The K to 12 Program of the Enhanced Basic Education Curriculum is now on its 5th year of implementation come SY 2016-2017.
We already had the Junior High School Completers and they are now ready for the last two years of their Basic Education – the Senior High School (Grades 11 and 12).
While this K to 12 Program has been going on for about five years now, some people are still pessimistic about it, especially so because the first batch of graduates is still yet to come and prove the K to 12 worth.
Some people are still asking how grades 11 and 12 can be helpful in providing opportunities for work once they graduate from Senior High School in the case of students who can no longer find support for Tertiary Education.
Can Senior High School (SHS) really prepare our High School graduates for employment after graduation?
Can SHS really provide the necessary skills and training for our graduates, so even if they cannot pursue college, they can be ready and fit to join the work force?
Since K to 12 has already been implemented, we have learned to embrace this program because it is what the law provides.
It is with the hope that our new program and curriculum will truly deliver graduates who will be ready for employment even if they don’t study in college or who can become real entrepreneurs who will be ready to run and manage their own businesses or a graduate who will be fully ready for the challenges in the college level.
We all want the best for our youth learners and our country in a larger sense. We all want our students and graduates to be globally competitive and technologically advanced so they can survive in the stiff competition in the work force.
We all want our graduates to excel not just academically but also vocationally and technologically – not just in white collar jobs but even in blue collar jobs or whatever type of work they can fit into and can be in demand here in the Philippines or abroad.
Let us all be hopeful that K to 12 will be the key towards better achievement, better employment and better lives for our students and graduates.
By: Grace L. Sotto Teacher 2 Jose Abejar Mem. Elem. School Abucay District
