Friends and fellow advocates,
Mapagpalayang araw po. Sana nasa mabuti kayong kalagayan.
After years of advocacy, petitions, and dialogue: our collective call is finally being heard. Malapit na!
The Department of Education has officially begun the pilot implementation of a new Grade 11 subject under the Strengthened Senior High School Curriculum: “Pag-aaral ng Kasaysayan at Lipunang Pilipino.”
This is a major step toward the dream we all share: the full return of Philippine History as a dedicated subject in the high school level.
Pilot schools across the country are now testing this new course. If all goes well, it will be implemented nationwide by next school year (SY 2025–2026), marking the first time in more than a decade that Philippine History will once again be taught in Senior High School.
While this is a victory in itself, our work doesn’t end here. Now more than ever, we must:
(a) Support our teachers who will handle this new subject: by providing them with reliable materials, lesson guides, and training. Our teachers need help! We call on professional history organizations and history departments in the country for help to provide necessary capacity training for our SHS history teachers!
(b) Ensure quality and historical integrity in the curriculum, so that our students learn Philippine History critically, creatively, and truthfully. We call on educational publishers and content creators to produce open-access, accurate, and localized materials aligned with the curriculum of Pag-aaral ng Kasaysayan at Lipunang Pilipino. Let us advocate for teaching anchored in authentic historical sources (primary documents, oral histories, and peer-reviewed research) so that students analyze rather than memorize.
(c) Stay vigilant and continue engaging with DepEd and policymakers to guarantee that this reform is fully implemented from SY 2026–2027. We encourage all petitioners to monitor pilot results and share feedback with DepEd through public consultations or written position papers.
In addition, we also want to send this message of gratitude
To all 64,000+ signatories: teachers, students, historians, and citizens, maraming salamat po. Your voice helped bring us to this moment. What was once a small petition is now shaping national education policy.
Let’s continue to stand together, for the next generation to know, love, and learn from our shared past. Mabuhay ang Kasaysayan. Mabuhay ang Bayan.
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To partner with us, you can contact us at ibalik.phil.his.sa.hs@gmail.com or you can email the petitioner at jamaico.ignacio@gmail.com.