The Department of Education (DepEd) on Thursday launched the revised curriculum for learners from Kindergarten to Grade 10 (K-10), which will be implemented beginning School Year 2024-2025.

The MATATAG curriculum will focus on foundational skills such as language, reading and literacy; mathematics; Makabansa; and Good Manners and Right Conduct (GMRC).

It took two years for DepEd to finalize the new curriculum, a process that included various consultations with education stakeholders (DepEd teachers, specialists, school heads, private schools and organizations, higher education institutions, civil society organizations, and industry leaders). 

Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte said the curriculum change was necessary to address ”learning losses.” 

“Both teachers and learners were overburdened with lessons and other school tasks and activities. The result was devastating for our learners. It compromised their mastery of fundamental skills such as reading and solving simple math problems,” Duterte said during the launch event. 

“These issues, along with other existing factors and conditions, contributed to our learning losses,” she added.

DepEd Bureau of Curriculum Development Director Jocelyn Andaya said the review process led to the decongestion of the curriculum by 70%.

This ”transformation,” she said, will have ”profound implications for our learners’ educational experiences.”

”The act of decongesting our curriculum, reducing overcrowding, and focusing on the essential elements of learning has profound implications for our learners’ educational experiences. First, this approach now provides learners with the time that they need to truly understand and assimilate the foundation elements of learning rather than simply dabbling in a vast array of topics,” she said. 

”Second, a less crowded curriculum allows learners to focus more intently on each learning area, leading to deeper comprehension and retention of knowledge. Ultimately, the net effect of this transformation is a more targeted, effective, and meaningful learning experience.”