K TO 12 CONCERNS

-         Universal Kindergarten began in SY 2011–2012.

-         The enhanced curriculum for Grade 1 and Grade 7 (1st Year Junior High School) was rolled out this SY 2012–2013, and will be progressively introduced in the other grade levels in succeeding school years.

-         Grade 11 will be introduced in SY 2016–2017 and Grade 12 in SY 2017–2018.

-         The first batch of high school students to go through K to 12 will graduate in March 2018.

 Where will the additional two years be added?

The two years will be added after the four-year high school program. This will be called Senior High School.

 Why are we implementing 12 years of basic education and not 11 years?

-          A 12-year program is found to be the adequate period for learning under basic education. It is also a standard for recognition of students and/or professionals abroad (i.e., the Bologna Process for the European Union and the Washington Accord for the United States).

-         Other countries like Singapore have 11 years of compulsory education, but have 12 to 14 years of pre-university education, depending on the track.

-         The Philippines is the last country in Asia and one of only three countries worldwide (the other two being Angola and Djibouti) with a 10-year pre-university cycle.

How will K to 12 help in ensuring employment for our graduates?

-         The K to 12 Basic Education Curriculum will be sufficient to prepare students for work.

-         The curriculum will enable students to acquire Certificates of Competency (COCs) and National Certifications (NCs). This will be in accordance with TESDA Training Regulations. This will allow graduates to have middle-level skills and will offer them better opportunities to be gainfully employed or become entrepreneurs.

-         There will be a school–industry partnership for technical–vocational courses to allow students to gain work experience while studying and offer the opportunity to be absorbed by the companies.

Is Kindergarten a pre-requisite for entering Grade 1?

     Yes. Republic Act No. 10157, or the Kindergarten Education Act, institutionalizes Kindergarten as part of the basic education system and is a pre-requisite for admission to Grade 1. Public schools will continue to admit children who have not taken Kindergarten into Grade 1 until SY 2013-2014.

Is there an overlap between the daycare program of the LGUs and DepEd Kindergarten?

     There is no overlap. Daycare centers of the LGUs take care of children aged 4 and below, whereas the DepEd Kindergarten program is for five-year-old children.

Should schools now prepare permanent records for Kindergarten students?

     Yes. Although the assessment of readiness skills of students in Kindergarten is not academically driven, a good measure of the child’s ability to cope with formal schooling is needed for future learning interventions.

Who is in charge of Kindergarten teacher compensation? The LGU or DepEd?

-         DepEd is the main agency that employs and pays Kindergarten teachers.

-    There are LGUs that assist the Kindergarten program and provide honoraria for Kindergarten teachers.

Will MTB-MLE include other languages in the future? 

     For SY 2012-2013, 12 Mother Tongue languages are being used for MTB-MLE. More languages, such as Ivatan, will be added in succeeding years.