Education Secretary Sonny Angara said Monday the education department will await feedback from teachers and students on the implementation of the MATATAG curriculum and subject it to possible amendments.
The MATATAG curriculum started its Phase 1 at public schools on July 29 and August 5 this year. Matatag revised the previous K-12 spiral curriculum, changing the focus on K-10 subjects to the foundational basics of literacy, numeracy, and values education.
The pilot implementation outlined on DepEd Memorandum No. 54, s. of 2023 was met with criticism from various teacher groups and stakeholders due to its rushed rollout, as the National Math and Reading programs (NMP and NRP) were assigned to teachers outside of the language and math specialization.
“Willing to change as we go along, as we learn from the experience of actual — on the ground – ano ang kailangang baguhin, anong puwedeng pagandahin,” Angara said, stating that MATATAG was a product of years of study.
This came after the results of the National Learning Recovery Program (NLRP) implemented in select regions to address the learning loss brought by the pandemic years failed to meet the goals set.
The NLRP was part of the MATATAG agenda for education, and included a learning intervention camp for K-10 learners this summer.
The Congressional Commisssion on Education (EDCOM 2) on August 7 reported on the discrepancies that arose from the camps, such as Grade 8 students mastering the foundational skills of subtraction and addition, but were unable to catch up to the advanced skills needed to master basic quadratic formulas and arithmeric in Grade 9.
According to the DepEd data, only 53.69% of learners who were assessed as in need of intervention actually participated in the learning camps, due to its voluntary nature.
EDCOM 2 said that while the NLRP was in dire need of reform, that the camps were not enough to cure the learning loss.
For regions that did not avail the NLRP, schools were instead directed to use screening tests to group the students into intervention, consolidation, and enhancement camps, but these tools were not used.
Senator Win Gatchalian, Co-chairperson of EDCOM 2 also noted that the data was not consolidated, which proved detrimental to disbursement of funds that could help address the issue.
EDCOM 2 Executive Director Dr. Karol Mark Yee likewise agreed.
“We have asked for this data in writing, and also in three hearings already both in the House of Representatives and the Senate. We don’t understand why it seems to be difficult to share this information when they can easily share all the other data points. This was the basis for the targeting that should have attended, and is critical in helping us understand the type of learning recovery programs needed by our students.”
