THE government will continue to implement the K to12 program despite the

criticism of some groups that the program has failed to improve the quality
of education, Education Secretary Leonor Briones said on Monday.

Briones said the program was being reviewed but debates on whether the

education program should be abolished should no longer be an issue. “As a

matter of fact, we should have started this a long time ago,” she said during a

roundtable discussion with editors and reporters of The Manila Times.

Passed in 2012, the K to 12 program covers kindergarten to senior high

school (SHS) education, adding two years to basic education — six years of

primary education, four years of junior high school, and two years of SHS.

But teachers groups had said the program had not lived up to its promise to

enhance education and train students.