SENATOR Sherwin Gatchalian has reiterated his call for a comprehensive review of the proposed Senior High School electives and college general education subjects to ensure a smooth transition between basic and higher education.

The new SHS curriculum, to be pilot-tested in selected public and private schools beginning School Year 2025–2026, includes major revisions—reducing SHS tracks from four to two (Academic and Technical-Professional) and cutting core subjects from 15 to a streamlined five.

Students will also be able to choose from various electives to support their career interests.

The goal is to decongest the curriculum and provide clearer, more practical exit pathways—whether to college or the workforce.

However, Gatchalian raised concerns about whether the new structure can truly eliminate the need for bridging programs in college and whether it is feasible to implement given long-standing challenges in SHS delivery since 2016.

“My question to DepEd is: aren’t we going into the same problem again with electives?” he asked.

“Because while electives and Tech-Voc look good on paper, implementation is a different story. We need to think not just of the intended curriculum but also of the implemented one—because everything hinges on the schools’ capacity to deliver,” he added.

Gatchalian warned that even if students take electives, they may still fall short of college readiness due to limited school resources.

He stressed that the revised curriculum must ensure all students—regardless of school size or elective availability—can meet minimum standards for college admission.