Special Report
The disputes of basic education: Is K to 12 worth it?
With the government’s efforts and with the support of the majority of our fellow Filipinos, it is assured that K-12 will be all worth it at the end of the day.
“Sisakit ngane biyo makapatapos kang aki sa pag-klase tangani na sa ibang tugang man mag-iskwela tapos mapadugang pa ki duwang taon ang gobyerno. Imbes mapadali gari mas lalo ninda pinadipisilan ang pamilyang Pilipino.”
“It is already quite a struggle to send a child to school, working hard for them to finish so their siblings could go to school as well, but then the government still added two more years. It’s like they are making things even harder for the Filipino family,” groused Alfredo Bigtas, a part-time ice scramble vendor, part-time welder, construction worker, and a hardworking father, when asked about his thoughts on the K-12 program.
Most people, if not all, fear change. However, it is a known fact that change is inevitable. Even the Philippines is not an exemption to this universal truth. And in line with the many changes in our nation is the shift to an international system of education, the K to 12, which stirred varied opinions, mostly of dissent and doubts, from the public. Maria Stefanie Lim, a college instructor and a single mother commented, “The idea is new and the intention is good but our culture is different from other nations. I don’t know if it fits.”
Before the implementation of the K to 12 program, ours was the last country in Asia and one of the three remaining countries worldwide to have 10 years of basic education, with Angola and Djibouti as the two others. This led to the dedicated campaigns of the government to shift from the old system to the internationally observed K to 12 despite the oppositions against the implementation of the curriculum in the Supreme Court. This educational system has been long observed by countries, such as United States, Canada, Australia, South Korea, Egypt, and Iran, along with others.
K to 12 consists of kindergarten, six years in primary education, four years in junior high school, and two additional years for senior high school. The Department of Education (DepEd) is confident that this change is going to enhance the educational quality of the Filipino youth for tomorrow and is equally confident that they are prepared for the pioneering batch of senior high school this year.
In defense of the common notion of parents who could hardly afford to send their children to college, Trina Duran an employee from DepEd reassuringly stated that, “It is actually our aim to help parents and out-of-school youth groups in a manner that will enable them to get decent entry-level jobs after graduating from senior high school. And that is through the integration of the awarding of National Certificate from the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA).”
Despite the reassuring words of DepEd, many students still cannot help but express their dissent against the program like Marie Christine Remolacio, a grade 10 student who is somber about the two extended years of being in senior high school instead of heading directly to college, “Hindi po ako in-favor dun kasi malapit na sana ako grumaduate kaso mapapatagal pa ng dalawang taon eh.”
On the other hand, there are some students like Cristelle Madela, also in grade 10, who are positive about K to 12. “Okay po sakin ang K to 12 kasi mas marami pa akong matututunan. Mas madadagdagan pa ang credentials ko at mas maraming opportunities na maghihintay sa akin sa future,” she enthused.
Aside from the parental concerns with regards to food, transportation and other educational expenses, as well as students’ issue about delayed time of graduation, there is also a deep-seated anxiety from among the teachers about new duties and responsibilities expected of them.
Even if DepEd has been conducting seminars and teacher trainings for the new educational system, some educators still have unaddressed gray areas about the necessary adjustments to successfully implement the program. Moreover, there remains a problem with language: What about Filipino? How about the English language? And we enrich the local dialect? Isidora Ng, a junior high school teacher who wasn’t able to attend seminars and trainings about K-12 was still given modules to study and then is expected to teach the curriculum.
All that said, change is indeed inconvenient, nonetheless, every old thing was once new and growth entails struggles.
The K-12 program is an initiative towards the improvement of our country. Albeit its apparent challenges, we must support it for its benefits to the future generations and to our nation in the years to come.
With the government’s efforts and with the support of the majority of our fellow Filipinos, it is assured that K to 12 will be all worth it at the end of the day. ■ By Ivy Jonna M. Tolosa
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