By: Nino Aclan

Senator Win Gatchalian said the Senate Committee on Basic Education is set to conduct an inquiry today, August 7, on the opening of School Year (2024-2025) which will tackle the readiness of teachers and the availability of quality learning materials for the rollout of the MATATAG Curriculum.

The first phase of the MATATAG Curriculum’s rollout begins this school year and covers learners from Kindergarten, Grades 1, 4, and 7. The public hearing, scheduled on August 7, will also discuss the implementation of the Department of Education’s (DepEd) national learning camp.

While the national learning camp seeks to address learning loss, Gatchalian previously raised that the program is not capturing students who need the most intervention. The senator has been pushing for the passage of the ARAL Program Act (Senate Bill No. 1604) to provide a national learning program grounded on premises such as well-systematized tutorial sessions and well-designed intervention plans.

When it comes to learning materials, the DepEd previously committed to delivering 80% of textbooks for learners in Kindergarten, Grades 1, 4, and 7 by July. The year one report by the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM II) revealed that since 2013, when the K to 12 curriculum was introduced, the DepEd procured only 27 out of the 90 required textbook titles for Grades 1 to 10. The Commission also found that only learners in Grades 5 and 6 have the complete set of textbooks for all subjects.

“Inilunsad natin ang MATATAG curriculum upang matulungan ang ating mga mag-aaral na maging mas mahusay sa kanilang pag-aaral. Ngayong sisimulan na natin ang pagpapatupad nito, mahalagang masuri at matiyak natin ang kahandaan ng DepEd at ng ating mga guro,” said Gatchalian, Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Basic Education.