K+12 program will prepare children to be globally competitive, says school official

MANILA — Generally, for parents, providing good education for their children is definitely a good investment.

Thus, the thrust of the Department of Education’s K+12 program, a flagship education program of the Aquino administration which requires the mandatory implementation of Kindergarten and an additional two years of senior high school to the current 10-year education cycle in public schools nationwide, is viewed to be good for school children.

The two years of senior high school is aimed at providing students time to consolidate acquired academic skills and competencies relevant to the job market.

While some parents may oppose the DepEd’s reform plan, others, especially for a mother who has a child who went through extra-curriculum in school, may find it as a necessary tool that would enable the Filipinos to compete in the global scene.

“To succeed in the global economy, one must be equipped with the necessary tools to compete and build solid business ties. Only those who are poised to take advantage of these emerging and progressively transforming global opportunities will fully realize success,” said Monet P. Ibanez, school directress of the John Robert Powers in Alabang, Muntinlupa City.

Ibanez’s only child, Jenina, is now a college student in an exclusive school in Muntinlupa City that has long been implementing Kindergarten and Grade 7 curriculum. She observed that the children who underwent through these additional grade levels become more matured individuals who are certain of what particular course to pursue in college.

“Mas matured ang bata… Yung di dumaan (in Kindergarten and Grade 7), hindi sigurado kung anong course ang gustong kunin sa college (The child is more matured… The one who did not go through Kindergarten and Grade 7 is usually undecided what course to take in college),” Ibanez said, adding that she is in favor of the government’s K+12 program.

She said that it would be an advantage for Filipinos if the program would be implemented “para maging globally competitive din yung mga bata. It’s an investment; magandang paglaanan na ng mga parents yun (so the children would be able to compete in the global scene. The parents should invest on it.)

Nevertheless, she explained that getting a job after graduation from college does not depend on the number of years a child spent in school. The secret? “Getting a college degree, graduating at the top of your class, and then (improve on) how you present yourself to other people and your ability to interact,” the school directress averred.

Meanwhile, DepEd has pointed out that the K+12 program aims to better prepare early learners in Kindergarten, decongest the elementary and high school curricula into six years of elementary education and four years of junior high school (Grades 7 to 10), and introduce specialized training in vocational skills, agriculture, sports, music, arts, and more within the two additional high school levels (Grades 11 to 12).

DepEd Assistant Secretary for Programs and Projects Elena Ruiz disclosed that in June, the incoming first year students in public high school would be the first batch of students to take the additional years of senior high school.

Ruiz expressed optimism that the program would improve the quality of high school graduates in the country by providing them ample time to learn.

As per DepEd’s record, the Philippines is among the only three countries in the world that continue to have a 10-year basic education cycle. The other two are Angola and Djibouti in Africa.

On the other hand, some groups are apprehensive about the program. According to the College Editors Guild of the Philippines (CEGP), there is the possibility that students from poor families might opt to become semi-skilled workers for multinational corporations and be exploited to render cheap labor. As such, these students’ qualifications would be diminished instead of boosted, the CEGP pointed out. (PNA Feature)

scs/MTY/utb