LrssoN

Journey Towords Bosic Educotion

Curriculor Reforms: 1946-20.l I

We [raw an inportant [i*inction fienaun assus@ and ertatuntitg. Assusitg is

gatfierirq ertidence of untent ftgmttelge anl sk![k; watuatiry is tfie case4y<ase
oatue julgrnent of tfie q*tty of peformnnce... Srcussfuf program deaebpment
canflot occur witfiout some form of eaa{untbn. Cunicu[um plogram eoafuatbn
is tfie prouss of systematicatQ feternining tfu quatity of a scfioo[ program and
fiow tfie proqram can 6e urqrooed (Sanlus, 2000).

The chronology of basic education curricular reforms is shown in

Table 1.
Table 1: Basic Education Cunicular Reforms

Grade Level 1946 - 1956 1957 - 1972 1973 - 1988 1989 - 2001 2002 - 2011 2012 - 2013

!ga1 {V
Jg31 l[
Grade to

c*d" e
t 2-2Plan
. College Prep
Curriculum
Revised
Secondary
Education
New
Secondary
Education
2002 Basic
Education
Cuniculum
t I
. Vocational
Program
.
Cuniculum
Electives (NSEC) 2010
Yeaf II cmde 8 Curriculum
Offered Secondary
I

I Roll-out
Education
Ygaf I crade 7
General Cumculum implementation
of Grade 1 and
Grade 6 Education 1957 . '1982 1983 . 2001 2002 - 2011 2012 Grade 7
of the
Grade

Grade 4

Grade
5

3
Curriculum
Revised

Elementary

Education
New
Elementary
School
Cuniculum
2002
Basic
Education
Ir
I nn rorsz
lxinoergarten
I

I
Kto
12
Cuniculum

lil
I
I

(NESC) Cuniculum Education I

I
Grade 2 Curriculum

Grade 1 I I
Kindergarten 2011 Kinderr ;a(en

-
1946 - 1956
The establishment of the Commonwealth, called for a reorientation of educational
plans and policies to conform to the requirements of a revised form of government.
The 1935 Constitution provided certain educational objectives such as the development
of moral character, personal decipline, civic conscience, vocational fficiency and
citizenship training. To carry out the Constitutional mandate a revision of the
elementary curriculum was made to include the teaching of the National Language
obligatory. It was frst offered as a subject in l9i9-1940 in the public schools. Before I

265
 the Commonwealth no effort was made to give importance to the native dialects for
it was believed that English should be the basic fficial language. With full autonomy
given to the Commonwealth government, there was a need to make Filipino pupils and
students aware of learning a common native tongue.
Another development was the shortening of the elementary curciculum from
seven to six years i.n order to admit more children of school age. The Educational Act
of 1940, then called the educational "Magna Carta" of the Philippines, provided for
the system of public elementary education and its matter of fnancing. Among other
things, the Act provided, subject to certain conditions, for compulsory attendance in
the primary grades, the nationalization of the support of the elementary grades, except
the elementary grades in chartered cities. The latter remained under the support of the
city government (Philippine Educational System, I 90 I - I 97 6).
Legislations affecting basic education were passed included the following:
1. Commonwealth Act No. 586 Approved on August 7,1940. An Act to
Provide for the Revision of the System of Public Elementary Education in
. the Philippines including the Financing Thereof.
2. Commonwealth Act No. 589 Approved on August 19, 1940. An Act
Establishing a School Ritual in All Public and Private Elementary and
Secondary Schools. (Section 2 of this Act provides "the school ritual shall
consist of solemn and patriotic ceremonies and shall mainly include the
singing of the Philippine National Hymn, and the recitation by the pupils or
students assembled of a patriotic pledge by a committee provided for in this
Act.")
3. Republic Act No. 896 Approved on June 20, 1953. An Act to Declare the
Policy on Elementary Education in the Philippines.
The fundamental objectives of education were as follows:
l. To inculcate moral and spiritual values inspired by an abiding faith in God.
2. To develop an enlightened, patriotic, useful and upright citizenry in a
democratic society.
tU J. To instill habits of industry and thrift, and to prepare individuals to contribute
to the economic development and wise conservation of the Nation's natural
L resources.
I 4. To maintain family solidarity, to improve community life, to perpetuate all
that is desirable in our national heritage, and to serve the cause of world
T
peace.
5. To promote the sciences, arts and letters for the enrichment of life and
recognition of the dignity of the human person.

f Objectives of elementary education:

The elementary school should offir adequate education for our children to
prepare them for democratic citizenship. It should give instruction in basic knowledge,
a develop basic skills and attitudes, and inculcate ideals necessary for the promotion of
national solidarity, and for the development of an enlightened, patriotic, useful, and

t upright citizenry in a democracy. Giving emphasis to the culture, desirable traditions,

and virtues of our people, it should prepare the child for effective participation in
his community and for a better understanding of an expanding society. (BNE Report,
,
t 1955)

Objectives of secondary education:

. The secondary school shall continue the unifying functions of elementary
tI education by providing general education and shall seek to discover the varying
abilities, enterests and aptitudes of the youth, and offer courses in the dffirent fields
of productive endeavor according to the talents of the youths and in the light of
community needs. It shall also initiate a program designed to develop community
leadership.
Taking into consideration the economic needs of the country, the school must
cultivate vocational fficiency which will help the students become effective members I
, _':jr of their family and the community. For those who will continue in the colleges and
universities the secondary school must o/fer courses to prepare the students for an
effective study in the institutions of the higher learning. (BNE,Report, 1955)
E267

.fi,1
Curriculum for elementary and secondary levels were labeled General
r, .rrt
I .{ct
Education Curriculum while the core curriculum with work education as the core
; .;. was implemented.
iirief
:E in

i
.::ae
@
Elementary Education
The Revised Elementary Education Curriculum was gradually effected beginning
the school year 1957 - 1958.
c: Io Table 2 shows the subject areas and the rninimum time allotments.
]r ti
In the Revised Elementary Table,2: Minimum Time Allotment for the Elementary School Cuniculum
Education
and vas the
was the auxiliary medium of Number of Minutes a Day
shall nstruction in Grades I and II;
instructi< SUBJECT AREA l.ll il{v v.vt
l the )ilipino zand English were offered
Pilipino l. Social Studies 40 50 50
LOr as
rs subjects.
subjectr ll. Work Education 40 60 80
L rhis The Continuous Progression
The lll. Health and Science 40 40 50
icheme (CPS)
Scheme ( was implemented lV. Language Arts 110 110 120
e ihe in
n the elementary
eL during the SY V. Arithmetic 50
.970 -- 1971 but due to some
1970 Vl. Arts & Physical Education 40 40 50
nisconceptions, it was literally
misconce
:onstrued as mass promotion, hence
construed ToTAL 310 340 400
ru.
non- readers were promoted to
many non
ina the next grade level. The non-cooperation of many parents for their children to attend
summer tutorial classes added to the non-institutionalization of the CPS.

@-
rlute
Erral
1957 1972
te all Secondary Education
rorld
One feature of the 1957 - 1972 reform was the offering of Character Education
: and and Good Manners and Right Conduct as "a separate subject in the elementary and
secondary curricula in all public and private schools, effective at the beginning of the
:ond semester
second of SY 1958 - 1959" Table 3 shows the minimum requirements for completion of the secondary
folk
as follows: general cuniculum and the 2-2 plan.
sn to a. Elementary level - Good
Table 3: Curriculum Under the 2-2 Plan
Manners and Right Conduct
".cge,
on of - everyday irt the most Subjects Common College Prep Vocational
, and suitable language in all grade t-il il IV Year ilt IV Total
fions, levels during the opening Year Year Year Year
en in exercises.
English 2 2 z b 1 1 4
wrt, b. Character Education and Filipino Language 2 I 1 4 1/" 1/
3
Right Conduct shall be given Social Science 2 1 1 4 1 I 4
in English for a period of
40 minutes once a week. Guidance Service
rtary (Department Order No. 5, s. Mathematics 2 2 2 6 I 1 4
)'ing 1958 dated August 1, 1958). Science 2 2 2 6 1 1
,
+
fields Health, PE & PMT 2 1 1 4 v, v, 3
,ht of Work Experience or
unity Vocational Education for bo,
4 4 4 4 12
or Home Economics
for girls
must
abers Total 't6 I I 34 I I 34

)
 The 2 -2 Plan Curriculum was considered by the Swanson Survey Team, in or
theory and philosophy as an "advanced step in the improvement of high school
curriculum" but problems in the implementation due to lack of funds, equipment,
vocational teachers and guidance counselors were not resolved.
Streaming the students into college preparatory and vocational was deemed
"unfair" by parents who disregarded the capabilities of their children to go to higher
education and streamed in the vocational education.

1973 - 1988
Secondary Education
The Revised Secondary Education Program (RSEP) replaced the 2 - 2 Plan in
1973. Among the objectives of the cuniculum was "to acquire the basic occpational
skills acknowledge and information essential for gainful employment and for making
intelligent choice of occupation or career." Electives were included, exploratory courses
were offered that would expose the students to specialization in the third and fourth
years.
The RSEP implemented starting SY 1973-1974 introduced the by the hour
programming instead of 40 minutes per leaming area.
The Bilingual Education Policy was likewise issued as Dept. Order No. 25, s.
1974. lt was interesting to note that with basic education reforms, the Bureau of Higher
Education then, issued the Revised Teacher Education Curriculum embodied in
Dept. Order No. 8, s. 1970 based on the following principles: reorientation of teacher
education to Philippine needs, conditions, and aspirations; aoordination and freedom as
a ncessary safeguard against proliferation both in content and procedure; institutional
cooperation and sharing through participation of teacher education institutions in a
system of educational consortium; quality "control" through an adequate system of
"control" with respect to standards of instruction and instructional facilities; recruiftnent
by encouraging young people from all walks of life to enrol in teaching profession;
! selective admission and retention by admitting to the teacher education institutions
students who belong to the upper Str/o of the graduating class of secondary schools;
L teacher education for all levels and disciplines which involves teacher preparation at all
i
T
levels and in all areas; and observance of professional ethics and morality.

1989 - 2001
The New Secondary Education Curriculum
') The conceptualization of the New Secondary School Curriculum (NSEC) began
in 1982 in preparation for the graduates of the New Elementary School Curriculum
(NESC) implemented starting SY 1982-83 in Grade 1. The new elementary curriculum
was put in place one grade upwards every year thereafter through the six grades
, of elementary school, under the Program for Decentralized Education Development
(PRODED).

r The first full beneficiaries of the new elementary school curriculum were
graduated in March 1989 and they also became the first beneficiaries of the NSEC

I under the Secondary Education Development Program (SEDP).

The NSEC was implemented in all secondary schools in the Philippines starting
I with First Year in SY 1989-90. However, the curriculum underwent a macro tryout
from 1985 to 1989. During that four-year period, each curricular year level was tried
out using a pretest-posttest two-group design. Subsequently from SY 1989-90 to SY
l'J 1992-93, additional evaluation was carried out as the NSEC was implemented in the
succeeding year levels, one year level at a time. In SY 1992-93, all four year levels of
the high school curriculum were evaluated through achievement tests. In February 1994,
further testing was done to assess student achievement after the full implementation
of the NSEC.
Assessment of student achievement under the NSEC has been a major
dimension of the evaluation of SEDP. (Llagas, 1994)

-
r: Objectives of the New Secondary Education Curriculum (ltlSEC):
1. Develop an enlightened commitment to the national ideals by cherishing,
r preserving and developing moral, spiritual and socio-cultural values as well
as other desirable aspects of the Filipino heritage;
2. Obtain knowledge and form desirable attitudes for understanding the nature
and purpose of man and therefore, of one's own people, and other races,
places and times, thereby promoting a keen sense of self, of family and of
national and international situations;
3. Develop skills in higher intellectual operations and more complex
' comprehension and expression activities, dnd in thinking intelligently,
critically and creatively in life's situations;
4. Acquire work skills, knowledge and information and a work ethic essential
tr for making an intelligent choice of the occupation for career and for
[. specialized training in specific occupations; and
t 5. Broaden and heighten one's abilities in and appreciation for the arts, and
5 science and technology as a means for maximizing one's potential for self-
: fulfilment and for promoting the welfare of others.
Level of yearly implementation.
1989 - 1990 - First Year 1992 - 1993 - Fourth Year
1990 - 1991 - Second Year 1993 - 1994 - Project Completion Report
i 1991 - 1992 - Third Year 1994 - 1995 - Project lmpact Report

M
Table 4: New Secondary Education Cuniculum
Education was offered as a 1st Year 2nd Year 3rd Year 4th Year TOTAL
SUBJECTS
separate subject in high. school, NUMBER

iE- MIN. UNIT MIN. UNIT MIN UNIT MIN. UNIT OF UNIS

L mass training of teachers included ENGLISH 2N I 200 1 200 1 200 1 4

values formation. A Values FILIPINO 200 1 200 I 200 1 200 1 4

Education framework was put in SCIENCE & TECH. 400 2 400 2 400 2 400 8

place by then Dept. of Education, MATHEMATICS 200 1 200 1 200 1 200 1 4

Culture and Sports (DECS). The SOCIAL STUDIES ?00

1 200 1 200 1 200 1 4
5 teacher education institutions were PE. HEALTH AND
'I 200 4
M[JSIC 200 1 200 200 1 1
r
encouraged to offer Values Education VALUES EDUC, 200 1 200 1 200 I 200 1 4
as a specialization in BSE. TECHNOLOGY AND 400 400 2 400 400 2 8
HOME ECONOMICS
10 '10 40
TOTAL 10 10

@
Elementary Education
The Final Report on the New Elernentary Education Curriculum records the
historical background of the reform, to wil
The need for reforms in elementaryt education became impbrative when the
results of Survey of Outcomes in Elemet iary Education (SOUTELE) came out. A
1f, signifcant finding for example, clearly shotved that the average sixth grader across the
nation has mastered only 50?6 of what he was expected to learn and that the learned
subjects were the 3Rs.
Experimental Elementary Educat ion Program (EEEP). To implement the
recommendation of SOUTELE, the Expe'rimental Elementary Education Program
(EEEP) was launched by the Bereau o,f Elementary Education in 1978. It was
conducted for nvo years on an experimmtt il basis. Involved were 1,500 classes in 125
-he
school divisions throughout the country. 7 EEEP offered fewer subjects in Grades
I-III thereby alloting more time to the dtzrelopment of the basic skills, tradionally
called the 3Rb, in the lower grades.
The results of the EEEP pointed to 'the viability of the experimental curriculum
in developing the communications skills of children in view of the reduction of the
r

subjec and the increased tim e for instruction. The findings showed that
number of subiects
 the EEEP if improved and refined could produce better results in terms of pupil self-det
achievement in comparison to the 1970 Revised Education Program. aware.
The findings of these major researches strengthened more than ever previous underst
indications that elementary education can stand considerable improvement. Among the per.
other things, these studies gave directions to the development of the 1983 new the life
cuticulum. intelligi
Program for Comprehensive Elementary Education (PROCEED). The impact T
of the aforementioned researches paved the way for the development of a 10-year betveer,
(1980-1990) Program for Comprehensive Elementary Education now better known for matenJ
its acronym, PROCEED. discir.:.
Thi Program for Decentralized Education Development (PRODED).'Tb serve use o.t -
as a launching pad.for the major reform envisioned in PROCEED, a Program for learr.-":
Decentralized Educational Development which became well-known for its acronym
PRODED was installed. PRODED actually covers the first 4 years of the l0-year
development program PROCEED. PRODED is a World Bank-assisted project geared
2010
towards the improvement of the elementary education sector with focus on upgrading
the quality of education and increasing pupil participation and survival rates. This Educer
program also attempted to redress disparities between and within regions in the secc.-:
delivery of services and allocation of resources according to the degree of education
deprivation of each region. fra:::;
N<:.:.
MEC Order No. 6, s. 1982 issued on January 29, 1982 set the implementation in::.
of the NESC effective SY 1983 - 1984 following this time table: dc,c'-::<
Grade I - 1983
F
Grade II - t984
into rhi
Grade III - 198s
on.:'--
Grade IV - 1986
i-
Grade V - 1987
O-::- '

Grade VI - 1988 the -*:

Inclosure to MEC Order No. 6 is the daily time allotment for the NESC. 2t'.:
Table 5: The New Elementary School Curriculum
Subject Areas Dailv Time Allotment
I il ilt IV VI
Character Building 20-30 20-30 20 20 20 20
Activities
Filipino 60 60 60 60 60 60
G:::.
English 60 60 60 60 60 60 ma:.-r
t -- -
Mathematics 40 40 40 40 40 40 l-,_
Sibika at Kultura 40 40 401
Heograpiya/Kasaysayan
age:-
Sibika - 40 40 40
Science and Health

, Mga Sining at Edukasyong

Pagpapalakas
Edukasyong Pantahanan

r at Pangkabuhayan

Total Minutes Daily 220-230 220-230

40

300
40

340
40

360
40

360

I)
2002 - 20tt :
) With the coming of a new leadesrhip in 2001 the NESC and the NSEC were
:
replaced by the 2002 Basic Education Cuniculum (BEC)
Il DepEd Order No. 25, s. 2002 dated June 17, 2002 ordered the implementation
of the 2002 Basic Education Curriculum during the SY 2002 - 2003. The Philippine accesSe
Commission on'Educational Reforms (PCER) created on December 7, 1998 through
Executive Order No. 46, recommended the adoption of BEC. One feature of the
curriculum is Makabayan, integrating the leaming areas of Values Education, PEHM,
Araling Panlipunan and Technology and Home Economics.
The curriculum aims at empowering the Filipino learner to be capable of
270
ierms oJ pupil self-development throughout oneb life and to be patriotic, benevolent, ecologically
aware, and godly. This overall aim entails the acquisition of life skills, a reflective
E eler previous understanding and internalization of principles and values, and the development of
\€ment. Among the personb multiple intelligences. Thus, in the restructured curriculum, training in
':ie 1983 new the life skill, the identification and analysis of values, and the recognition of multiple
intelligences penneate all the learning areas.
'D). The impact
This curriculum promotes more mutual interaction between students and teachers,
v cf a |1-year betyveen students themselves (collaborative learning), betvveen students and instructional
e:ier known for materials, between students and multi-media sources, and between teachers of dffirent
disciplines (collaborative teaching). Also, what makes this curriculum interactive is the
DED1. To sen'e use of information teachnologt and the greater emphasis on computer literacy in all the
z Program for learning areas in every school where equipment is available. (2002' BEC, pp. 8-9)
rar its acrontm
o"i' the I1-!-ear
irqiect geared
2010 Secondary Education Curriculum
s an upgrading Per DepEd Order No. 76, s. 2010 dated June 4,2010 the 2010 Secondary
i.s! rotes. This Education Curriculum (SEC) was implemented in the first year level only. The
.tgions in the second, third and fourth years continued to undertake the 2002 BEC.
ee a.f education The refinement of the curriculum followed the Understanding by Design (UbD)
framework which covers three stages: Stage 1: Results/Desired Outcome; Stage 2:
Assessment; and Stage 3: Leaming/Instnrctional Plan. The first two stages are defined
irylementation in the Curriculum Guide. The last stage is covered in the Teaching Guide. Both
documents can be accessed at the BSE website. (www.bse.portal.ph) eJibrary.
R.A. 10157 entitled An Act Institutionalizing the Kindergarten Education
into the Basic Education System and Appropriating Funds Therefor was approved
on January 20,2012. The Declaration of Policy states that:
Kindergarten is "mandatory and compulsory for entrance to Grade 1." DepEd
Order No. 21, s. 2012 dated March 20, 2012 detailed the Policies and Guidelines on
the Implementation of the Universal Kindergarten Education Program S'Y. 2012 -
; \:SC 2013.

2012-2013
The Roll-out Implementation of the K to l2 Basic Education Curriculum for
Grade I and Grade 7 shall start during the SY 2012-2013. Preparation of instructional
materials and teaching guides for the training oftrainers and regional training of Grade
I and Grade 7 teachers are ongoing.
It could be noted that the l2-year Basic Education Cycle is first in the l0-point
agenda of President Benigno Aquino, to wit:
l. Expansion to a l}-year Basic Education Cycle
2. Universal Pre-school
3. Madrasah Education
4. Tech-Voc Education in Senior High School
5. Every Child a Reader by Grade I
6. Proficiency in Math and Science
7. Assistance to Private School
8. Multilingual Education
9. Quality Textbooks
10. Covenant with LGUs to Build More Schools

A more extensive discussion on the roll-out implementation of K to 12 can be

accessed at the DepEd website www.deped.gov.ph.