The Philippines is moving toward a 21st-century education in response to globalization, desiring to deliver high-quality instruction to achieve great learning, effective teaching, and skilled resource instructors. With the aim of creating citizens who would be capable of overcoming global difficulties, the nation switched from the basic education curriculum to the K–12 Basic Education Program. The move was bold and brave. Trapped into years of implementing a 10-year basic education program, it really tells that the country is wanting to keep pace with the internationalization already being practiced all over the world.
K-12 Basic Education curriculum which is now being implemented in the country, and is said to be copied from a developed country like the USA created a big buzz, confusion, and rejections at first, especially to the parents who considered it nothing but an added burden. Students too were hesitant to accept the change because it would give them additional two years to finish their education. However, education never stops developing, especially in the modern day, therefore K–12 was integrated and implemented. The curriculum provides a clear 12-year schedule that gives students enough time to learn skills and assimilate fundamental competencies. The new system requires learners to graduate at the age of 18 and will prepare them for further education, the workforce, and entrepreneurship. But in the research conducted by Masuhay (2019), he cited some of the problems being encountered by the K-12 program. According to his study, since many learners who would have typically attended higher education after grade 10 now have to finish two extra years of school, K-12 changes have unavoidably resulted in a lower rate of college enrollment as well, at least in the near term. Also, those who finish their senior high school years are not guaranteed to land a job because employers opted to hire those who finish tertiary education. He also spoke on the value of primary education. He said, “No reshaping of a curriculum in high school can cure the ills of poor elementary education.” Early childhood education is still the most crucial phase.
While it’s true, that there have been some steps taken to keep up with the challenges of globalization, there is still a very long way to go. We lag far behind other nations. According to a report by Mocon-Ciriaco (2019), the latest PISA result revealed that the Philippines scored all below the average of participating Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries. This clearly shows that policy formulation, thorough planning, and programming are greatly needed in order to attain global standards in our education. Thompson (2019) also stated that one example of globalization is the rise of online learning and digital education. Regrettably, the epidemic exposed the nation’s digitalization predicament. The nation’s educational system has not yet gone digital. The learning gap was raised as learning dramatically dropped. Globalization only changed the system of education not the quality of education itself in the country, not just yet. The ideal way, in my opinion, is to provide a high-quality education from the moment a student enters a classroom. To put it simply, developing a competitive mindset requires a solid educational foundation. Also, keep in mind that teachers’ main responsibility should be to educate, not to complete paperwork and reports. In order to deal with the globalization of education, officials need to act quickly to update the policies and evaluate and research the existing situation.
By: Mrs. Jennie Blanca B. Miranda | Teacher II | Araling Panlipunan Department – Bataan National High School | Balnga City, Bataan
