K-12 Basic Education Program

Department of Education

CURRENT SITUATION

Chronic underachievement of students

Insufficient mastery of basic competencies due to congested curriculum

High school graduates (<16 year-old graduates lack basic competencies and maturity)

Other countries view the 10 – year education cycle as insufficient

The Philippines is the only remaining country in Asia with a 10 – year basic education
program

K-12 Basic Education Program

Historical Background

• K+12 is not NEW…

• studies have been made since 1925

• need to be more competitive

• lack of political will

RATIONALE

The poor quality of basic education is reflected in the low achievement scores of Filipino
students.

The congested curriculum partly explains the present state of education

This quality of education is reflected in the inadequate preparation of high school graduates for
the world of work or entrepreneurship or higher education

Further, most graduates are too young to enter the labor force.

The current system also reinforces the misperception that basic education is just a preparation
for higher education.

BENEFITS OF ENHANCED BASIC EDUCATION PROGRAM

1.The Enhanced K-12 Basic Education Program will be instrumental in achieving the nation’s
vision of high school graduates. The benefits of the K-12 proposal far outweigh the additional
costs that will be incurred by both government and families.

2. An enhanced curriculum will decongest academic workload.

3. Graduates will possess competencies and skills relevant to the job market.

4. Graduates will be prepared for higher education.

5. Graduates could now be recognized abroad.

PHILOSOPHICAL and LEGAL BASES

. The 1987 Phil. Constitution

. B.P. 232, Education Act of 1982

. R.A. 9155, Governance of Basic Education Act of 2001

. The 4 pillars of education ( UNESCO )

. The vision- mission statements of DepEd

. The EDCOM Report of 1991

. Basic Education Sector Reform Agenda (BESRA)

NATURE OF THE LEARNER

. Has a body and spirit, intellect, free will, emotions, multiple intelligences, learning styles

. Constructor of knowledge and active maker of meaning not a passive recipient of information

NEEDS OF THE LEARNER

. Life skills

. Self-actualization

. Preparation for the world of the work, entrepreneurship, higher education

NEEDS OF NATIONAL and GLOBAL COMMUNITY

. Poverty reduction and human development

. Strengthening the moral fiber of the Filipino people

. Development of a strong sense of nationalism

. Development of productive citizens who contribute to the building of a progressive, just and
humane society

. Ensuring environmental sustainability

. Global partnership for development

Guiding Principles and Features of K-12 Curriculum
INCLUSION OF CO-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES AND COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
PROGRAM

CORE CONTENT

1.COMMUNICATION AND LITERACIES

2. CRITICAL THINKING AND PROBLEM SOLVING

3. CREATIVITY AND INNOVATION

4. ETHICAL, MORAL and SPIRITUAL VALUES

5. LIFE and CAREER COMPETENCIES

6. DEVELOPMENT OF SELF AND SENSE OF COMMUNITY

7. NATIONAL and GLOBAL ORIENTEDNESS

LEARNING DOMAINS

PEDAGOGICAL APPROACHES

• CONSTRUCTIVIST

• INQUIRY-BASED

• INTEGRATIVE

• COLLABORATIVE

• REFLECTIVE

ASSESSMENT

ASSESSMENT as LEARNING

ASSESSMENTofLEARNING

ASSESSMENTforLEARNING

BALANCE OF TRADITIONAL and AUTHENTIC ASSESSMENT ASSESSMENT

MONITORING and EVALUATION SYSTEM

OUTCOMES-and STANDARDSBASED,

COMPREHENSIVE, SYSTEMATIC, and VALID MONITORING

and EVALUATION SYSTEM SET IN PLACE AIMED AT IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF BASIC

EDUCATION

PROPOSED ROADMAP FOR THE K-12 PHILIPPINE BASIC EDUCATION PROGRAM

Alignment of curriculum to the business and industry needs (Key Employment Drivers for 2011-
2020)
Current Curricular Innovations included in the K-12 BEP

1. Thematic Approach in Kindergarten

• Domains: Values Education, Physical

Health and Motor Development, Social

and Emotional Development, Cognitive

Development, Creative Arts, Language and

Readiness for Reading and Writing &

Language, Literacy and Communication

• Themes: Myself, My Family, My School,

My Community & More things Around Us

2. Mother tongue-Based Multilingual Education

• Mother tongue taught as learning area

and used as language of instruction from

Kindergarten to Grade 3

• Bridging or transition to Filipino and

English as language of instruction

introduced in Grade 3

3. Madrasah Curriculum: ALIVE

• Curriculum for Muslim learners

• ALIVE- Arabic language and

Islamic values education as

subjects to be taught in the

elementary and secondary

levels

4. Strengthened Technical- Vocational Education

• Competency-based curriculum

• Specialization of technical skills

in Grades 11 & 12

• Certification of competency

level will be given to students

in coordination with TESDA

WHAT IS K TO 12 PROGRAM?

The K to 12 Program covers Kindergarten and 12 years of basic education (six years of
primary education, four years of Junior High School, and two years of Senior High
School [SHS]) to provide sufficient time for mastery of concepts and skills, develop lifelong
learners, and prepare graduates for tertiary education, middle-level skills development,
employment, and entrepreneurship.

SALIENT FEATURES

STRENGTHENING EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION (UNIVERSAL KINDERGARTEN)

Every Filipino child now has access to early childhood education through Universal
Kindergarten. At 5 years old, children start schooling and are given the means to slowly adjust
to formal education.

Research shows that children who underwent Kindergarten have better completion rates than
those who did not. Children who complete a standards-based Kindergarten program are better
prepared, for primary education.
Education for children in the early years lays the foundation for lifelong learning and for the total
development of a child. The early years of a human being, from 0 to 6 years, are the most
critical period when the brain grows to at least 60-70 percent of adult size..[Ref: K to 12 Toolkit]

In Kindergarten, students learn the alphabet, numbers, shapes, and colors through games,
songs, and dances, in their Mother Tongue.

MAKING THE CURRICULUM RELEVANT TO LEARNERS (CONTEXTUALIZATION AND

ENHANCEMENT)

Examples, activities, songs, poems, stories, and illustrations are based on local culture, history,
and reality. This makes the lessons relevant to the learners and easy to understand.

Students acquire in-depth knowledge, skills, values, and attitudes through continuity and
consistency across all levels and subjects.

Discussions on issues such as Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR), Climate Change Adaptation,
and Information & Communication Technology (ICT) are included in the enhanced curriculum.

BUILDING PROFICIENCY THROUGH LANGUAGE (MOTHER TONGUE-BASED

MULTILINGUAL EDUCATION)

Students are able to learn best through their first language, their Mother Tongue (MT). Twelve
(12) MT languages have been introduced for SY 2012-2013: Bahasa Sug, Bikol, Cebuano,
Chabacano, Hiligaynon, Iloko, Kapampangan, Maguindanaoan, Meranao, Pangasinense,
Tagalog, and Waray. Other local languages will be added in succeeding school years.

Aside from the Mother Tongue, English and Filipino are taught as subjects starting Grade 1,
with a focus on oral fluency. From Grades 4 to 6, English and Filipino are gradually introduced
as languages of instruction. Both will become primary languages of instruction in Junior High
School (JHS) and Senior High School (SHS).

After Grade 1, every student can read in his or her Mother Tongue. Learning in Mother Tongue
also serves as the foundation for students to learn Filipino and English easily.
ENSURING INTEGRATED AND SEAMLESS LEARNING (SPIRAL PROGRESSION)

Subjects are taught from the simplest concepts to more complicated concepts through grade
levels in spiral progression. As early as elementary, students gain knowledge in areas such as
Biology, Geometry, Earth Science, Chemistry, and Algebra. This ensures a mastery of
knowledge and skills after each level.

For example, currently in High School, Biology is taught in 2nd Year, Chemistry in 3rd Year, and
Physics in 4th Year. In K to 12, these subjects are connected and integrated from Grades 7 to
10. This same method is used in other Learning Areas like Math.

GEARING UP FOR THE FUTURE (SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL)

Senior High School is two years of specialized upper secondary education; students may
choose a specialization based on aptitude, interests, and school capacity. The choice of career
track will define the content of the subjects a student will take in Grades 11 and 12. SHS
subjects fall under either the Core Curriculum or specific Tracks.

CORE CURRICULUM

There are seven Learning Areas under the Core Curriculum. These are Languages, Literature,
Communication, Mathematics, Philosophy, Natural Sciences, and Social Sciences. Current
content from some General Education subjects are embedded in the SHS curriculum.

TRACKS

Each student in Senior High School can choose among three tracks: Academic; Technical-
Vocational-Livelihood; and Sports and Arts. The Academic track includes three strands:
Business, Accountancy, Management (BAM); Humanities, Education, Social Sciences (HESS);
and Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM).

Students undergo immersion, which may include earn-while-you-learn opportunities, to provide

them relevant exposure and actual experience in their chosen track.

TVET (TECHNICAL VOCATIONAL EDUCATION & TRAINING) NATIONAL CERTIFICATE

After finishing Grade 10, a student can obtain Certificates of Competency (COC) or a National
Certificate Level I (NC I). After finishing a Technical-Vocational-Livelihood track in Grade 12, a
student may obtain a National Certificate Level II (NC II), provided he/she passes the
competency-based assessment of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority
(TESDA).

NC I and NC II improves employability of graduates in fields like Agriculture, Electronics, and

Trade.

MODELING BEST PRACTICES FOR SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL

In SY 2012-2013, there are 33 public high schools, public technical-vocational high schools, and
higher education institutions (HEIs) that have implemented Grade 11. This is a Research and
Design (R&D) program to simulate different aspects of Senior High School in preparation for full
nationwide implementation in SY 2016-2017. Modeling programs offered by these schools are
based on students’ interests, community needs, and their respective capacities.

NURTURING THE HOLISTICALLY DEVELOPED FILIPINO (COLLEGE AND LIVELIHOOD

READINESS, 21ST CENTURY SKILLS)

After going through Kindergarten, the enhanced Elementary and Junior High curriculum, and a
specialized Senior High program, every K to 12 graduate will be ready to go into different paths
– may it be further education, employment, or entrepreneurship.

Every graduate will be equipped with:

1. Information, media and technology skills,

2. Learning and innovation skills,

3. Effective communication skills, and

4. Life and career skills.

CURRICULUM GUIDE

ELEMENTARY

KINDERGARTEN

The Kindergarten Curriculum Framework (KCF) draws from the goals of the K to 12 Philippine
Basic Education Curriculum Framework and adopts the general principles of the National Early
Learning Framework (NELF). Kindergarten learners need to have a smooth transition to the
content-based curriculum of Grades 1 to 12.

GRADES 1-10

Students in Grades 1 to 10 will experience an enhanced, context-based, and spiral progression

learning curriculum with the following subjects:

SUBJECTS

Mother Tongue

Filipino

English

Mathematics
Science

Araling Panlipunan

Edukasyon sa Pagpapakatao (EsP)

Music

Arts

Physical Education

Health

Edukasyong Pantahanan at Pangkabuhayan (EPP)

Technology and Livelihood Education (TLE)

SENIOR HIGH (GRADES 11-12)

Senior High School is two years of specialized upper secondary education; students may
choose a specialization based on aptitude, interests, and school capacity. The choice of career
track will define the content of the subjects a student will take in Grades 11 and 12. Each
student in Senior High School can choose among three tracks: Academic; Technical-Vocational-
Livelihood; and Sports and Arts. The Academic track includes three strands: Business,
Accountancy, Management (BAM); Humanities, Education, Social Sciences (HESS); and
Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM).

CORE CURRICULUM SUBJECTS

There are seven Learning Areas under the Core Curriculum: Languages, Literature,
Communication, Mathematics, Philosophy, Natural Sciences, and Social Sciences.

Oral comunication

Reading and writing

Komunikasyon at pananaliksik sa wika at kulturang Filipino

21st century literature from the Philippines and the world

Contemporary Philippine arts from the regions

Media and information literacy

General mathematics
Statistics and probability

Earth and life science

Physical science

Introduction to philosophy of the human person/Pambungad sa pilosopiya ng tao

Physical education and health

Personal development/pansariling kaunlaran

Earth science (instead of Earth and life science for those in the STEM strand)

Disaster readiness and risk reduction (taken instead of Physical science for those in the STEM
strand)

APPLIED TRACK SUBJECTS

English for academic and professional purposes

Practical research 1

Practical research 2

Filipino sa piling larangan

Akademik

Isports

Sining

Tech-voc

Empowerment technologies (for the strand)

Entrepreneurship

Inquiries, investigatories, and immersion

SPECIALIZED SUBJECTS

Accountancy, business, and and management strand

Humanities and social sciences strand

Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics strand

General academic strand

IMPLEMENTATION AND TRANSITION MANAGEMENT

Program implementation in public schools is being done in phases starting SY 2012–2013.

Grade 1 entrants in SY 2012–2013 are the first batch to fully undergo the program, and current
1st year Junior High School students (or Grade 7) are the first to undergo the enhanced
secondary education program. To facilitate the transition from the existing 10-year basic
education to 12 years, DepEd is also implementing the SHS and SHS Modeling.

Private schools craft their transition plans based on: (1) current/previous entry ages for Grade 1
and final year of Kinder, (2) duration of program , and most importantly, (3) content of curriculum
offered.

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.
FEATURES

STRENGTHENING EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION (UNIVERSAL KINDERGARTEN)

 Every Filipino child now has access to early childhood education through Universal
Kindergarten. At 5 years old, children start schooling and are given the means to slowly
adjust to formal education.

 Research shows that children who underwent Kindergarten have better completion rates
than those who did not. Children who complete a standards-based Kindergarten
program are better prepared, for primary education. Education for children in the early
years lays the foundation for lifelong learning and for the total development of a child.
The early years of a human being, from 0 to 6 years, are the most critical period when
the brain grows to at least 60-70 percent of adult size.

 In Kindergarten, students learn the alphabet, numbers, shapes, and colors through
games, songs, and dances, in their Mother Tongue.

MAKING THE CURRICULUM RELEVANT TO LEARNERS (CONTEXTUALIZATION AND

ENHANCEMENTS)

BUILDING PROFICIENCY (MOTHER TONGUE-BASED MULTILINGUAL EDUCATION)

ENSURING INTERGRATED AND SEAMLESS LEARNING (SPIRAL PROGRESSION)

GEARING UP FOR THE FUTURE

NURTURING THE HOLISTICALLY DEVELOPED FILIPINO (COLLEGE AND LIVELIHOOD

READINESS, 21ST CENTURY SKILLS)
 1. Section 5 of the Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013, stipulates the following curricular
standards which the curriculum developers adhered to on crafting the K to 12 curriculum:
a) The curriculum shall be learner- centered, inclusive and developmentally appropriate;
b) The curriculum shall be relevant, responsive and research-based;
c) The curriculum shall be culture- sensitive;
d) The curriculum shall be contextualized and global;
e) The curriculum shall use pedagogical approaches that are constructivist, inquiry-based,
reflective, collaborative and integrative;
f) The curriculum shall adhere to the principles and framework of Mother Tongue-Based
Multilingual Education (MTB-MLE)
g) The curriculum shall use the spiral progression approach to ensure mastery of knowledge
and skills after each level; and h) The curriculum shall be flexible enough to enable and allow
schools to localize, indigenize and enhance the same based on their respective educational
and social contexts.

hy Push for K-12 Basic Education Program?

K-12 EDUCATION SYSTEM

 The K-12 program offers a decongested 12-year program that gives students sufficient
time to master skills and absorb basic competencies.

 Students of the new system will graduate at the age of 18 and will be ready for
employment, entrepreneurship, middle level skills development, and higher education
upon graduation.

 The K-12 program accelerates mutual recognition of Filipino graduates and

professionals in other countries.

 Kindergarten is mandatory for five-year-old children, a pre-requisite for admission to

Grade 1.

 The new curriculum gives students the chance to choose among three tracks (i.e.
Academic; Technical-Vocational-Livelihood; and Sports and Arts) and undergo
immersion, which provides relevant exposure and actual experience in their chosen
track.

OLD SYSTEM

 Students lack mastery of basic competencies due to a congested ten-year basic

education curriculum.
  Graduates of the old curriculum are younger than 18 years old and are not legally ready
to get a job or start a business.

 Foreign countries perceive a ten-year curriculum as insufficient. They do not

automatically recognize Overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) as professionals abroad.

 Kindergarten (a strong foundation for lifelong learning and total development) is optional
and not a pre-requisite for admission to Grade 1.

 Old education system offers a broad curriculum that does not include enough practical
applications.

THE PHILIPPINE Business for Education (PBEd), a non-profit established by the country’s top
chief executive officers in 2006, said it is too soon to judge the effectiveness of the K-12 basic
education program after senators recently called for a review on the curriculum’s supposed role
in the sinking performance of students. PBEd Chairman Ramon del Rosario Jr. said the K-12
curriculum, which was first implemented in the school year 2012-2013, has yet to produce real
results. “You have to remember, that these people (recent K-12 graduates) took the first 10
years out of the old curriculum and then they just added Grade 11 and 12,” Mr. Del Rosario said
in an interview with BusinessWorld last week. “We don’t have the real graduates of K-12 yet so
how can you judge the effectivity o K-12?” added the PBEd chairman, who is also the president
and chief executive officer of PHINMA Inc. and PHINMA Corporation. Earlier this month during
a senate session, Senator Sherwin T. Gatchalian pointed out the declining performance of
Grade 6 and Grade 10 students in national achievement examinations. He also cited the 2018
Fresh Graduates Report from Jobstreet, which indicated that 35% of companies are not willing
to hire K-12 graduates without undergraduate degrees. The senator called for a review of the K-
12 program, enlisting the help of the Department of Education (DepEd) and other concerned
agencies. Mr. Del Rosario said PBEd is open to discussions and ready to lend assistance in
addressing the problems of the country’s basic education program. — Gillian M. Cortez

Gatchalian calls for review of K-12 curriculum

Senator Sherwin Gatchalian on Wednesday called for a review of the country’s K to 12 basic
education program amid the declining performance of students after its implementation.

“We have to review the K to 12 curriculum. We have to review rin kung yong tinuturo sa tech-
voc sa ating K to 12 ay yung kailangan ng mga industriya (also if the technical-vocational
lessons in our K to 12 program responds to the needs of the industries),” Gatchalian said as he
presided over the Senate education subcommittee’s inquiry on the current state of the Philippine
education system Wednesday afternoon.

During the hearing, Gatchalian raised doubts on the effectiveness and quality of the country’s K
to 12 education program citing Department of Eucation (DepEd) figures showing the “low
proficient” Grade 6 and Grade 10 students from 2016 to 2017.
“Honestly, ang over-all assessment ay hindi maganda dahil ang National Achievement Tests
(NAT) natin ay naglalaro sa 40 percent lang for Grade 6 and Grade 10 at nakita pababa siya ng
pababa so this is quite alarming,” Gatchalian said, noting that proficiency rates in the previous
years were about 60 percent. (The over-all assessment is that we have poor quality education
because our NAT results only hover around 40 percent both for Grade 6 and Grade 10, and we
saw that the figures are declining, so this is quite alarming.)

Aside from the low proficiency rates of K to 12 students, Gatchalian also observed a
“misalignment” between the program and the demands of industries for their employment.

He cited JobStreet Philippines’s 2018 Fresh Graduates Report that showed only 24 percent of
employers in its website are willing to hire senior high school graduates, while 35 percent are
not ready to hire K-12 graduates.

The report showed that 41 percent are still undecided whether or not to accept K to 12
graduates.

Government qualifications, particularly those imposed by the Civil Service Commission (CSC),
remained unchanged despite the implementation of the K to 12 program, Gatchalian added.

He also noted that the DepEd’s K to 12 curriculum does not match that of the Commission on
Higher Education.

“Dahil yong curriculum ngayon na kailangan sa K to 12 hindi naman tinuturo sa kolehiyo,” he

explained.

Gatchalian, however, said he could not blame the DepEd which he believed is still adjusting to
the “massive” K to 12 program but said it is accountable for the performance of students.

He also stressed the importance of discussing and addressing such problem due to its possible
“impacts on future generations,” specifically the quality of the country’s labor force.

Both the government and private sectors, he added, should make adjustments on its
requirements and adopt the K to 12 program.
DepEd Assistant Secretary Alma Rubitorio, at the hearing, said the agency recognizes that
there are still “a lot of things to do” to enhance the K to 12 program. Rubitorio also appealed for
support from other stakeholders to improve the program.

The K to 12 program covers Kindergarten and 12 years of basic education: six years of primary
education, four years of Junior High School, and two years of Senior High School.

It was launched and initially implemented in 2012. In May 2013, former President Benigno C.
Aquino III signed Republic Act 10533 or the Enhanced Basic Education Act.

http://nine.cnnphilippines.com/life/culture/2018/10/23/k-12.html\

Is the K to 12 education system as effective as the government promised it to be? One of the
first graduates of K to 12 writes about the failures of the new education system and how the
DepEd may improve it. Photo by JILSON TIU

Manila (CNN Philippines Life) — Today, it appears that the first students to graduate from K to
12 have been forgotten and swept in the dustbin of history. After enduring two additional years
of high school where the implementation was unclear for teachers and students all throughout,
the guinea pigs of the K to 12 reform have every right to be distressed at the Department of
Education’s lack of evidence of its success.

Employability was the top selling point of the K to 12 curriculum, but it was clear as early as
January of this year that graduates of senior high school, or Grade 12, would not be able to
compete in the workforce as promised by the Department of Education (DepEd). A 2018
JobStreet report shows that only 24 percent of employers were willing to hire K to 12 graduates
as the rest still cited having a college degree as the primary qualification for employment.
Worse, the department currently has no data on how many senior high school graduates were
able to find work related to the track that they had completed.

For instance, senior high school graduate Luis* studied in a relatively small college in Pasig City
with a tuition fee that only cost ₱10,000 per semester. He took up Information in Communication
and Technology (ICT) because of his interests in computer science. However, because of the
limited space in the school and the difficulty of hiring teachers who could teach the advanced
subjects, Luis never thought of any other job opportunity in his track aside from entering the call
center industry. Additionally, he says that the “poor implementation of senior high school” in his
school had contributed to the year-long mess that he and his classmates experienced.
“Most students are angry because of the school’s curriculum. In fact, the school doesn’t follow
the prescribed curriculum anymore. They just force the students to join their weekly event and
pay some money to pass the exam which is very wrong,” he says.

Luis, who needs to support himself now that he is living away from his parents, plans to
continue to college after a year of working as a customer service representative in a call center.

“I guess there’s more to ICT than working in a call center, but I don’t know. I didn’t learn much
[from senior high school].”

Alexandra Villacorta, a Humanities and Social Science student from a senior high school in
Antipolo City, also tried to find a job after graduating. She applied for jobs in different companies
but didn’t get call backs for certain interviews because she had not yet finished 2 years of
college.

Alexandra, who was a former literary writer in their school paper, settled for whatever jobs that
were available.

“I started small. I took home ₱250 a day for house cleaning and tutorial services before I
decided to work in the call center,” she recounts. “When I started getting sick from the night
shifts, I decided to do e-commerce instead and be my own boss.”

Now deciding to take a gap year, Alexandra plans to continue to college after earning enough
money. For her, being a senior high school graduate is not enough.

“My mom almost didn't finish her schooling once she started earning money during her time,”
she says. “Hindi pwede ‘yung ganitong klaseng buhay lang. I earn for my education because I
know I'll find purpose in it.”

And for a curriculum that has banked on producing globally competitive graduates with “21st
century skills,” it’s going against its own mandate by merely producing cheap labor for
outsourcing agencies and multinational companies. We don’t need creative imagination to
deduce which jobs are waiting for thousands of senior high school graduates from small schools
in low economic areas: blue-collared work in factories or customer service work in call centers
or fast-food chains — jobs that have been accepting high school graduates even before K to 12
was introduced.

If this is the case, then two years of tuition fees, insurmountable effort, and time from the
students’ part had gone to waste as they had only ended up in the same inhumane Philippine
labor force where labor rights are routinely violated. When you have an education system that
seems to be riddled with more problems than solutions, students are the ones to take the hit the
hardest. K to 12 worsens, not improves, poor families’ conditions by aggravating their
circumstances with added costs of education.

Birthing pains

Introducing an educational reform as big as K to 12 will always result in birthing pains, but this
does not mean that the government will cease to be accountable to the students that were
experimented on. Birthing pains can very easily turn to permanent wounds to the Philippine
education system that seems to be only one bruise away from collapsing altogether.

In my high school, the San Beda University Senior High School, Media and Information Literacy
was taught like a confused arts class where students are typically asked to submit drawings and
slogans. For our performance task, we took different pictures of sceneries based on the
photography angles we learned in class. Students from other classes were asked to submit
videos of themselves performing spoken word poetry. I don’t remember any discussion on fake
news, critical thinking, fact checking sources, and other topics that would actually make a
student media literate, as the name of the subject implies. In fact, my teacher in the subject was
a graduate of Computer Science and Physics.

While I understand that my school (and my teacher) may have only been following DepEd’s
curriculum, we must be clear about what senior high school’s subjects are all about and hire
teachers who have extensive knowledge about the subjects. Teachers should have more
access to enrolling in master’s degree programs to be able to guide the students effectively and
to have a solid background in the subject. We should not merely throw hooray words like
“global,” “international,” and “21st century” around to make the subjects appear different from its
Junior High School counterparts when in reality, they are the same basic subjects that provide
redundant information.

The new curriculum and the addition of two more years of high school should be evidence-
based, but even one of the only systems of assessment of Grade 12 students’ knowledge,
which is the National Achievement Test (NAT), had been delayed. The NAT was originally
scheduled before the end of the school year, but we ended up taking the test as late as April.

According to San Beda University Senior High School’s Assistant Prefect for Student Activities
Benjamin Sonajo, the NAT for our batch was pushed back twice because “the printing for testing
materials had been delayed.” As a result, the two-day test was attended by only half of our
class.

How can the DepEd accurately measure the improvement of students’ knowledge during senior
high school when its few systems of assessment had not been prepared for by department
officials? Problems with the printing of the booklets are not an excuse in this scenario — they
had two whole years to prepare for the evaluation of the new reform which had been contested
by many as useless. Senior high school, which was also tagged as college preparatory as it
claimed to give students the fundamentals of all general education subjects in college, risks
being truly useless if the department will not conduct thorough research on its first
implementation.

DepEd’s accountability

“Education either functions as an instrument which is used to bring about conformity or it

becomes the practice of freedom, the means by which men and women deal critically and
creatively with reality and discover how to participate in the transformation of their world,” was
how Paulo Freire wrote about education in his book “Pedagogy of the Oppressed.” This is more
relevant than ever as Education Secretary Leonor Briones moves to review the K to 12
curriculum.

It’s important that DepEd proposes concrete, long-term solutions based on evidence if it wants
K to 12 to work. They should stop tagging senior high school as an alternative to college for
those who would like to work immediately after graduation, as this leaves plenty of students at
risk of becoming cheap robots tied to manual labor. Education should be the force that liberates
students from being stuck in the cycle of poverty, but if things continue the way they are, more
and more Filipinos will be hard pressed to even finish senior high school.

For K to 12 work, DepEd should invest in the primary executors of its curriculum who can
translate its aims from paper to practice. Teachers who are overworked and underpaid are at a
risk of being spread even thinner from the addition of two more years of high school. The
answer to this problem is to increase the pay of teachers and to offer more advanced education
opportunities for them to effectively teach the new subjects in senior high. Just like us, they too
are blindly groping in the dark as to how to navigate an unknown system. They shoulder the
heavy responsibility of making sure the new education reform will work — it follows that they
deserve all the support they can get.

Lastly, the government should take steps to address the lack of classrooms in public schools
with the increasing population of high school students and the poor procurement of learning
materials. They should also revise the senior high school curriculum and carefully oversee the
implementation of first-time subjects such as Media and Information Literacy; Trends, Networks,
and Critical Thinking in the 21st Century; and conduct a comprehensive review of the curriculum
before selling it as a two-year solution to make high school students job-ready. Education
reforms need to be given a chance, but we must remember that the students suffering from the
experimentation deserve a sure future, too.

As of press time, the Department of Education’s website for Frequently Asked Questions on K
to 12 has been wiped of its old contents where I used to read about how I would become job-
ready after graduating from senior high school.

This shows that the department, in its efforts to review the whole curriculum, should still answer
to the very real concerns of the pioneer batch of K to 12 who are still trying to reconcile what
seems like two years of wasted time and resources. A tall order? Perhaps. But senior high
school had no significant impact to the majority of students who worked or proceeded to college.

In the end, we have thousands of students who feel they’ve been delayed by K to 12, including
me.

K TO 12 CURRICULUM: ITS GOALS AND BENEFITS TO THE FILIPINO LEARNER AND

COMMUNITY

http://jgdaquioagsr.blogspot.com/2012/07/k-to-12-curriculum-its-goals-and.html

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 program 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 other learning opportunities beyond the
classroom, thus allowing 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.
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.

In the near future, the smooth transition from the existing 10 - year 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.

References:

http://www.deped.gov.ph/ c pa/uploads/issuance Img/K 12% 20 new.pdf

http://www.washingtonaccord.org/Wasington Accord/ FAO, cfm

Semeo – Innotech Additional years in Philippine Basic Education: Rationale and Legal Bases
Presentation to the Department of Education on 25 August 2010

K to 12 Basic Education Program Brochure

DepEd order #31,s.2012 – Policy Guidelines on the Implementation of Grade I to 10 of the K to

12.

Basic Education Curriculum Effective School Year 2012 – 2013

https://lifestyle.inquirer.net/227819/why-the-k-12-program-will-benefit-the-filipino-youth/

CONCERNS on the purpose of K-12 (kindergarten to Grade 12) education have not stopped
even if the program had been introduced and implemented since school year

2012-2013.

But I think the questions, and their answers, have failed to address the real issue. The points
raised—which ranged from the expense involved, to whether or not it’s a waste of time, to how
practical or competitive K-12 is—missed the whole point of the matter. Essentially, people asked
the wrong questions.

Let me put this in context. First, let’s remember that the primary purpose of education is to gain
knowledge, and is only secondarily a ticket to finding a job.

Its essence lies not in its pragmatic value of having opportunities for, say, career advancement,
but in gaining a better understanding of the world. The ultimate goal is to gain wisdom, in which
reason prevails over irrationality. When people think rationally, behave civilly, and judge morally,
then education has achieved its purpose.

Not a means, but an end

This is why, in the Western curriculum, there is a body of knowledge that is preserved.
American philosopher John Searle said that Western education has a long tradition of finding
knowledge for knowledge’s sake. What he means is that the real aim of education is, first, to
give students access to great ideas; and second, because of the first reason, education is
designed to enable and encourage students to discriminate between what is good and what is
bad, what is intelligent and what is stupid, and what is true and what is false. In other words,
education is not a means, but an end in itself.

Contrast

Second, Philippine society is consumerist, and this tilts the balance of the true idealism of
education. It is defined mostly by what one has, with a widening chasm between the social
classes. To a nation saddled with poverty, education for many is a means to finding a job.

This is in contrast to the essence of learning: that one pursues knowledge for the sake of
knowledge, not for any other extraneous purpose.

This was the context of the K-12 arguments. Questions on the benefits and drawbacks of
adding two more years to secondary education are crucial to a society where most members
struggle to live. When the stomach is empty, one tends to get disoriented.

Let me qualify why K-12, the now mandatory kindergarten plus two years of senior high school
in the Philippine curriculum, is defensible. As a professor of philosophy in a hugely multicultural
environment in Dubai, where 98 percent of the student body comes from different countries, I
am able to offer insights on the necessity of the program.

Weak

First, 10 years of basic education is competitively weak. Global educational standards demand
12 years. Filipino high school graduates who seek to pursue tertiary education internationally
are turned away, or asked to take the General Educational Development (GED) Program to test
the student’s proficiency in several select subjects.

Though a GED certificate is considered equivalent to a high school document, it is, in reality,
inferior to the traditional high school diploma in the job market evaluation.
Second, our admissions officer considers the 10-year period crammed. The 12-year curriculum
laid out in 10 is hurried, resulting in students whose educational foundation is half-baked, whose
mastery of the rudiments of languages, mathematics and the sciences are wanting, and whose
competitive advantages suffer in the international arena.

Growth, applicable to everyone else, requires patience, and patience requires time, thus the K-
12 curriculum assures fruits at the end of this longer cycle.

Third, in the same international arena, graduates of K-12 are already eligible to join the work
force, courtesy of the electives offered in the senior years. These electives of Grades 11 and 12
are areas of specialization ranging from technical-vocational courses to sports and the arts. This
is where the government is right in asking the people to not to think of it as adding two years to
the existing curriculum, but as two years less due to employability.

The effects locally, though, remain to be seen after a few years.

When thought value is replaced by labor value, then education has failed. Be that as it may, the
practicality of a program needs to be evaluated, and my exposure to international educational
standards allows me to gauge its merits.

Read more: https://lifestyle.inquirer.net/227819/why-the-k-12-program-will-benefit-the-filipino-

youth/#ixzz632zohVd9

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