ILOILO City – Fifty-five schools in Western Visayas will implement the Department of Education’s (DepEd) revised and “strengthened” Senior High School (SHS) curriculum starting School Year 2025-2026, as part of a nationwide pilot program designed to overhaul the basic education framework for Grades 11 and 12.
The selected schools, both public and private, form part of the 841 pilot institutions identified nationwide — representing 6.6% of the 12,739 total SHS schools across the country.
The revised curriculum aims to address learning gaps and improve student competencies through streamlined core subjects and updated elective offerings.
DepEd Region 6 information officer Hernani Escullar Jr. said the chosen schools in Western Visayas include: Aklan (8), Antique (9), Capiz (3), Guimaras (6), Iloilo Province (13), Iloilo City (1), and Roxas City (15). These were selected based on readiness criteria such as availability of facilities, diversity of elective offerings, teacher sufficiency, and prior expression of intent to join the pilot.
For the upcoming school year, the SSHS curriculum will apply only to incoming Grade 11 students in pilot schools. Those not included in the pilot will continue to use the existing SHS curriculum.
One of the most significant changes in the new curriculum is the reduction of core subjects — from 15 per semester to just five, to be taught across the entire academic year in Grade 11. These are:
* Effective Communication (Mabisang Komunikasyon)
* Life Skills
* General Mathematics
* General Science
* Pag-aaral ng Kasaysayan at Lipunang Pilipino
All other subjects will now be classified as electives, reorganized under Academic and Tech-Vocational (TechPro) clusters.
DepEd assures the public that participating schools have undergone validation, orientation, and capacity-building programs to ensure preparedness.
“The readiness of our pilot schools was verified through a stringent process immediately after approval by the Central Office,” Escullar said, adding that additional schools may be included depending on further guidance.
In Iloilo Province, the Schools Division of Iloilo confirmed that 13 schools were selected for the SSHS pilot: Deogracias G. Arlos NHS (Concepcion), Sara NHS, Polopiña NHS (Concepcion), Dela Paz NHS (Banate), Bulalacao NHS (New Lucena), Guimbal NHS, Iloilo NHS, Oton NHS, San Rafael NHS, Cabanbanan NHS (Oton), Leganes NHS, Anilao NHS, and Santa Rita NHS (Oton).
According to Division Information Officer Leonil Salvilla, each school underwent a thorough application and assessment process before being approved.
DepEd Undersecretary Wilfredo Cabral, speaking before the House Committee on Basic Education and Culture, explained that 727 schools initially deemed “highly ready” were joined by additional “moderately ready” schools following Senate recommendations, particularly to include rural and private institutions.
Of the 841 pilot schools nationwide, 580 are public and 261 are private, with 806 located in urban areas and only 35 in rural locations. The pilot program considers factors such as school size, location, governance model (public or private), and track offerings.
DepEd has partnered with the Philippine Institute for Development Studies to implement an evaluation of the pilot rollout. Teacher training for the new curriculum began on May 25 and will continue until June 7, with special focus on TechPro areas such as agriculture, fisheries, and the arts, as well as core subjects.
School Year 2025–2026 opens on June 16 and ends on March 31, 2026. A public consultation on the revised SHS curriculum was also launched to gather feedback from stakeholders ahead of the full rollout./PN
