EDUCATION Secretary Juan Edgardo ‘Sonny’ Angara has acknowledged major shortcomings in the implementation of the Senior High School (SHS) program over the past decade, citing overly rigid subject offerings and limited student choice as key issues.

In a statement released to Senate Media, Angara said the current SHS setup has failed to deliver the flexibility and relevance it promised students.

“Hindi maganda ang naging implementation nitong nakaraang dekada. Masyadong marami ang subjects at nakahon masyado ang mga bata. Hindi sila nakakapili ng subject/s,” he said.

Angara made the statement in response to a Senate proposal calling for the removal of SHS from the Basic Education curriculum.

To address these concerns, Angara said the Department of Education (DepEd) will pilot a revised SHS curriculum in 800 public schools starting June 2025.

The new curriculum aims to streamline subject loads and offer students more meaningful choices aligned with their interests and career goals.

“This June, babaguhin na natin in 800 schools na kung saan may pilot implementation ang bagong SHS curriculum,” Angara announced.

However, he clarified that the final decision on whether to retain or scrap SHS rests with lawmakers.

“Ang desisyon kung ipagpapatuloy ang SHS o hindi ay Kongreso lamang po ang makakapagsabi at makakapagpasya,” he added.