The K to 12 curriculum: Our first step to recovery

Whatever shall we do with our education system? The central reform that the present administration wants to implement is the K to 12, a program that makes kindergarten mandatory and adds two years to the present 10-year basic education. Today we begin our series on this program that will be implemented for the first time in June by the Department of Education. The Department of Educations K to 12 Program is one concrete response to reverse this steady decline and to move toward its goal of long-term educational reform and sustainable economic growth. What is the central feature of the K to 12 Program? The central feature of the K to 12 Program is the upgrading of the basic education curriculum to ensure that learners acquire the relevant knowledge and skills they will need to become productive members of society. It seeks to introduce relevant skills development courses and special interest subjects that will suit the personality, strengths and career direction of each learner.

When will the K to 12 program be implemented? Universal Kindergarten started in SY 2011-2012.The new curriculum for Grade 1 and Grade 7 (High School Year 1) will be implemented in SY 2012-2013 and will progress in the succeeding school years. Grade 11 (HS Year 5) will be introduced in SY 2016-2017, Grade 12 (HS Year 6) in SY 2017-2018. The first batch of students to go through K to 12 will graduate in 2018. Why is the K to 12 program better than the current program? K to 12 offers a more balanced approach to learning that will enable children to acquire and master lifelong learning skills (as against a congested curriculum). It will help in freeing parents of the burden of having to spend for college just to make their children employable.
What is the participation of the Commission on Higher Education and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority? With the participation of the Commission on Higher Education and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, the program has the capability of offering professionally designed classes and apprenticeships in sports, the arts, middle-level skills, entrepreneurship, and applied math and sciences. Whereas the old system overemphasized the value of a college degree before employment, the new program is designed to equip every learner who graduates after senior high school (Grade 12) with the opportunity for improved employment and entrepreneurship while ensuring that the high-school graduate has the necessary competencies to pursue a college degree either immediately or at some later stage. With an upgraded and better-equipped pool of human resource, industries will be able to find better and more qualified matches in their labor requirements. For graduates proceeding to tertiary education, the K to 12 Program puts them at par with their international counterparts and makes them more competitive in colleges and universities both here and abroad. Higher education institutions will gain the flexibility to offer more enriched and specialized courses in every degree program since a number of its general education courses would have already been completed in high school. This greatly advances the graduates chances of landing 21st-century careers and acquiring self-employment skill sets. As in any worthwhile investment, returns are reaped only after enough time and effort.

The K to 12 Program is just the beginning of what we hope to be the answer to the Philippines comeback to the global stage, and a sustained path toward progress and development for its people. If we want to see our country back on the right track, we must dare take that first bold step today.

Is K to 12 required for private schools as well? Will the same implementation timeline apply to private schools? Since private schools follow the DepED curriculum, they will also be implementing the 12-year basic education program but the implementation plan will differ. This will be discussed with the representatives of the private schools. Private schools are active participants in developing the K to 12 program. Note that a number of private schools offer at least 12 years of basic education: 2 years kindergarten, 6 or 7 years of elementary, and 4 years of high school.