Senator Sherwin Gatchalian said he will continue to pursue measures to support the Department of Education’s (DepEd) K to 10 program.
Gatchalian also called the MATATAG K to 10 curriculum “a low-hanging fruit” to help improve learners’ performance.
He emphasized, however, that the curriculum’s success would depend on its implementation and the readiness of teachers for the rollout.
In a presentation of the Basic Education Report 2024, Vice President and DepEd Secretary Sara Duterte reiterated that the MATATAG K to 10 curricula will be rolled out starting the school year 2024-2025.
The MATATAG K to 10 curriculum, the product of two years of study, is expected to decongest the old curriculum from more than 11,000 competencies to 3,600.
The MATATAG curriculum also focuses on basic competencies such as literacy and numeracy.
Gatchalian noted that under the 2024 national budget, P777.5 million has been allotted for teachers’ in-service training, including the training of K to 10 teachers for the rollout of the MATATAG curriculum.
As the DepEd implements learning recovery programs, including Catch-Up Fridays, Gatchalian is also pushing for the passage of the ARAL Program Act (Senate Bill No. 1604).
The proposed measure seeks to institute a nationwide learning recovery program to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and to boost learners’ literacy and numeracy.
The Vice President also reported that the department is currently reviewing the senior high school program.
To help boost the employability of senior high school graduates, Gatchalian is pushing for the passage of the Batang Magaling Act (Senate Bill No.2367), which seeks to strengthen the linkages and collaboration among the DepEd, local government units, the academe, and industry partners. This to en sure that senior high school graduates are well-prepared for higher education, middle-skills development, employment, or entrepreneurship.
To uphold teachers’ welfare, which the Vice President also highlighted in her report, Gatchalian is pushing for the passage of the Revised Magna Carta for Public School Teachers (Senate Bill No. 4670).
The proposed measure seeks to reduce classroom teaching hours from six to four. It prohibits the assignment of non-teaching tasks to teachers and seeks the grant of calamity leave, educational benefits, longevity pay, and special hardship allowance based on a set criteria.