Education Secretary Sonny Angara said it is up to Congress to determine whether or not the government should continue the K to 12 program.

Angara, who served as senator before being appointed as chief of the Department of Education (DepEd), pointed out that the agency is set to implement changes in the SHS this incoming School Year 2025-2026, through the pilot run of the revised SHS curriculum.

Angara admitted that lapses in the implementation of the senior high school (SHS) curriculum, there were too many subjects and the learners were constrained. They were not able to choose subject/s.)

Earlier, Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada filed a measure seeking to rationalize the basic education system in the country by removing the SHS, citing reason that it “still has not fully achieved its goal” to produce skilled and job-ready graduates 12 years after the enactment of Republic Act No. 10533, also known as the Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013.

There are 841 schools set to participate in the pilot run of the revised SHS curriculum, which underwent extensive review and consultation from education stakeholders, in School Year 2025-2026.

Based on the initial results of the pilot, the Education Department will announce if all senior high schools will subsequently be required to implement the new curriculum by SY 2026-2027.

Among the key features of the revised SHS curriculum is the streamlining of the core subjects from the previous 15 per semester to only five per year to give more time for the most essential topics.

The five proposed core subjects are: Effective Communication (Mabisang Komunikasyon), Life Skills, General Mathematics, General Science, and Pag-aaral ng Kasaysayan at Lipunang Pilipino.

All subjects that are no longer part of the core will already be called “electives,” instead of applied and specialized subjects, said DepEd.

The incoming academic year will run from June 16, 2025, and end on March 31, 2026, marking a return to the pre-pandemic school calendar.

For Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, chairman of the Senate Committee on Basic Education, the proposal to streamline general education subjects must also fulfill the promise made with the K-12 program—that additional years in high school would shorten college education.

“While policy decisions rest with the DepEd and CHED, college curricula must avoid duplication so students can focus on their specialization and graduate in less than four years,” Gatchalian said.

“They should not bear the burden of extra semesters simply because the original intent of the K-12 reform—made 12 years ago—has yet to be fully realized,” he continued.

Under Senate Bill No. 3001, Estrada seeks to retain the fundamental principles of RA 10533, sans the SHS level, in a bid “to simplify the high school system while still making sure students get quality education that meets global standards.”

He recommended a one-year kindergarten education, followed by six years of elementary education, and four years of secondary education.