Two days after the Department of Education (DepEd) launched its revised K to 10 curriculum, a YouTube video falsely claimed that the K to 12 program has been scrapped. This is not true.
The new “Matatag” curriculum decongested subjects to help students focus on foundational skills such as literacy and numeracy.
Uploaded on Aug. 12, the untrue 17-minute video carried the headline:
“KAKAPASOK LANG TAGUMPAY! K-12 ni PNOY NA-IBASURA NA PBBM at VPSARA PIRMADO na K-10 NEW CURRICULUM.!! (Just in, victory! K to 12 of former President Noynoy Aquino was junked. President Bongbong Marcos and Vice President Sara Duterte signed the new K to 10 curriculum).”
A narrator also said at the start of the video: “Vice President [and] DepEd Secretary Sara Duterte-Carpio hindi na mapipigilan pa. K to 12 program ni dating pangulong Aquino wawakasan na. Bagong curriculum ng Deped, inilunsad (can no longer be stopped. K to 12 program of former president Aquino will be abolished. DepEd launched its new curriculum).”
The Matatag curriculum did not revert the country to a 10-year basic education program. No such pronouncement was made during the curriculum’s nationwide launch on Aug. 10.
In a press briefing on the launch, Education Undersecretary Michael Poa said the K to 12 program will continue and that the review of the senior high school curriculum is ongoing.
“When we launched ang curriculum ng K to 10, iniisip ng publiko o may mga sektor ng publiko na ang iniisip eh wala na tayong K to 12. Mayroon pa rin tayong K to 12. Nauna lang po talagang ma-review, ma-repaso at masagawa itong Matatag agenda or yung bagong curriculum for K to 10.”
(When we launched the K to 10 curriculum, the public thought or some sectors thought that we would no longer have K to 12. We still have K to 12. It’s just that the Matatag agenda or the new curriculum for K to 10 was first to be reviewed, revised and implemented.)
Source: CNN Philippines Facebook page, “DepEd holds a press briefing,” Aug. 10, 2023 (from 2:14 to 2:38)
Under the streamlined curriculum, Grade 1 and 2 subjects were reduced from seven to five. The number of subjects will increase to six in Grade 3 and eight for Grades 4 through 10.
The K to 12 program, established via Republic Act 10533 in 2013, cannot be abolished by an executive agency such as the DepEd. Only Congress can amend or repeal a law.
Uploaded by previously fact-checked YouTube channels PINAS NEWS INSIDER and WANGBUDISS TV, the false video has so far garnered 145,808 views and 6,100 likes. Netizens also shared the link on Facebook.
VERA Files Fact Check has debunked claims about abolishing the K to 12 program several times.
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