K+12: More Education or Better Education?

Our classes had just opened this week. We decided to start ours a week after public schools had started and we chose the 15^th instead of the 13^th (because we don’t like the number). Luckily, despite the exodus of students from private institutions (like ours) to public schools, our population had a 12% increase this year.

One big educational change that is about to be implemented by the government (that we are looking forward to and at the same time, dreading to) is the K+12 curriculum. It is the government’s latest attempt to solve the numerous educational problems that has been in existence for decades. The K+12 Basic Education Program will add two years to our present 10-year basic education – it will have kindergarten, 6 years of elementary education, four years of junior high school (Grades 7 to 10), and two years of senior high school.

The following information is from the 2010 Department of Education Briefing Report:

FEATURES OF K+12 (K 6-4-2)

1. Kindergarten and 12 years of quality basic education is a right of every Filipino, therefore they must be and will be provided by government and will be free.
2. Those who go through the 12 years cycle will get an elementary diploma (6 years), a junior high school diploma (4 years), and a senior high school diploma (2 years).
3. A full 12 years of basic education will eventually be required for entry into tertiary level education (entering freshmen by SY 2018-2019 or seven years from now).

SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL (GRADES 11 AND 12)

• 2 years of in-depth specialization for students depending on the occupation/career track they wish to pursue
• Skills and competencies relevant to the job market
• The 2 years of senior HS intend to provide time for students to consolidate acquired academic skills and competencies.
• The curriculum will allow specializations in Science and Technology, Music and Arts, Agriculture and Fisheries, Sports, Business and Entrepreneurship.

Rationale

• To decongest and enhance the basic education curriculum
• To provide better quality education for all
• The Philippines is the only remaining country in Asia with a 10-year basic education program
• K+12 is not new. The proposal to expand the basic education dates back to 1925.
• Studies in the Philippines have shown that an additional year of schooling increases earnings by 7.5%.
• Studies validate that improvements in the quality of education will increase GDP growth by 2% to 2.2%.
• Minus 2 instead of plus 2 for those families who cannot afford a college education but still wish to have their children find a good paying job. Right now, parents spend for at least 4 years of college to have an employable child. In our model, parents will not pay for 2 years of basic education that will give them an employable child. In effect, we are saving parents 2 years of expenses. The plan is not “Plus 2 years before graduation” but “Minus 2 years before work.”
• To inspire a shift in attitude that completion of high school education is more than just preparation for college but can be sufficient for a gainful employment or career.
• A change in the system is needed because of:

Ø Insufficient mastery of basic competencies is common due to a congested curriculum. The 12 year curriculum is being delivered in 10 years.

Ø High school graduates are younger than 18 years old and lack basic competencies and maturity. They cannot legally enter into contracts and are not emotionally mature for entrepreneurship / employment.

Ø Other countries view the 10-year education cycle as insufficient.

WHAT WILL SOCIETY GAIN FROM K+12?

• K+12 will facilitate an accelerated economic growth.
• K+12 will facilitate mutual recognition of Filipino graduates and professionals in other countries.
• A better educated society provides a sound foundation for long-term socio-economic development.
• 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.

metropolitanmanila.com

K+12 EDUCATION VISION

Graduates of Enhanced K+12 Basic Education Program will:

• Acquire mastery of basic competencies.
• Be more emotionally mature.
• Be socially aware, pro-active, involved in public and civic affairs.
• Be adequately prepared for the world of work or entrepreneurship or higher education.
• Be legally employable with potential for better earnings.
• Be globally competitive.
• Every graduate of the Enhanced K+12 Basic Education Program is an empowered individual who has learned, through a program that is rooted on sound educational principles and geared towards excellence, the foundations for learning throughout life, the competence to engage in work and be productive, the ability to coexist in fruitful harmony with local and global communities, the capability to engage in autonomous critical thinking, and the capacity to transform others and one’s self.

But just like many other proposal that challenges the status quo, the new system is subject to oppositions and criticisms. Isagani Cruz of Philippine Star had pointed out the following cons of the K+12:

1. Parents have to shell out more money (for transportation and food) for the education of their children.
2. The government does not have the money to pay for two more years of free education, since it does not even have the money to fully support today’s ten years. DepEd must first solve the lack of classrooms, furniture and equipment, qualified teachers, and error-free textbooks.
3. We can do in ten years what everyone else in the world takes 12 years to do. Why do we have to follow what the rest of the world is doing? We are better than all of them. Filipinos right now are accepted in prestigious graduate schools in the world, even with only ten years of basic education.
4. As far as the curriculum is concerned, DepEd should fix the current subjects instead of adding new ones. The problem is the content, not the length, of basic education. As an editorial put it, we need to have better education, not more education.
5. A high school diploma will not get anybody anywhere, because business firms will not hire fresh high school graduates.
6. While students are stuck in Grades 11 and 12, colleges and universities will have no freshmen for two years. This will spell financial disaster for many private Higher Education Institutions (HEIs).
7. The drop-out rate will increase because of the two extra years.

As an educator, the K+12 seems to offer a lot of long-term advantages. Take note of the word SEEMS… educators and parents can only hope for the success of this system. It appears to be a clever solution that stands a good chance of working, since DepEd is basically keeping the present system intact and will "sandwich" it between a preparatory kindergarten level at the start, and a Senior High School subsystem at the end.  But despite the government's vision, the cons presented above will definitely hamper the immediate iplementation of this system as well as its success, and will surely affect the majority. One thing is sure though, K+12 is just one answer to the piles of problems facing Philippine education. I hope that for the sake of progress, our legislators and fellow educators will give it a chance.