Starting this school year 2012-2013, the K to 12 program will be implemented by the Department of Education. We have tried to summarize this in this edition of 5 Points. Whether you’re a parent or not, you would surely be interested to know how this new program is going to shape the education of our future nation. Read on:
1. 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.
2. What will change?
a. Kindergarten has now been integrated into the basic education system to ensure that all grade 1 students are ready for academic learning. This is indicated in Republic Act No. 1057, or the Kindergarten Education Act, which institutionalizes kindergarten as part of the basic education system and is compulsory for admission to grade 1.
b. The mother tongue will be the medium of instruction from kindergarten to grade 3. This includes the following: Tagalog, Kapampangan, Pangasinense, Iloko, Bikol, Cebuano, Hiligaynon, Waray,Tausug, Maguindanaoan, Maranao, and Chabacano. Medium of instruction will be English and Filipino starting grade 4.
c. The two years will be added after the four-year high school program. This will be called senior high school.
d. The specializations to be offered include academics, middle-level skills development, sports and arts, and entrepreneurship. In general, specializations will either be college preparatory, immediate work/career readiness, or a combination of both.
e. Specializations will also be guided by local needs and conditions. For example, schools serving farming or fishing communities will offer agriculture- or fishery-related specializations. Schools located in manufacturing zones will have technical courses relevant to the sector, and so will schools in the vicinity of the business process outsourcing (BPO) industry. Science high schools will continue to provide higher degrees of science competencies, as well as the arts.
f. There will be a matching of competency requirements and standards so that 12-year basic education graduates will have the necessary skills needed by the labor market.
g. Students will undergo several assessments to determine their interests and strengths. These will include an aptitude test, a career assessment exam, and an occupational interest inventory for high schools, and should help students decide on their specialization
h.There will be a school–industry partnership for technical–vocational tracks to allow students to gain work experience while studying and offer the opportunity to be absorbed by the companies.
3. What triggers this change?
a. The adoption of the program is in response to the need to improve the competitiveness of our country’s graduates as the ten-year basic education cycle is seen as inadequate for work and higher education. In fact, overseas Filipino workers are not automatically recognized as professionals in other countries that view the ten-year education program as insufficient. The Philippines is the only country in Asia and is one of only three countries in the world with a ten-year basic education cycle.
b. The current program crams a 12-year curriculum into ten years, making it difficult for students to master the competencies.
4. What are the perceived benefits?
a. The perceived benefits of the program include: i) placing the Philippine education system at par with international standards, following the Washington Accord and the Bologna Accord; and ii) contributing to the development of a better educated society capable of pursuing productive employment, entrepreneurship, or higher education disciplines.
b.The curriculum will enable students to acquire Certificates of Competency (COCs) and National Certifications (NCs) which will be in accordance to TESDA training regulations. This is based on what the students choose among academic, technical–vocational, or sports and arts tracks depending on their interest, the community needs, and the results of their skills assessment. The SHS will allow mastery of core competencies for lifelong learning and preparedness for work, higher education, middle-level skills development, or entrepreneurship. This will offer them better opportunities to be gainfully employed or become entrepreneurs.
c. K to 12 offers a more balanced approach to learning that will enable children to acquire and master lifelong learning skills (as against a congested curriculum) for the 21st century.
d.The decongested K to 12 curriculum will also allow teachers to master the contents and competencies that they will develop among the students, and will enable them to focus on their areas of expertise.
5. What is timeline of implementation?
a. Universal kindergarten started in SY 2011–2012.
b. The new curriculum for grade 1 and grade 7 (high school year 1) will be implemented in SY 2012–2013 and will progress in the succeeding school years.
c. Grade 11 (HS year 5) will be introduced in SY 2016–2017 and grade 12 (HS year 6) in SY 2017- 2018.
d. The first batch of students to go through K to 12 will graduate in March 2018.
Resource:
http://www.gov.ph/k-12/
