The Department of Education (DepEd) will continue to train instructional leaders to ensure the proper implementation of the MATATAG Curriculum.

In the coming weeks, the trainings to be led by the central office will be rolled out in regions, Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte said in a speech Friday during the National Summit of MATATAG Curriculum Pilot implementers at Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City.

The phased implementation of the curriculum is set for School Year 2024-2025.

“We need to implement the curriculum well… The MATATAG curriculum, when implemented well with very good teachers in the field, could greatly support our learning recovery efforts and help improve student learning outcomes,” Duterte said.

She also thanked the 35 schools that piloted the curriculum in seven regions.

“With your pioneering efforts, with your participation, we gain needed insights and get practical insights on the challenges of implementation and the probable solution to address that,” she said.

In terms of getting the feedback and experiences of teachers in pilot schools, Duterte mentioned that she may visit the “35 schools since there are 365 days in a year.”

To date, there are five schools in each of the seven regions implementing the said curriculum, with around 385 and 8,294 participating teachers and learners, respectively.

These include schools in Metro Manila, Cordillera Administrative Region, Caraga Region, Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley, Central Visayas, and Soccsksargen.

The DepEd, meanwhile, held the national summit to consolidate reported challenges and concerns from the pilot implementation of the MATATAG curriculum, identify strengths to be sustained, and come up with a “synchronized mechanism of support” for the measure.

The MATATAG Curriculum, piloted in September last year, aims to decongest the curriculum and resolve misplaced learning competencies from Kinder to Grade 10.

MATATAG stands for “Make the curriculum relevant to produce job-ready, Active and responsible citizens; TAke steps to accelerate the delivery of basic education services and provision facilities; TAke good care of learners by promoting learner well-being, inclusiveness learning, and positive learning environment; and, Give support for teachers to teach better.” (PNA)