What is the K to 12 Program?

The K to 12 Program covers 13 years of basic education with the following key stages:

Kindergarten to Grade 3

Grades 4 to 6

Grades 7 to 10 (Junior High School)

Grades 11 and 12 (Senior High School)

Why are we now implementing 12 years of basic education?

The Philippines is the last country in Asia and one of only three countries worldwide
with a 10-year pre-university cycle (Angola and Djibouti are the other two).

A 12-year program is found to be the best period for learning under basic education. It
is also the recognized standard for students and professionals globally.

What has been done to get ready for K to 12? Are we really ready for K to 12?
SY 2011-2012: Universal Kindergarten implementation begins
SY 2012-2013: Enhanced curriculum for Grades 1-7 implemented
2013: K to 12 enacted into Law
2014: Curriculum for Grades 11-12 finished
This 2015, we are getting ready for the implementation of Senior High School (SHS)
in SY 2016-2017.
We are on the fifth year of the implementation of the K to 12 Program. Our last mile
is the Senior High School. All 221 divisions of the Department of Education (DepEd)
have finished planning and have figures on enrolment a year in advance. These
plans were reviewed by a separate team and finalized upon consultation with other
stakeholders.
Classrooms: DepEd has built 66,813 classrooms from 2010 to 2013. There are
33,608 classrooms completed and undergoing construction in 2014. As of DepEd is
planning to establish 5,899 Senior High Schools nationwide. As of April 30, 2015,
DepEd has issued provisional permits to 1,866 private schools set to offer Senior
High School in 2016.

Teachers: From 2010-2014, DepEd has filled 128,105 new teacher items. DepEd is
targeting two kinds of teachers: those who will teach the core subjects, and those
who will teach the specialized subjects per track. DepEd will hire 37,000 teachers
for Senior High School for 2016 alone.
Textbooks: Learning materials are being produced for elementary to junior high
while textbooks for Senior High School (which has specialized subjects) are being
bid out.
Curriculum: The K to 12 curriculum is standards- and competence-based. It is
inclusive and built around the needs of the learners and the community. The
curriculum is done and is available on the DepEd website. It is the first time in
history that the entire curriculum is digitized and made accessible to the public.
Private SHS: There are 2,199 private schools cleared to offer Senior High School and
over 200 more being processed.

How will K to 12 affect the college curriculum?

The College General Education curriculum will have fewer units. Subjects that have
been taken up in Basic Education will be removed from the College General
Education curriculum.
Details of the new GE Curriculum may be found in CHED Memorandum Order No.
20, series of 2013.

Ive been hearing that a lot of people have not been consulted regarding K to 12. Is this
true?

DepEd has always been transparent in the planning and implementation of K to 12.
There have been regular consultations with various sectors since 2010, before the law was
passed, during the crafting of the IRR, and during implementations. DepEd representatives
have also attended various fora and conferences, including legislative inquiries, regarding K
to12. We are open to criticisms and suggestions regarding this.

How can I help improve basic education?

Private partners can donate through the Adopt-A-School program. A 150% tax incentive
will be provided for every contribution.

Help spread awareness and information on the K to 12 Program.