DepEd to go back to basics in curriculum review
The Department of Education will focus on the basics – reading and mathematics or arithmetic – as it aims to address the serious learning gaps among school children.
Lawyer Michael Poa, DepEd spokesman, said the department has been undergoing an assessment of the learning competencies of Kindergarten to Grade 10 students.
“We are really geared towards having in-person classes because we really saw that it is beneficial to have interaction between students and physically being in class, and physically being monitored and taught by our teachers,” Poa told “The Chiefs” on One News Thursday in a virtual interview.
“Not just reading. (Also) math, we are really falling behind,” Poa said. “Affected are the Grade 1 learners. This is our main focus now, in terms of reading, mathematics.”
“Since we are currently doing the K-10 review, what we plan to do is to decongest our current curriculum, go back to the basics. And really focus on those areas,” Poa said.
He added that the DepEd will also address the area of teachers’ teaching competencies for reading and math.
“And of course, included there is to really train them, our teachers, in terms of teaching reading and mathematics,” Poa said.
“We can always change the curriculum, but when it comes to the teachers, we also have to focus our attention so that they are also prepared to teach these basic skills. They do need training,” Poa said.
“In fact, we are about to launch a national reading program to address those who are really having difficulties in learning reading and mathematics because they have had no school interaction and (have not) learned reading in the company of their peers,” Poa said.
“We have already formed a TWG, a technical working group, to solidify a National Reading Program. The mathematics part is also in the pipeline. And we want to do the same, we want to replicate a national program for mathematics,” he said.
“We will be decongesting our current curriculum. The observation was that our current curriculum is highly congested with so many learning competencies,” the official concluded.