The senior high school curriculum should be revised to prepare K-12 graduates of the technical vocation and livelihood (TVL) track for jobs, a lawmaker said Wednesday.

“It is important that among our education stakeholders, we need to look at senior high school. If we need to make adjustments there to make sure that the graduates of the techvoc track, sports track, and creative arts track are ready to work, we need to make sure they have skills and that different agencies cooperating with one another. Those are the challenges being faced by students in grades 11 and 12 in senior high school,” Pasig City Rep. Roman Romulo said at a “Laging Handa” briefing.

“Because they promise that under K-12, once you graduate, you have options. You can choose to continue your studies in college or you can choose to have a job. You’re ready for work. But the employers are saying they aren’t ready. So we need to really revise and review the curriculum for grades 11 and 12. We should look at what needs to be changed in senior high school,” he added.

Romulo, the chairperson of the House Committee on Basic Education and Culture, said they will be drafting new bills on the TVL track that seek to help K-12 graduates gain the skills needed in jobs.

He also believes that the Department of Education (DepEd) and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) should have better coordination in terms of improving the curriculum of the TVL track.

Romulo also said he was in favor of having a subject for the K-3 curriculum that merges social studies, history, and physical education so students can focus on reading and math.

“I agree fully. You know, I have been saying since then that the subjects in Grades 1 to three need to be reduced. We need to focus on functional literacy. On reading, reading, reading, and mathematics,” he said.

That’s why the proposal to lessen the subjects, to integrate or merge the three subjects is the right thing to do. Because the students need reading comprehension and mathematics. As well as the right way to interact with others. When we do that, we will really see exponential growth in the learning of students,” he added. Jaspearl Tan/DMS