So, what is this K to 12 Program all about? It consists of 13 years basic education that consists of the following stages: Kindergarten to Gr. 3, Grs. 4 to 6, Grs. 7 to 10 (Junior High School); and Grs. 11 to 12 (Senior High School).
The Philippines is the only Asian country that has only 10 years of basic education. Worldwide, the Philippines is among the three countries that don’t use the K-12. It has been proven that a 12-year basic education program is the best length of time and it is the recognized standard worldwide.
The K-12 has started its implementation in the school year 2011-2012 when the Universal Kindergarten began. In the next school year, the improved curriculum for Grades 1-7 was implemented. In 2013, K-12 law was enacted. In 2014, the Grs. 11-12 curriculum was finished.
Last year, 2015, the DepEd made preparations to implement the Senior High School (SHS) in schoolyear 2016-2017. This year is year 5 of the K-12 Program implementation, DepEd is almost done as the SHS is almost ready. All 221 DepEd divisions have done their planning and presented figures on enrollment for next year:
Additional 66,814 classrooms have been built. About 33,000 have been completed in 2013 and the rest are under construction. There will be 5,899 SHS classrooms nationwide. Last April 30, 2015, permits to offer SHS to almost 2,000 private schools next year were issued.
From the period 2010 to 2014, more than 128,000 new teachers were hired. DepEd needs two types of teachers: one to teach the core subjects and the other kind will teach the specialized subjects for each track. In 2016, DepEd plans to hire about 37,000 teachers just for SHS.
Textbooks and other educational materials are currently being prepared and produced for grade school/elementary until junior high. Book publishing companies are still bidding on the textbooks for SHS.
The K-12 curriculum was produced based on standard and competence. It is built with the needs of the learners and the community in mind. It has been completed and available for viewing on the Dep Ed website.
The tertiary level’s general education curriculum will have lesser units as subjects tackled in K to 12 will be eliminated from the general education curriculum in college.
Since 2010, DepEd has been clear in their plans of the program and its implementation. The government agency had regular meetings with different sectors before the passing of the K-12 law, during the IRR crafting, and during the start of the implementations. To explain K-12 Program further, DepEd has sent its representatives to attend several conferences and fora to listen to comments and suggestions about the program.
To further promote K to 12, DepEd has invited private companies to partner with them in their Adopt-A-School program. For every contribution they give, there will be a 150% tax incentive. We all can help improve basic education by spreading awareness and explaining the K to 12 program to those who lack information about it.
By: Catherine P. Jarabe | T-III | Antonio G. Liamas Elementary school
