The Department of Education has announced that the first day of the pilot implementation of the MATATAG K to 10 Curriculum was positively met.

DepEd spokesperson Undersecretary Michael Poa, in a message to reporters Monday night, said learners and teachers were receptive to the new curriculum.

“The participating regions reported that teachers were adequately prepared for the pilot implementation, due to capacity building activities and orientation sessions on the new curriculum conducted prior to the first day of implementation,” Poa told reporters in a Viber message.

He also clarified that the class program designs of the MATATAG K to 10 Curriculum are still undergoing further adjustments in some schools “to address the changes in time allotments of particular learning areas.”

“This period of adjustment is expected – as the very purpose of the pilot implementation is to monitor and determine areas that may need to be improved or enhancements that may be put in place in preparation for the nationwide phased-implementation of the MATATAG Curriculum come SY 2024-2025,” Poa added.

Officially launched last month, the MATATAG Curriculum is expected to decongest the present K to 12 Curriculum by reducing the number of competencies and focusing more on the development of foundational skills, such as literacy, numeracy, and socio-emotional skills of kindergarten to Grade 3 learners.

The new basic education curriculum was initially implemented in 35 schools in seven regions – Ilocos, Cagayan Valley, Central Visayas, Soccsksargen, Cordillera Administrative Region, Caraga, and the National Capital Region.

Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Z. Duterte said in an interview on Monday that the pilot implementation of the MATATAG K to 10 Curriculum is also in preparation for its phased implementation next year.

“Meron tayong pilot ngayong taon na ito para makita natin kung ano yung mga problema sa implementation para sa susunod na taon sa phased implementation natin ng MATATAG Curriculum, konti na lang yung mga kailangan nating ayusin na gusot (We have the pilot this year to see the problems in the implementation so that in the phased implementation of the MATATAG Curriculum next year, we will have less problems to fix),” Duterte said.

Beginning SY 2024-2025, the phased implementation of the MATATAG K to 10 Curriculum will be applied to Kindergarten, Grades 1, 4, and 7; to Grades 2, 5, and 8 in SY 2025-2026; to Grades 3, 6, and 9 in SY 2026-2027; and to Grade 10 in SY 2027-2028. (PNA)