K to 12 Curriculum, Do Senior High School Graduates Benefit From It?

Written By: Justin Aemon Berdos

 Now that the K–12 system is fully implemented in the country, was it successful in its objectives prior to implementation? Practically speaking, my first impression is that this system adds more burden to students and parents, taking an additional two years after junior high school. The students are expected to graduate at an age a bit older than past graduates. Will it mean that K–12 graduates become competitive globally to obtain a spot in the labor market? That is why I started to research the K-12 program.

What is the K - 12 program?

K stands for Kindergarten and refers to the succeeding 12 years of basic education, which is why it is called the K-12.  

K - 12 program aims to give sufficient time to master skills and acquire basic competencies with the goal of being competitive globally. Students are equipped with the skills required to be ready for employment and higher education, even if they intend to do so after graduation.

What is its purpose? 

The purpose of the K–12 program is to bring the Philippines education to the next level so we can match up with the rest of the world. In 2016, the first batch of students will graduate from junior high to senior high school. K–12 students have the right to choose from three tracks based on what they want to pursue. The academic track prepares students who want to take up further studies in college. It is divided into three strands: (ABM ) or Accountancy, Business, and Management; (HUMSS) or Humanities and Social Sciences; and (STEM) or Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. The K–12 program is intended to address the unique and individual needs of students in preparation for future careers; a career-focused education. So, it clearly focuses on enhancing the students’ progress and their future.

To enlighten my understanding of the K-12 program, I decided to consult with and interview some of my close relatives:

Last week, I spent a weekend bonding with my cousins. I asked them if they could share their opinion regarding this matter. I will share two of my cousin's insights about the K–12 curriculum.

Her name is Demetra. Ella Demetriou, 18 years old, is currently a Grade 12 student. She did feel that the K–12 program has really made an impact on us all. It sure has its benefits, but it also has its negative effects on the students. Her prime example of the K-12 program being a financial burden to families that live paycheck to paycheck Instead of going directly to college and not "wasting time," families have no choice but to send their children to SHS and waste valuable time that is very vital to their survival. But beneath all this, the K–12 program sure has its own positive effects. It has become a haven for students to find their core and build up their interests in their own respective fields. What the Department of Education needs to do is simply recalibrate and reconfigure the curriculum so that it can provide students with better opportunities after they finish the program.

That time I was also given a chance to ask my busy cousin, who also happens to be one of my godparents. He doesn’t hesitate to answer all my questions. His name is Atty. Theo Miguel A. Ballesteros , 27 years old. He finished his studies when the old program was still in effect; hence, his views are totally those of an outsider. However, being a graduate of political science and law, he understood that when change and innovation are introduced into a society, not all of its members welcome them with open arms. A healthy dose of open discussion, dialogue with those who will be affected, and political will to implement change will help resolve the issues confounding the proposed change, in order to come up with a consensus on how to better implement it.

The K-12 program that has been implemented under the Aquino administration. It earned both praise and hate from all sectors of our society. It has been subjected to scrutiny for the past years, and many are calling for its reform and/or abolishment. To delve deeper into the issue, we must look at its positive impact and negative outcome to better weigh the issue.

Educators and other experts call the K-12 program a badly needed stimulus to the old curriculum, while skeptics and pragmatists call it an unnecessary change to a working system. Proponents of it mainly argue that: 

1. Increased competitiveness: The K-12 program provides students with a more comprehensive education that includes technical and vocational skills, helping to increase their competitiveness in the job market.

2. Improved quality of education: The program aims to improve the quality of education in the Philippines by providing students with a longer period of education and a more well-rounded curriculum.

3. Better alignment with global education standards: The K-12 program aligns the Philippine education system with global education standards, making it easier for Filipino students to study abroad or compete in the international job market.

On the other side of the spectrum, skeptics argue that for a developing country with a high poverty rate and ballooning external debt, it was a waste of money, time, and resources. Their arguments revolved around these issues: 

1. Cost: Implementing the K-12 program has been costly for the government and for families, who have had to pay for additional years of education for their children.

2. Infrastructure and resources: The program requires significant investment in infrastructure and resources, such as classrooms, teachers, and educational materials, which have been difficult to secure in some areas of the country.

3. Shortage of qualified teachers: The program has created a shortage of qualified teachers, as there is a need for additional teachers to accommodate the longer period of education.

Now that we have seen both sides of the spectrum, we must look at the status quo and see how Filipino students compare to their international peers. A study conducted by the 2018 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), the 2019 Southeast Asia Primary Learning Metrics (SEA-PLM), and the 2019 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study. The research showed that Filipino students are lagging behind their foreign counterparts, and the study concluded that Filipino students have a problem mastering basic competencies, namely: Math, Science, and English. The study showed the worrying trend of our education system being left behind by other countries. We can view the current condition of our education system under K–12 in two ways, perhaps it was a program too ambitious and a bridge too long to hope that it will immediately bring about positive change. Or maybe our perennial problem in education cannot be solved by one silver bullet; perhaps it is a problem that requires concerted effort to be fixed. The K-12 program is a work in progress, and in order to upgrade it, the public and the government must recalibrate their focus and put all their effort towards improving the system for the betterment of every Filipino. 

In conclusion, getting a K-12 education not only helps your chances of landing a respectable job, but it also helps in developing the life skills we need on our journey towards growth. Having a good education, finding a good career, and becoming a stable adult—that sounds like a dream, right? It’s true that investing in education is the key to achieving growth and development. Overall, if you're making an effort in everything that you do, whether K–12 is implemented or not, all those hindrances and trials are nothing if we don't have the habits, characters, and proper mindset. Aiming to be a successful professional someday is not impossible if we apply all those attitudes to our studies. I believe this quote of Pele: "Success is no accident. It is a hard word: perseverance, learning, studying, sacrifice, and most of all, loving doing or learning to do".