EXAMINING THE POLICY SHIFT: A DOCUMENT ANALYSIS OF THE REVISED SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK

The Philippine basic education system has faced a "crisis of congestion" since the implementation of the Senior High School (SHS) program under Republic Act 10533. Longitudinal evidence indicates that an excessive volume of mandated subjects has impeded mastery of foundational competencies and diminished graduate employability. In response, the Department of Education (DepEd) initiated the "Strengthened Senior High School Curriculum" to streamline learning and align with the MATATAG agenda. This study examines the structural, epistemological, and ideological shifts inherent in the revised framework. Employing a Qualitative Document Analysis (QDA) design, the study scrutinized primary policy documents including the SHS Shaping Paper (2024) and EDCOM 2 legislative reports. Findings reveal three macro-shifts: (1) structural decongestion through subject synthesis; (2) the dissolution of rigid strands into "Flexible Elective Clusters"; and (3) the expansion of Technical-Professional (TechPro) work immersion. While the policy theoretically resolves curriculum overload, it introduces implementation tensions regarding teacher re-specialization.