3
Kindergarten education shall mean one (1) year of
preparatory education for children at least f,ve (5) years old
as a prerequisite for Grade 1.
Elementary education refers to the second stage of
compulsory basic education which is composed of six (6) years.
The entrant age to this level is typically six (6) years old.
Secondary education refers to the third stage of
compulsory basic education. It consists of four (4) years of
junior high school education and two (2) years of senior high
school education. The_..entrant age to the junior and senior high
school levels are typically twelve (12) and sixteen (16) years
old, respectively.
Basic education shall be delivered in languages
understood by the learners as the language plays a strategic
role in shaping the formative years of learners.
For kindergarten and the first three (3) years of
elementary education, instruction, teaching materials and
assessment shall be in the regional or natIve language of the
learners. The Department of Education (DepED) shall
formulate a mother language transition program from Grade
4 to Grade 6 so that Filipino and English shall be gradually
introduced as languages of instruction until such time when
these two (2) languages can become the primary languages of
instruction at the secondary level.
For purposes of this Act, mother language or first
Language (LI) refers to language or languages first learned
by a child, which he/she identifies with, is identified as a
native language user of by others, which he/she knows best,
or uses most. This includes FilIpino sign language used by
individuals with pertinent disabilities. The regional or native
language refers to the traditional speech varIety or variety of
Filipino sign language existing .~n a region, area or place.
SEC. 5. Curriculum Development. - The DepED shall
formulate the design and details of the enhanced basic
education curriculu~n. It shall work with the Commission on
Higher Education (eHED) to craft harmonized basic and
tertiary curricula for the global competItIveness of Filipino