Lack of materials, facilities still hound K to 12 implementation

(Updated 11:14 a.m.) In the last three years, Grade 7 students of Caloocan High School had to buy workbooks for their Filipino subject as there were no learning materials issued by the Department of Education delivered to their school.

During the school year 2013-2014, on the other hand, the workbooks for Lakan Dula High School in Tondo, Manila, arrived during the 3rd and 4th quarters. Before these arrived, teachers had to photocopy materials and distribute these to their students.

The unavailability of learning materials is just one of the problems still hounding the country’s new basic education program, K to 12, in the three years of its implementation.

Yen Paunan, a Grade 7 Filipino teacher at Caloocan High School, said they are utilizing “Kayumanggi,” a textbook used in the previous curriculum, in their classes due to the absence of reference materials from DepEd.

“Mga three years na ang K to 12 this school year pero kulang pa rin sa mga need ng mga bata like books na akma sa curriculum. Sa Filipino, ang nagiging reference namin ay workbook,” the teacher for 11 years told GMA News Online.

“Ngayong pasukan, ‘di ko pa sure (kung merong librong darating) pero last year wala pa. Kung meron man, hindi lahat ay angkop para sa K to 12. So basically ‘yung mga textbook talaga ang kulang para sa implementation ng K to 12,” Paunan added.

Conrado Contreras, head of Lakan Dula High School’s Music, Arts, Physical Education and Health (MAPEH) department, said the lack of learning materials, facilities and manpower were among the problems teachers are facing in the implementation of K to 12.

“OK naman ‘yung K to 12 pero ang problema hindi on time ang pagbibigay ng materials, kulang pa, kaya nanggagaling na sa sariling bulsa ng mga teachers ‘yung pampuno, ‘yung pang-photocopy. ‘Yung iba ngang teachers nagdadala ng sarili nilang overhead projectors. E saan naman kukunin ng mga teachers ang pera kundi sa sarili nilang bulsa?” he said in a phone interview.

Contreras, who took part in the DepEd seminar dubbed “Consultative Workshops for the Validation of the K to 12 Curriculum Framework and Standards” for Physical Education in 2011 and one of the trainers of the teachers, has been teaching for the past 25 years.

“Maganda ang programa sana pero hindi plantsado e. Hindi planadong maigi kaya kulang ‘yung mga gamit at libro. Paanong makakapag-aral mabuti ang mga estudyante kung wala silang nagagamit?” Contreras further said.

DepEd admits delay in delivery of materials

Under the K to 12 program, universal kindergarten began in school year 2011-2012 while the enhanced curriculum for Grade 1 and Grade 7 or First Year Junior High School was implemented in school year 2012-2013. Grade 11 will be rolled out in school year 2016-2017. The first batch of students who will go through the full K to 12 system will graduate in 2014.

Elvin Uy, K to 12 program coordinator of the Department of Education, admitted that there have been delays in the past in the delivery of learning materials such as activity sheets and modules for the students. For this year, they are targeting to deliver them during the first week of classes.

“Meron talagang sitwasyon na hindi nakakarating o hindi natatanggap. ‘Yun inaayos ngayon,” he said.

“Tapos na ma-develop ‘yung mga materials pero hindi ko lang sigurado kung nakarating na sa mga schools. Ang target niyan unang linggo pero kung may delay sa delivery, ang ginagamit naman ay ‘yung textbook sa dating curriculum,” he added.

He added that the entire curriculum for K to 12 is posted on the DepEd website.

DepEd earlier said all the shortages in resources such as classrooms, teacher items, textbooks and chairs will be addressed by the end of 2013.

Contreras and Paunan, however, believe otherwise.

“Sinasabi nila wala nang kakulangan sa classrooms pero in reality hindi ganun. ‘Yung MAPEH e hindi naman nila binibilang na kailangan ng room dahil sa grounds naman daw ang PE. Pero sinasabi ko nga paano naman ‘yung Music, Arts at Health e theory-based ‘yung pagtuturo nun? Kailangan ng kwarto. Kaya ngayon sa corridor ginagawa ang MAPEH subjects dahil walang in-allot na rooms,” Contreras said.

Teachers’ sacrifice

He lamented that teachers have to shoulder the shortcomings of the government, which has yet to recognize their sacrifice as they have not responded to their appeal for salary increase.

“Kung walang materials, sino ang magpo-provide? Ang teacher kukuha sa sarili niyang bulsa. E wala na rin naman siyang pera tapos bawal pa maningil sa mga estudyante para sa mga materials. Kung walang classrooms, ang teacher mapipilitan na magturo sa mas maraming estudyante o magturo nang mas maraming klase,” he said.

Paunan said in the K to 12 program, teachers need to ensure that the level of competency of their students match those prescribed in the curriculum.

“Dapat i-assess muna namin kung ano ang kakayahan ng bata. Sa allotted one month namin, allowed kami turuan ‘yung mga bata. Kung kinakailangang turuan magbasa, ‘yun muna ang uunahin namin. Mahirap kasi ipaunawa sa mga bata ang lesson kung sa umpisa pa lang ay hirap na ang bata kaya back to basic kami,” she said.

She added that to do this, the teachers can visit the student at home and talk with the parents.

“Challenge para sa amin kasi kailangan pang kausapin talaga ‘yung magulang para lang masigurong walang magda-drop out,” she said.

She said the good thing with the program is teachers are given a free hand to implement ­out-of-the-box strategies to convey the lessons to their students.

“Mas malaya ang mga teachers sa pagtuturo. Nasa stratehiya ng guro kung paano matututo ang mga bata. Ang mahalaga sa amin ay nakakasunod kami sa aming budget of work,” said Paunan.

Contreras said because of the zero fail or dropout policy under the K to 12 program, teachers need to work doubly hard to give problematic students a remedial program.

“Hindi na pwedeng iwan ang bata. Kailangang turuang maigi dahil kailangang iwasang mag-drop out,” he said.

He said to help the teachers follow the K to 12 program, they are given a five-day in-service training on how to implement it.

Unfortunately, during this year’s training, two teachers died due to severe heat at the venue, said Contreras. He said one was a Social Studies teacher while the other was a Home Economics teacher.

He said the training is the easier part of the program and implementation is the harder part especially with the lack of materials.

“Sinabi sa curriculum na dapat may technology skills pero wala ka namang gamit, walang computer. So ang teacher magdadala ng sarili niyang overhead projector para makita ng mga estudyante ‘yung Powerpoint presentation,” added Contreras.

Under the K to 12 program, every graduate is expected to be equipped with information, media and technology skill; learning and innovation skills; effective communication skills; and life and career skills.

Concerns on senior high school

Contreras further said that DepEd has yet to respond to queries regarding the salary of teachers who will teach in senior high school.

“Hindi pa nila masagot kung sino ang magpapasweldo. ‘Pag tinatanong namin, ang sinasabi ng mga opisyal ay ”Wag muna ‘yan. Curriculum muna ang pag-usapan.’ Dapat planado ‘yan, ‘di ba?” he said.

Contreras added that school facilities pose another problem.

“Saang lugar naman ilalagay ‘yung mga senior high school kung ngayon pa lang e puno na ang paaralan? Siyempre may mga bagong estudyante na papasok sa Grade 7 at andyan pa rin ‘yung mga dating estudyante,” he said.

Senior High School is a two-year specialized upper secondary education aimed at preparing the graduates for higher education, entrepreneurship, further middle skills development, or joining the workforce immediately after high school.

Students may choose a specialization based on aptitude, interests, and school capacity. Their choice of career track will define the content of the subjects they will take in Grades 11 and 12.

Lakan Dula High School, which at present has 5,000 students, was chosen to offer the track on Technical-Vocational-Livelihood particularly on information technology and culinary skills. The other tracks are Academic, and Sports and Arts.

Those who will take the Academic track can choose Business, Accountancy, Management (BAM); Humanities, Education, Social Sciences (HESS); and Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM).

On the part of DepEd, Uy said they are still in the process of getting the recommendations and proposals of their regional directors on which schools will be tapped to offer the senior high school program and what specialization they will offer.

“Kailangan namin ‘yun para sa strategic planning namin, para sa budget season masabi na namin sa Kongreso kung magkano ang kailangan ng DepEd para dito. Kahit na sa 2016 pa magsisimulang i-implement ‘yung senior high school, dapat nasa budget na ‘yun ng 2015 para malaman ‘yung paglalaanang facilities, at anong klaseng teachers ang dapat kunin,” he said.

Contreras and Paunan both agree that K to 12 is a good program as it provides direction for the students but its end will not be realized if the concerns will not be addressed soon.

“Kung wala kang kwarto, kung wala kang teachers, kung wala kang reference materials, paano mo mai-implement nang maayos ang programa?” said Contreras. —KG, GMA News