GUIDELINES ON THE USE OF

THE MOST ESSENTIAL

LEARNING COMPETENCIES
(MELCs)
Presented By: Karissa S. Dagaraga
I. Rationale
 
The current global health crisis poses a profound impact on the basic education system
as approximately 87% of the world’s student population, or about 1.5 billion learners,
have been affected by school closures (UNESCO, 2020). While interim distance and
remote learning programs are being put in place in many locations, the most
marginalized, poverty-stricken, and vulnerable children are expected to be put at a
disadvantage.
 
In the Philippines, ensuring the welfare of more than 27 million learners in basic
education alone requires indomitable commitment amidst this crisis. However, as
UNESCO reiterates its stand: “Education cannot wait. If learning stops, we will lose
human capital.” Meeting the needs of the most vulnerable populations in these times is
essential to achieving SDG4 (UNESCO, 2017).
The Department echoes UNESCO’s belief that educational quality, access, and system
strengthening cannot be compromised in times of crisis (UNESCO, 2017), and that doing
the opposite will negatively affect human capital. Thus, the Department of Education
affirms its commitment to sustaining the delivery of quality, accessible, relevant and
liberating Philippine basic education services anchored on the Sulong EduKalidad
framework. It will continue to strive to produce holistic Filipino learners with 21st
century skills. Consequently, the Bureau of Curriculum Development ensures that
learning standards are relevant and flexible to address the complex, disruptive,
volatile, and ambiguous impact of COVID-19 in the Philippines particularly in the basic
education sector.
 
Working on the said premise, the Department hereby releases the Most Essential
Learning Competencies (MELCs) to be used nationwide by field implementers for SY
2020-2021 only. The Department emphasizes that the review of the K to 12 curriculum
remains ongoing, and the experience with MELCs for this school year will be used to
inform and enrich the curriculum review.
The release of the MELCs is not just a response to addressing the challenges of the current
pandemic but is also part of the Department’s long-term response to the call of SDG 4 to develop
resilient education systems, most especially during emergencies. Thus, it can be used under
certain circumstances as a mechanism to ensure education continuity through the curriculum
dimension.
 
The MELCs will enable the Department to focus instruction to the most essential and indispensable
competencies that our learners must acquire, as we anticipate challenges in learning delivery.
 
It will also lighten the burden of converting classroom-oriented learning resources into learning
resources adapted to distance learning.
 
Releasing the MELCs does not diminish the standards set by the full K to 12 curriculum guides.
Rather, these serve as one of the guides for teachers as they address the instructional needs of
learners while ensuring that curriculum standards are maintained and achieved.
 
The content and performance standards are indicated in the attached documents for field
implementers, to demonstrate how the MELCs are anchored on the prescribed standards.
 
II. Background on the Identification of the Most Essential Learning Competencies

The Department, through the Bureau of Curriculum Development – Curriculum Standards

Development Division, in collaboration with the Assessment Curriculum and Technology
Research Centre (ACTRC),
started working on the identification of essential learning competencies in the middle of
2019 as part of its ongoing review of the intended curriculum. Bureau specialists,
academic experts and field implementers worked to reach a consensus regarding the
criteria to be used in determining these competencies.
 
Initiated by Secretary Leonor Magtolis-Briones, the K to 12 curriculum review is not just
meant to fulfill one of the provisions of Republic Act (RA) 105333 to review the
curriculum, but is also part of her commitment to ensure quality, relevant and liberating
education for all. After the four phases of curriculum review are completed, the
Secretary will convene the Curriculum Consultative Committee to present the findings as
provided for in Section 6 of the same Republic Act.
The review focuses on articulation within and across learning areas to identify gaps,
issues, and concerns across learning areas and grade levels. Specifically, the review
covers the following:
 
Mapping of the essential and desirable learning competencies within the curriculum;
Identification of prerequisite knowledge and skills needed to prepare students for
essential learning competencies; and
Analysis of the interconnectedness of prerequisite knowledge and skills among the
learning competencies for each subject area.
 
Essential learning competencies are defined as what the students need, considered
indispensable, in the teaching-learning process to building skills to equip learners for
subsequent grade levels and subsequently, for lifelong learning. On the other hand,
desirable learning competencies were defined as what may enhance education but may
not be necessary in building foundational skills.
With the challenges on learning delivery posed by COVID-19, the Bureau of Curriculum
Development accelerated the identification of the essential learning competencies, and
streamlined these further into the Most Essential Learning Competencies (MELCs).

In determining the criteria for the selection of the most essential learning competencies,
the descriptor “ENDURANCE “ was considered to be the primary determining factor. A
learning competency is considered enduring if it remains with learners long after a test or
unit of study is completed, or if it is useful beyond a single test or unit of study. Examples
of such learning competencies include research skills, reading comprehension, writing,
map reading, and hypothesis testing, which are essential in many professions and in
everyday life (Reeves, 2002; Many & Horrell, 2014).
Part of the process was deciding whether a learning competency is to be retained,
merged, dropped, or rephrased. As a general rule, a learning competency was retained if
it satisfies the endurance criterion which greatly contributes to life-long learning and is a
pre-requisite skill to the next grade level. Two or more learning competencies are merged
or clustered into one comprehensive learning competency if they have the same objective
or learning intention. A significant number of learning competencies were
removed/dropped due to the following reasons:
 
• They are too specific, and the articulation is similar to that of a learning objective
• They are deemed appropriate to be introduced in an earlier quarter or grade level or
moved to a later quarter or grade level
• They are recurring
• They are subsumed in another learning competency.

Finally, certain competencies were rephrased to be more concise.

The content and performance standards are directly lifted from the curriculum guides.
This is to emphasize that the identification of MELCs is anchored on the prescribed
standards and not a departure from the standards-based basic education curriculum.
Thus, teachers are encouraged to refer to the 2016 Curriculum Guides in unpacking the
MELCs.
 
All learning areas will still be taken up by the learners in all grade levels, but with the
streamlined competencies. This is to ensure that the learning outcomes are still achieved
even in this pandemic. It is noted that, in principle, the time allocated per subject on a
daily basis did not change. This means that schools need to consider this aspect in
employing various delivery schemes.
Field implementers and private schools are encouraged to contextualize the most
essential learning competencies in order to accommodate the varying contexts of
learners, teachers, learning environment and support structures considering both the
content and performance standards. It is advantageous for students to learn the concepts
and skills in the MELCs through meaningful activities and scenarios relatable to them and
within the context of the students’ own environment. The MELCs are implementable as
long as the designed activities also teach the procedures and processes on how and when
to apply those knowledge and skills in a given context. With these, learners are assured
relevant and quality basic education despite the current health crisis.
 
The Department of Education, through the Office of the Undersecretary for Curriculum
and Instruction, shall gather relevant feedback on a regular basis from internal units and
external partners and stakeholders in the implementation of these guidelines in order to
further enhance the ongoing review of the K to 12 curriculum.
THANK YOU! GOD
BLESS!