THE HOUSE  Committee on Basic Education and Culture has urged the Department of Education (DepEd) to provide a detailed explanation of the upcoming enhancements to the Senior High School (SHS) curriculum, set to take effect in school year 2025–2026.

Chaired by Pasig City Rep. Roman Romulo, the committee raised concerns about the effectiveness of the K-12 program—particularly its failure to deliver on its core promise of making SHS graduates work- and college-ready.

Both Romulo and Marikina Rep. Stella Quimbo emphasized the need for DepEd to demonstrate how the revised curriculum will address these long-standing deficiencies.

“That was the commitment in 2012—for SHS graduates to be work-ready,” Romulo said. “Meaning, when they apply for quality jobs, they should already know what to do.”

He pointed out that the two additional years in SHS have so far only led to graduates qualifying for National Certificate II (NC-II), which can also be obtained through shorter, community-based training programs offered by the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA).

Romulo argued that students who complete the two-year SHS program should be eligible for certifications higher than NC-II. He cited the Philippine Qualifications Framework, which indicates that NC-II holders require supervision and are not expected to work independently.

“Longer work immersion should lead to a higher NC,” Romulo said. “TESDA’s community-based programs take only three to six months to produce an NC-II graduate.”

Quimbo also pointed out that some schools have had to offer bridging programs to help Grade 12 graduates cope with college-level coursework—an intervention that underscores the K-12 program’s failure to ensure true college readiness.

In response, Dr. Edizon Fermin of the Commission on Higher Education’s Technical Panel for Teacher Education acknowledged the issues raised and assured the committee of CHED and DepEd’s joint commitment to refine the proposed SHS curriculum in line with the panel’s recommendations.

“That will be corrected,” Fermin told the committee.