For many years, our Department of Education has been on constant efforts to raise the

standards of Educational System here in our country. The strength of a nation lies on the strength of its
education system. Various reforms and restructuring of the Educational system were done and some of
the major changes were set by the United Nations in 2001 *insert citations

Kto12 Implementation in the Philippines brought major changes in our country and as a first batch of
this experimental revision, I personally experienced these changes brought about by the revisions of the
educational system and the curriculum structure. A lot of discussions were made with regards to its
effectivity and it is treated as a very big deal in our country because it plays a major role in the
significant changes prevailing in our country.

According to Niceto Poblador (2012), there are reasons why reform packages in the past that were
implemented by the Education Department failed: (1) Absence of a shared commitment to a common
goal; (2) Conflicting individual interests; (3) Perceptions of inequity in the sharing of effort, costs, and
benefits; (4) Exaggerated self-assessment of competence, or the lack of it; and (5) Differences in status
and authority, which hinder meaningful debates and the free flow of information (Poblador, 2012).

More than two years ago, the incumbent President Aquino signed into law the Basic Education Act of
2013 (Republic Act 10533), or most commonly referred to as K-12 Program. This law adds three years of
formal schooling in the basic education level from the 10-year basic education curriculum to make the
Filipino students globally competitive in other countries (Cabansag, 2014).

The K-12 Program mandates that all pupils entering Grade 1 should have compulsory undergone
kindergarten or preschool and the secondary level will add two more years, that is the senior high
school. President Aquino stated that: By signing this bill into law, we are not just adding two years of
additional learning for our students; we are making certain that the coming generations are empowered
to strengthen the very fabric of our society, as well as our economy (cited in Burgonio, 2013). According
to DepEd (Department of Education), K-12 Program has the following features: (1) making curriculum
will be relevant to the learners, or contextualization and enhancement; (2) building proficiency through
language, or mother tongue based multilingual education; (3) integrated and seamless learning, or spiral
progression;

and (4) egearing up for future, or senior high school.4 The K-12 Program provides sufficient time for
mastery of concepts and skills, develop lifelong learners, and prepare graduates for tertiary education,
middlelevel skills development, employment, and entrepreneurship. From the point of view of the
government, K-12 is the appropriate response to address the century old problem in education as well
as being globally competitive (Cabansag, 2014).
The K-12 Program provides sufficient time for mastery of concepts and skills, develop lifelong learners,
and prepare graduates for tertiary education, middlelevel skills development, employment, and
entrepreneurship. From the point of view of the government, K-12 is the appropriate response to
address the century old problem in education as well as being globally competitive (Cabansag, 2014).
Abulencia, Arthur S. (2015). “The Unraveling of K-12 Program as an Education Reform in the Philippines”
in SIPATAHOENAN: South-East Asian Journal for Youth, Sports & Health Education, Vol.1(2) October,
pp.229- 240. Bandung, Indonesia: Minda Masagi Press, APAKSI Bandung, and KEMENPORA RI Jakarta,
ISSN 2407-7348.

Cabansag, Marie Grace S. (2014). “Impact Statements on the K-12 Science Program in the Enhanced
Basic Education Curriculum in Provincial Schools” in Researchers World: Journal of Arts, Science &
Commerce, Vol.5, No.2 [April]. Available online also at: http://www.researchersworld.com/

Poblador, Niceto. (2012). “On BESRA: A Voice Years Ago” on May 2. Available online at: http://www.
philippinesbasiceducation.us/2012/05/on-besravoice-years-ago.html#ixzz3bJft35NU [accessed in
Manila, Philippines: April 4, 2015].