K-12, Effective or Not?

By : Hannah Flores

Last October 21, 2019, the Education Undersecretary, Tonisito Umali, has made a statement regarding the effects of the K-12 curriculum in our country.

“We’re still collating information to see whether senior high school (SHS) graduates who were expected to work post-graduation indeed ended up employed. It’s too early to say,” Umali said in Filipino.

According to him, it is still difficult to say whether it was effective or not since the first batch of SHS graduates only finished the mandatory 12 years of basic education in March 2018.

The K-12 program traces way back to former President Benigno Aquino III when he signed the Enhance Basic Education Act of 2013. This aims to enhance learners' basic skills, produce more competent citizens, and prepare graduates for lifelong learning and employment.

In June 2016, the K-12 program was implemented nationwide despite of the fact that dropout rates would actually rise.

On the other hand, house speaker Alan Cayetano, addressed that many schools cannot comply with the DepEd requirements when it comes to facilities and budget.

“The Congress and DepEd have worked closely together since the previous budget hearings to address the issues of the K to 12 Program. A dedicated review session will provide an appropriate venue to comprehensively discuss concerns about the program and plot out corresponding solutions,” the DepEd states, in response to Cayetano.

The House of Representatives added P850 million for DepEd, with P650 million exclusively for the improvement of the K to 12 program.

“DepEd hopes the outcome of the review will spur renewed commitment and initiatives among lawmakers, advocates, and other stakeholders in aid of realizing the K to 12 program’s overall goal – hone holistically developed Filipino learners with 21st century skills," the education department added.