DepEd - Department of Education

BEC- Basic Education Curriculum

NESC- New Elementary School Curriculum
NSEC- New Secondary Education Curriculum
PELC- Philippine Elementary Learning Competencies
PSLC- Philippine Secondary Learning Competencies
DECS- Dept. of Education, Culture & Sports
RBEC- Revised Basic Education Curriculum

National Elementary School Curriculum (1984 – 2002)

New Secondary Education Curriculum (1991 – 2002)
Revised Basic Education Curriculum 2002 (RBEC 2002)
Secondary Education Curriculum – Understanding by Design Model (UBD) 2010
K-‐12 Basic Education Curriculum 2012 The Philippine Basic Education Curriculum (BEC)

Curriculum and instruction design in the Philippines is actually a product of religion, economic, political
and social influences and events that took place over a long period of time. Colonial rules in the
Philippines tailored the curriculum to serve colonial goals and objectives.

Pre Spanish Curriculum

Looking back in the Pre Spanish Curriculum the Filipino possessed a culture of their own. They had
contacts with other foreign people. The inhabitants were civilized people, possessing their systems of
writing, laws and moral standards in a well organized government. As stated in the rule of Baranggays
their code of laws – the code of kalantiao and Maragtas, their belief in Bathala, and the solidarity of the
family were obedience and respect is practiced. Education is informal, unstructured, and devoid of
methods. Children were provided more vocational training and less academics by their parents and in
the houses of tribal tutors.
Spanish Curriculum

The Spanish Missionaries aim to control the Filipinos, both body and soul. The curriculum then consisted
of 3 R’s (Reading, wRiting, and Religion) to attain goals — the acceptance of Catholicism and acceptance
of Spanish rule. Education during this period was religion – oriented; it was for the elite class only.
Liberalized through the enactment of the Educational Decree of 1863 .The schools were parochial or
convent schools. The main readings were mostly catecismo. The method of instruction was mainly
individual instruction

American Devised Curriculum

The motive of the Americans was to conquer the Filipinos not only physically but also mentally. The
curriculum was based on the ideals and traditions of America and her hierarchy of values. English was
the medium of instruction. The primary curriculum prescribed for the Filipinos consisted of 3 grades
which provides training in two aspects: 1. Body Training – PE ; 2. Mental Training – English, Nature
Study, and Arithmetic.

Commonwealth Curriculum
In 1935-1946, it is considered as the period of expansion and reform in the Philippine Curriculum. The
educational leaders expanded the curriculum by introducing courses in farming, domestic science, etc.
Commonwealth Act 586, also known as educational Act of 1940, recognized the elementary school
system.

Japanese Devised Curriculum

They devised a curriculum for the Filipinos to suit their vested interest. They introduced many changes
in the curriculum by including Nippongo and abolishing English as the medium of instruction and as a
subject. All textbooks were censored and devised. Caused a ‘black out’ in Philippine Education and
impeded the educational progress of the Filipinos.
Liberation Period
In 1945 – steps were taken to improve the curriculum existing before the war, some steps were to
restore grade VII, to abolish the double-single session, and most especially to adopt the modern trends
in education taken from U.S. The curriculum remained basically the same as before and was still subject-
centered.

Philippine Republic Curriculum

Great experiments in the community school and the use of vernacular in the first two grades of the
primary schools as the medium of instruction were some of them. An experiment worth mentioning that
led to a change in the Philippine Educational Philosophy was that of school and community collaboration
pioneered by Jose V. Aguilar.
Schools are increasingly using instructional materials that are Philippine-oriented. Memorandum No. 30
1966 sets the order of priority in the purchase of books for use in the schools were as follows:
Books which are contributions to Phil. Literature
Books on character education and other library materials; and
Library equipment and permanent features

The K to 12 Program covers kindergarten and 12 years of basic education (six years of primary
education, four years of junior high school, and two years of senior high school [SHS]) to provide
sufficient time for mastery of concepts and skills, develop lifelong learners, and prepare graduates for
tertiary education, middle-level skills development, employment, and entrepreneurship .
Curriculum designs lend form to, and chart provisions for, the processes of learning and teaching and
become concrete and operational at various stages of educational practice. It provides varied qualities
and powers of experience and knowledge. There are different designs of curriculum:
Subject/teacher centered curriculum is based on subject. All knowledge is transferred through the
subjects;

Learner Centered Curriculum there is a link between courses and children psychology. It is according to
the interest and tendency of children. It brings together cognitive, emotional and environmental
influences and experiences for acquiring, enhancing or making changes in learners knowledge, skill ,
values and world views.

Activity based curriculum involves anything students do in a classroom other than merely passively
listening to an instructor’s lecture.
Integrated curriculum refers to a non compartmentalized approach. It is a learning theory describing a
movement toward integrated lessons helping students makes connections across curriculum.
Core curriculum refers to the heart of experiences every learner must go through. It is a course of study,
which is deemed central and usually made mandatory for all students of a school or school system.
Hidden curriculum may support or contradict each other as well as the written curriculum.
Collateral curriculum is designed intentionally to afford students the opportunity to learn empowering
concepts, principles and ideas peripheral or outside the subject being taught.
Null curriculum is that which is not taught in schools it sends a covert message about what is to be
valued.
Spiral curriculum is a curriculum as it develops should revisit this basic ideas repeatedly, building upon
them until the student has grasped the full formal apparatus that goes with them.

Revisiting the different curriculum implemented in our country, their aims, characteristics and objectives
will tell that they will fit into one or more curriculum designs mentioned above. Program for
Decentralized Education Development (PRODED) is more of content based; The Basic Education
Curriculum (BEC) and Secondary Education Development Program (SEDP) addresses the learner and the
learning process. National Elementary School Curriculum (NESC)- the first research – based curriculum
in the country. There were fewer learning areas and put emphasis on mastery learning; New Secondary
Education Curriculum (NSEC) focuses on the improvement of performance in Science, Math and
Communication; BEC 2002/ RBEC 2002 focused on the basics of improving literacy and numeracy while
inculcating values across learning areas to make it dynamic. It also put emphasis on the use of
integrative learning approaches. The 2010 Secondary Education Curriculum (UbD Model 2010) has a
main tenet is understanding versus facts, in which students must understand not just to memorize facts.
The most recent is the K-12 Curriculum which aims for holistic development and acquisition of
21stcentury skills.

Curriculum is useless not unless it is implemented; part of the implementation process is to decide what
particular instructional design will be used. There are actually a lot of models of instruction to be
considered, each one of them has its own strength and weaknesses. Others are almost a copy of one
with only one or two differences.
In our country, most of the teachers are not actually aware of what type of instructional models they are
using or what instructional model will be of great help to the learners. In reality they design their
lectures based on what they’ve done before, copied what is on the book or the past teachers were
using. Others consider themselves as innovative since they are using technology based instruction
design. They are really missing the very heart of instruction who is the learner.
Instructional design and curriculum design is dependent on what kind of learner we have and the
current trend in society exists. Therefore as future curricularists we must design a flexible curriculum
that will cater the need of the present time. Something that could be of use to everyone and will meet
the aims, objectives and goals of the Philippine Education.

From all of these it can be concluded that there is no single best curriculum design or instructional
design that will fit to the Philippine Education system. Ours can be compared into a kare-kare dish,
composed of different ingredients (different curriculum design) perfectly mixed together in a pan (our
society) to satisfy the taste buds of every Filipino learner.