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Bella Cariaso - The Philippine Star
May 23, 2025 | 12:00am
Students attend their classes after their holiday break at Araullo High School in Manila on January 4, 2024.
STAR / Ernie Penaredondo
MANILA, Philippines — Full execution of the strengthened senior high school program will be reached next year, the Department of Education (DepEd) said yesterday.
Pilot testing will be conducted in 841 schools this year, with 580 public and 261 private schools participating, DepEd Undersecretary Gina Gonong said.
Thirty-five pilot schools are in rural areas.
Changes to the SHS program include a decongested curriculum and more work immersion hours.
Core subjects will be decreased from 15 to five: Effective Communication, Life Skills, General Mathematics, General Science and Pag-aaral ng Kasaysayan at Lipunang Pilipino (Study of History and Filipino Society).
Two elective subjects are available for Grade 11 students, while Grade 12 learners have five to seven electives.
Work immersion hours will be increased to 640 from 340.
“This is one of the challenges mentioned by our industry partners. They said students need to be prepared to get hired,” Gonong said.
The DepEd has tapped the National Educators Academy of the Philippines to train teachers covered by the pilot implementation.
Gonong said the agency will also implement the academic recovery and acceleration program this school year.
“Congress has approved the learning recovery program, where students who encounter problems in their studies will be tutored so that we can achieve grade-level competency, including functional literacy,” Gonong added.
About 12,739 senior high schools are operating in the country.
The upcoming school year is set to open on June 16 and end on March 31, 2026.
Shortage of teachers
Actual figures of teacher shortage in the country are higher than the DepEd’s estimate of 30,000 if the international standard ratio of one teacher to 35 students is followed, according to the Teachers Dignity Coalition (TDC).
About 16,000 new teaching positions this year were approved by the Department of Budget and Management, TDC chair Benjo Basas said.
“That is not enough. The shortage is still big,” he noted.
The Philippines might have a shortage of 150,000 teachers, Alliance of Concerned Teachers national chairman Vladimer Quetua said.
Unlike top-performing schools worldwide, Quetua noted that the country has a teacher-to-student ratio of “one to 45 or even 55.”
In another development, the DBM has approved 10,000 new non-teaching positions this year, covering administrative officer II posts with salary grade 11 or a monthly pay of about P27,000. — Louise Maureen Simeon
