K TO 12 CURRICULUM: ITS GOALS AND BENEFITS TO THE FILIPINO for other learning opportunities beyond the classroom, thus
e classroom, thus allowing In the near future, the smooth transition from the existing 10 - year
LEARNER AND COMMUNITY
One of the greatest reforms in the Philippine Educational System today
is the implementation of the K to 12 program.
The enhanced K to 12 Basic Education Program seeks to provide for a
quality 12 year basic education program that each Filipino is entitled
to. This is incognizance with Article IV Section 2 of the 1987 Philippine
Constitution which states that: The state shall establish, maintain, and
support a complete, adequate, and integrated system of education
relevant to the needs of the people and society.
The new program was patterned from the K 6 4 2 Model. This
means that basic education involves kindergarten, six years of
elementary education, four years of junior high school (Grades 7 10)
and two years of senior high school (Grades 11 12).
Those who go through the 12 year program will get an elementary
diploma (6 years), a junior high school diploma (4 years) and a senior
high school diploma (2 years). A full 12 year of basic education will
eventually be required for entry into tertiary level education.
Universal kindergarten was offered starting school year 2011 2012.
This school year, 2012 2013, the new curriculum will be offered to
incoming Grade I as well as to incoming junior high school students
(Grade 7 of High School year 1).
The goal of the enhanced K to 12 Basic Education Program is to create
a functional basic education system that will produce productive and
responsible citizens equipped with the essential competencies and
skills for both life long learning and employment. The program will
enhance the basic education system to full functionality to fulfil the
basic learning needs of students. This is in line with the agenda of
President Benigno Aquino III of having quality education as a long term
solution to poverty. In order to achieve these goals, the program has
the following twin objectives:
a.) To give every student an opportunity to receive quality education
based on an enhanced and decongested curriculum that is
internationally recognized and comparable;
b.) To change public perception that high school education is just a
preparation for college; rather than, it should allow one to take
advantage of opportunities for gainful career or employment and/or
self - employment in a rapidly changing and increasingly globalized
environment.
The benefits of the K to 12 programs far outweigh the additional costs
that will be incurred by both government and families.
To individual and families:
1.) An enhanced curriculum will decongest academic workload, giving
students more time to master competencies and skills as well as time
for a more holistic development.
2.) Graduate will possess competencies and skills relevant to the job
market. The program was designed to adjust and meet the fast
changing demands of society to prepare graduates with skills essential
for the world of work.
3.) Graduates will be prepared for higher education. Due to an
enhanced curriculum that will provide relevant content and attuned
with the changing needs of time, basic education will ensure sufficient
mastery of core subjects to its graduates much that graduates may opt
to pursue higher education if they choose to.
With the new 12-year curriculum in place, future Filipino students will
4.) Graduates will be able to earn higher wages and/or better prepared
to start their own business.
There is a strong correlation between educational attainment and wage
structure and studies specific to the Philippine setting show that an
additional year of schooling increases earnings by 7.5 %. This should
also allow greater access to higher education for self supporting
students.
5.) Graduates could now be recognized abroad, Filipino graduates eg.
Engineers, architects, doctors, etc., could now be recognized as
professionals in other countries. Those who intend to study abroad will
meet the entrance requirements of foreign schools.
For the Society and the Economy:
1.) The economy will experience accelerated growth in the long run.
The objective of the K to 12 program is ti improve quality basic
education. Several studies have shown that the improvements in the
quality of education will increase GDP growth by as much as 2%.
Studies in the UK, India and US show that additional years of schooling
also have positive overall impact on society.
2.) The Philippine education system will be at par with international
standards. K to 12 will facilitate mutual recognition of Filipino
graduates and professionals following the Washington Accord and the
Bologna Accord.
* Washington Accord prescribes 12 years basic education as an
entry to recognition of engineering professionals.
* Bologna Accord requires 12 years of education for university
admission and practice of profession in European countries.
3.) A better educated society provides a sound foundation for long
term socio economic development.
The enhanced K to 12 Basic Education System will contribute to the
development of emotionally and intellectually mature individuals
capable of pursuing productive employment and entrepreneurship or
higher education disciplines.
education cycle to the K to 12 basic education cycle will produce
holistically developed Filipino learners with 21st century skills, which
they can use to become productive and responsible citizens of the
country.
The Philippines is undergoing a major overhaul to bring it in line with
education systems worldwide, starting with the K-12 sector. This
change to domestic education policy has far-reaching consequences
and is important for international educational institutions to consider
when looking for potential new student recruitment markets.
be ready and better equipped to join overseas universities at the
undergraduate level. And with a K-12 student population of 20.67
million, which will only increase over the next 20 years (see ICEF
Monitors article New 2035 enrolment forecasts place East Asia and
the Pacific in the lead), the Philippines is shaping up to be an
attractive recruitment destination.
Changes to basic education
The K-12 Basic Education Program aims to provide every Filipino child
with the education s/he needs to compete in a global context.
In May, President Benigno Aquino of the Philippines signed into law a
basic education curriculum that will see a mandatory kindergarten year
and two additional senior high school years added to what was a 10-
year education curriculum to make basic education 12 years. The
programme has been adopted not only in schools in the Philippines,
but also in Filipino schools abroad that follow the departments
curriculum. Gulfnews reports:
According to Aquino, the K-12 programme will pave the way for an
ever brighter future for young Filipinos by equipping them with basic
education up to international standards.
The goal of the new curriculum is to give Filipino students enough time
to master skills and concepts so that they are ready for tertiary
education when the time comes.
Kindergarten was previously optional, and advocates of the K-12
programme argue that students who went to kindergarten are better
prepared for primary education than those who did not. In addition, the
K-12 programme provides for the use of the mother tongue language
as the medium of instruction for students in the basic and lower years
to facilitate and expedite learning.
This fabulous interactive map of all public schools in the country could
be a useful tool in planning a recruitment strategy. It contains data on
the schools budget, enrolment statistics, education indicators, number
of teaching personnel, furniture, textbooks, classrooms, plus the water
and power supply of some 45,000 schools nationwide.
10 Point Education Agenda
The move to the K-12 policy comes as part of the 10 Point Education
Agenda which was set out by the current government administration.
The K-12 Basic Education Program, universal kindergarten and
instruction in mother-tongue languages are but three of the ten points
Aquinos administration want to implement in order to improve the
overall quality of education in Filipino schools.
The other seven points include:
Establish the Madaris Education as a sub-system in the current
education system;
Make every child a reader by Grade 1;
Improve science and mathematics;
Expand government assistance to private education;
Better textbooks;
Build more schools in cooperation with local government units (LGUs);
Re-introduce technical and vocational education in public high schools.
Australia extends a helping hand
Australia has long been a friend to the Philippines donating time,
funding and other resources, as well as working with the nation to
develop and ensure quality. Last month, the country granted PHP 8.4
billion (nearly US $193 million) to address basic education issues and
support the implementation of the K-12 programme.
They have also funded a project to enhance the skills of school
officials in managing school processes and turn schools into learner-
centred institutions that continually improve and build on its best
practices.
In return, Australia is surely hoping Filipino schools and students will
select Oz as their destination of choice for partnerships and study. As
ICEF Monitor reported in February, the Philippines is one of the top ten
student markets for Australian schools, colleges and universities.
Building classrooms and adding teachers
As mentioned, one of the ten points on the Education Agenda aims to
address severe overcrowding in Philippine schools and the shortage of
classrooms.
In October of last year, the Department of Education signed an
agreement with two winning consortia which will undertake the
construction of close to 10,000 classrooms.
The departments Public Private Partnership for School Infrastructure
Project (PSIP) will give schools the physical space they need and
provides the private sector the business opportunity to invest in the
design, construction and maintenance of classrooms.
Philippine Education Secretary Armin A. Luistro has said he hopes that
by doing so, the classrooms would stand as a testament to Filipino
capability and efficiency. Progress is well underway; construction of
more than 9,000 classrooms began in March of this year.
But making more room for students is only half the solution; someone
has to teach them and as of early last month, the Department of
Education still hadnt filled over 61,500 teaching positions.
An increase in student enrolment which caused the shortage of
teachers was due to an increase in kindergarten students a result of
the new K-12 curriculum, as well as students who were formerly
enrolled in private school transferring to public school because of
tuition fee hikes.
Student enrolment in 2012/3 stood at 20.67 million: 1.77 million
kindergarten students, 13.26 million elementary students, and 5.64
million high school students.
For foreign education providers, this lack of qualified teachers could
mean an opportunity to partner with institutions in the Philippines to
develop a teacher-training programme or qualification.
Increased focus on vocational education
A final point on the 10 Point Education Agenda calls for a re-
introduction of vocational and technical education in high schools,
which has been designed to give Filipino students practical skills to
gain employment after graduation a key component in tackling the
high youth unemployment rate in the Philippines.
Some advocates are calling for the adoption of the German model of
apprenticeship. The Manilla Bulletin reported:
The Philippine Business for Education (PBEd) wants the country to
incorporate Germanys system of dual technical-vocational education
into the K-12 basic education programme.
It is hoped that adopting the German model would help address the
skills mismatch between Filipino graduates and the jobs available.
Ramon del Rosario, chairman of the PBEd, has said now is the time to
implement the apprenticeship system, because of the start of the K-12
curriculum: It is a good time because of the development of the senior
high school curriculum and that will have a track towards technical
vocational education.
In May, the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority
(TESDA) announced it had completed the K-12 technical vocational
curriculum, and everything was in place for the start of the new school
year.
TESDA Secretary Joel Villanueva said, Technical vocational education
and training (TVET) will play a central role in the new education model
that prepares students for tertiary education, middle-skills
development, employment and entrepreneurship. Courses include
automotive servicing, horticulture, welding, consumer electronics,
dressmaking/tailoring, carpentry, food processing and beauty care.
With such a strong focus on promoting technical-vocational education,
foreign providers who are looking to work in the Philippines might want
to consider how they can contribute to this development.
The Philippines as a study destination
Like many of its neighbouring countries, the Philippines has its eye on
becoming a study destination of choice for students from the Asia-
Pacific region
In January of this year, the Philippine Bureau of Immigration reported
that of the 203,753 foreigners in the country, 47,478 are studying in
schools and universities across the country (which is 14% higher than
the 41,443 foreigners who applied in 2011). The bulk of those (31,000)
are under the age of 18 and studying at an elementary or high school
or on a short-term (less than 1 year) course.
The Bureaus Commissioner Ricardo David Jr said: Our country is fast
emerging as a new educational hub in the Asia-Pacific region. More and
more foreigners are coming here to study and it demonstrates
recognition of the improved quality of our educational system. He
attributed the influx of foreign students to the quality of teaching and
the use of English as the medium of instruction.
Some of those students chose the Philippines to study English, and the
government is hoping to boost ESL student numbers by making it
easier for them to stay and learn.
In June, the Bureau of Immigration launched a long-stay tourist visa
which allows holders to stay for up to six months plenty of time to
spend studying on a language course.
Last year, ICEF Monitor reported that for international students
studying English in Australia, the Philippines had entered the
competition as a destination option for the first time in 2011. Backing
that up, an article in The PIE News quotes Ruth Tizon, Programme
Director of the Philippines ESL Tour Program, as saying,
The Philippines can compete with the US, UK or Australia as an ideal
destination for studying the English language. Aside from its large
English-speaking population [93.5% of Filipinos speak English well],
competent schools and faculty, the Philippines has a rich cultural
heritage, offers diverse tourism attractions and activities, and warmth
and hospitality not found anywhere else in the world.
One thing is clear: the Philippines is looking ahead. With a growing
population and a budding economy, demand for quality education is
high. Many Filipino parents welcome the basic education reforms and
are looking forward to more opportunities for their children in
vocational and higher education. We explore both in this follow-up
piece.
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)
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Advantages - immediate work after high school, without needing an
extra TESDA certificate or passing college requirements such as NSTP
and board examinations. More job openings for work that previously
required a two-year college course.
Disadvantages - extra two years in high school
Only the wretched poor or those who worship their money would hate
this. They asked for better education, here they freaking are.
The disadvantages of the K-12 program are the lack of classrooms and
the bloating of the curriculum - you simply stretched the 10 years of
the current curriculum to 12 years of curriculum - there is no
improvement in content - and lack of teachers.
There are no advantages. An extra 2 years deprives a family of income
in a society where the issue of poverty has not been addressed.
If I may add, there is no disadvantage today. Most of those who finish
college will find that they need massive corporate training to keep up
with the demands of professional life. In technical fields, you might be
slow but you will learn as you go along. One cannot be thoroughly
prepared in 10 or 12 years of education.
The goal of education in the Philippines must be defined. Does the
Philippines want to become like the United States as a technology
center? Unless there is something compelling it may take another
generation to surpass the United States. Learning in the United States
has one simple principle: access to many fields of interests through a
multitude of media, and experts available to help kids in high school.
These are the better issues to address now. Without a significant
transformation of the support needed for kids to attain excellence, K-12
is just a a waste of time.
We do realize that there are many college graduates who are launched
quite early in the employment game and they are often without jobs.
But this all the more argues for the strategy that the employment
problem must be resolved. K-12 graduates will only face the same
problem.
ADVANTAGES OF K-12 EDUCATION
The program aims to uplift the quality of education in the
Philippines in order for graduates to beeasily employed. The
program also aims to meet the standards required for
professionals whowould want to work abroad.Most importantly,
the system aims to fully enhance and develop the students in
order for them tobe well-prepared especially in emotional and
cognitive aspects. Through this, graduates will beable to face
the pressures of their future workplace.There may be a lot of
factors to consider for the K+12 Education to succeed. But as
long as weopen our minds to change and we will take it on a
positive way, we will definitely attain our most-aspired
educational standards which will play a great role in our
countrys development and willtherefore, uplift us from
poverty.Batas Pambansa blg.232 or the education act of 1986
defines elementary education as the firststage of compulsory,
formal education and usually corresponding to six or seven
grades,including preschool. To achieve universal primary
education, and objectives of education for all(EFA) the inclusion
of preschool, currently known as kindergarten in the basic
education cycle,making it free and compulsory is presently
being considered at the policy level. Kindergarteneducation or
the K+12 will prepare 5 year old children physically, socially,
emotionally, andmentally for formal schooling.K+12 will
increase the children chance of surviving and completingformal
schooling, reducing dropouts incidence and insuring better
school performance. Theuniversal Kindergarten education will
the readiness and foundationally skills of the children to
beready for the primary grades. The other Advantages are
presented below:1.
Enhancing the quality of basic education in the Philippines is
urgent and critical.2.
The poor quality of basic education is reflected in the low
achievement scores of Filipino students. One reason is that
students do not get adequate instructional time or timeon
task.3. International test results consistently show Filipino
students lagging way behindpractically everybody else in the
world. In the 2008 mathematics exam, for example, wecame in
dead last.4.
The congested curriculum partly explains the present state of
education. Twelve yearsof content are crammed into ten
years.5.
This quality of education is reflected in the inadequate
preparation of high schoolgraduates for the world of work or
entrepreneurship or higher education. If ten years
wereadequate, how come employers do not hire fresh high
school graduates? How come mosthigh school graduates flunk
the UPCAT?6.
Most graduates are too young to enter the labor force. Since
most children start Grade1 when they are 6 years old, they do
not reach the legal employable age of 18 when theygraduate
from high school today.7.
The current system also reinforces the misperception that basic
education is just apreparatory step for higher education. Why
prioritize the minority of high school graduatesthat go to
college?