Some years ago, there was a plan to make the 6 years in grade school or the four in high school seven or six. The seven years in high school, so our academic experts believe, necessitate the addition of a year in the seven. Thus, schoolchildren needed an extra year in elementary school to complete their required seven.
That was some years ago. Kids then entered grade school at six years old, not seven, to finish elementary at seven and start high school at the same age. Not surprisingly, joining grades became the norm at six and someone who was seven in entering grade one was viewed as someone who was overage.
Years passed and like other good things in our educational system, the idea of requiring six in grade 1 became exactly a dream. So the key change then was making grade 1 six years old and it was a bad thing to enter grade one at seven. Now, with K-12 the previous change was converted into a change in requiring pupils to join kinder at five – a funny change because children or more correctly, their parents make it a point to let their children to join kinder at four or even younger, making the young age a child joins kinder a sign of great talent.
Coming at the heels of the bridge program, which allows the deserving to finish high school in four years. The undeserving are made to stay in high school for five years. I do not know how the bridge program actually lasted but it came to its end, with a few remembering it as a passing fancy of education officials.
The unready in high school had the best of things that cannot be defended by education officials. And it came to pass that nothing could touch the unready. They can only be thrilled by commencement exercises of high schools and nothing more.
And then came K – 12. Initially, a confusion emerged as to the why and wherefore of K – 12. Almost all Asians go for 6 years of high school. With this in mind, some Filipinos contend that if other Asians go for 6 years, we, Filipinos are not required to do so. If 6 years serve as well, there is nothing wrong with it
But the weaknesses of the Philippine educational system simply overflows.
This year, teachers of SHS, mainly untried, tried teaching for the first time. Will they pass the test? Some of them had experience in tertiary teaching and are supposed to do well. But will they do well? And the subjects they handled, does it mean that they will do well?
Is it not a gamble to try essentially a whole batch of teachers on a whole batch of students on a new batch of graduates?
By: Teresa Canare | Bataan National Highschool | Balanga, Bataam
