💭Thoughts on the New Senior High school Curriculum💭
By Yvonne Kyla💜
According to DepEd’s April 2025 press release, the new SHS curriculum (rolling out in phases starting SY 2025-2026) streamlines core subjects from 15 to 5: effective communication, life skills, general math, general science, and pag-aaral ng kasaysayan at lipunang pilipino, all taught year-long for better mastery. Tracks are reduced to two: academic track (which now includes STEM, ABM, & HUMSS) and tech pro track (which is solely TVL). Electives are clustered for more student choice, and work immersion hours nearly double to 640, per Philstar’s June 2025 report.
Honestly, this has me feeling both excited and conflicted, and I won’t even get to experience it since I’m graduating this year! The big win is definitely cutting core subjects from 15 to 5. I remember juggling all those and barely keeping up, so longer time with each feels like a game-changer. I also love that STEM, ABM, and HUMSS are all under one academic track now; it’s a nice way to bring everyone closer. But here’s what I’m curious and a little worried about: how will schools handle the specialized subjects? Like, do ABM students have to take Gen Bio too, or will each strand still get their own focused stuff? That’s the part I really hope they get right, because those specialized subjects are critical for college prep. Also… kinda sad the next batch won’t get to experience the silent beef between strands, you know, the little jokes and rivalries that made SHS feel more fun? Overall, it feels like a huge step forward; just hoping schools have the teachers and materials to pull it off and that some of that classic Strand personality doesn’t get lost in the mix.