Probe on new education curriculum sought

House Minority Leader Rep. Carlos Padilla (LDP, Nueva Vizcaya) asked the House committee on basic education to conduct an inquiry into the planned implementation of a new basic education curriculum by the Department of Education (DepEd).

Padilla, a member of the committee, said Congress would have to look into the implementation of the new curriculum to find out if proper consultations were conducted among the stakeholders, particularly the students, parents, and the teachers.

He added that while he supports the education department’s goal to improve the educational system, it would be best to know if the whole educational sector is ready to accept and implement the new curriculum.

This, Padilla said, would entail finding out if teachers were given ample training and whether the textbook, materials and facilities to implement the new curriculum are in place.

"We have to find out if proper preparation were made and if the whole education sector is ready for it," he said.

According to a draft copy of the Basic Education Curriculum though the country has a high rate of adult basic literacy of 94.6 percent, there is a need to develop the functional literacy wherein pupils and students go beyond the ability to understand simple paragraphs and to perform simple numerical calculations.

Padilla also said Congress also has to find out if national as well as regional concerns were considered when the new basic education curriculum was planned.

He added that every region has different concerns or conditions on education that has to be considered. Some educational programs may apply to one region or another but not to all, Padilla said.

Under the new basic education curriculum, elementary pupils and high-school students would have longer teaching and learning hours in the tool subjects, namely: Math, Filipino, English and Science. Shorter hours would be devoted to the other subjects, now integrated into one learning area called Makabayan.