage of 5-year olds
 Training on standard curriculum and its related instructional materials will be
extended to Day Care Center (DCC) workers handling preschool classes
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

Private and NGO schools to be encouraged to adopt the Grade 1 Readiness
Assessment Tool
Regulatory functions of DepED over private preschools are undergoing review
5.3 Scaling up proven educational technologies in providing alternative delivery modes
and alternative learning system services
 MISOSA (Modified in-school, off-school approach)
 Balik Paaralan para sa mga OSY/OSA
 Open Learning (e.g. Project EASE (Easy and Affordable Secondary Education),
IMPACT (Instructions Managed by Parents, Community and Teachers), Night
High School)
5.4 Accelerating Integration of ICT in Basic Education
 Technology-based education, including open and distant learning
 Massive training of teachers, administrators, supervisors, education managers
 Tighten system of governance
 Management information systems
A review of the DepED expenditures last 2007 reveals the government’s prioritizing basic
education in its development agenda. Likewise, the active participation of the local governments,
private sector, non-government organizations and civil societies, including multilateral and
bilateral organizations in helping improve the quality of basic education in the country will
eventually lead to improving the life of every Filipino.
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