President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has openly voiced his frustration over the current Senior High School (SHS) program, saying it has offered “no advantage” to students or their families.
In the latest episode of his BBM Podcast, the President responded to Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada’s call to rethink the K to 12 system by scrapping SHS entirely. “It’s just expressing the same frustration that I expressed in the first place,” Marcos said. “It’s costing more for the parents… Sa ten years, wala namang advantage… hindi naman nakukuha sa trabaho eh,” he continued, highlighting how SHS has failed to deliver on its promise of job readiness.
While the law remains in place, the President emphasized that improvements must be made. “Pagandahin natin nang husto habang nandiyan pa ‘yan,” he said, referring to his directive to Education Secretary Sonny Angara.
Secretary Angara echoed the President’s concerns, admitting the program’s flawed rollout. “Hindi maganda ang naging implementation nitong nakaraang dekada,” Angara said in a statement. He pointed out that students were overwhelmed with too many subjects and lacked the freedom to choose their own tracks.
However, Angara clarified that any move to eliminate SHS would be up to lawmakers. “Ang desisyon kung ipagpapatuloy ang SHS o hindi ay Kongreso lamang po ang makakapagsabi at makakapag-pasya,” he said.
Senator Estrada recently filed Senate Bill No. 3001 aiming to remove the SHS component from the education system while preserving the key reforms of the K to 12 law. His proposal suggests a 1-6-4 system: one year of kindergarten, six years of elementary, and four years of high school, to streamline the process without compromising quality.
Meanwhile, a revised SHS curriculum will be piloted in School Year 2025–2026 in 841 schools nationwide. Among its major changes is the reduction of core subjects in Grade 11—from 15 per semester to five full-year subjects—in an effort to ease the burden on students and improve learning outcomes.
