Why K+12 is necessary? Information Dissemination Campaign, Key to Public Awareness and Acceptance of K+12 Program

by:  Gilbert M. Forbes
June 4, 2011 

The recent post in yahoo news dated June 2 about the institutionalization of K+12 program in the country has stirred more negative reactions than positive from readers due mainly to lack of significant knowledge of the rationale and importance of the program.

Many look at the programs as additional burden for the parents instead of opportunities and a misplaced priority on the part of DepEd and the national government. They pointed out that DepEd should seek first to improve the quality of education, solve the shortage of classrooms, textbooks, and teachers.  They are also admonishing for more increase in the salary of teachers.

They do have a point but considering that these problems have been here for decades and that the government is not stopping to lessen if not totally eradicate these, they are misled failing to realize that reforms like K+12 or an additional years to the 10-year basic education cycle is necessary due too many circumstances that even history of education in the country as early as 1925 up to 2008 has consistently recommends.

Intensified information dissemination campaign already started since the closing of SY 2010-2011 has to be strengthened to boost public awareness and acceptance of the program or it could end up to the shelves of antiquity just like the proposed Bridged Program in 2004.

Rationale of K+12

DepEd Discussion Paper on the Enhanced K+12 Basic Education Program explains that the current basic education is designed to teach a 12-year curriculum, yet it is delivered in just 10 years.  This pronouncement is loud and clear for the field could testify to this.  Teachers find a hard time finishing the required curriculum content even when new approaches in teaching such as Content-Based and Thematic Approach have been introduced and encouraged—the result, lack of mastery.

The World Bank Philippines Skills Report in 2009 reveals, based on a survey of employers, serious gaps in critical skills of graduates such as problem-solving, initiative and creativity, and, to a lesser extent, gaps in job-specific technical skills.

Further, most graduates are too young to enter the labor force. This implies that those who could not go on to college would be unproductive (tambay) and unemployed and are highly at risked to vices as a result of barkada or peer influence or be vulnerable to exploitative labor practices if they chose to work for the family’s upkeep.  Those who may be interested to set up their own business and be an entrepreneur cannot legally enter into contracts.  Most of our youths graduate high school at the age of 15 or 16.

The current system also reinforces the misperception that basic education is just a preparatory step for higher education. For most parents, basic education is usually seen as a preparation for college education. Even this misperception falls short of expectations as most students usually have to take remedial and high school level classes in colleges and universities.

The short duration of the basic education program also puts the millions of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), especially the professionals, and those who intend to study abroad at a disadvantage.  Our graduates are not automatically recognized as professionals abroad. Filipinos face mutual recognition problem in other countries that view the 10-year education program as insufficient. The Philippines is the only country in Asia and among the three remaining countries in the world that has a 10-year basic education program.   The other two are African countries, Djibouti and Angola.  The Washington Accord prescribes 12-years basic education as an entry to recognition of engineering professionals. The Bologna Accord on the other hand requires 12 years of education for university admission and practice of profession in European countries.

Just try to imagine the flight of engineers and other professionals who opt to work to these countries which offer a much higher salary than their counterparts in Asia, Middle East and Africa.  Their degrees are not recognized on equal footing with their foreign counterparts so many of them end up as assistants and will find a hard time to prove their worth. 

If there could be some that we learned from TV who succeeded in their field of expertise, there are too few of them and mostly limited to the best, extremely competent, intelligent and outstanding professionals.  The majority, don’t.

More importantly, the short basic education program affects the human development of the Filipino children. A Filipino is legally a child before he or she turns 18 years old. Psychologists and educators say that children under 18 are generally not emotionally prepared for entrepreneurship or employment or are generally not emotionally prepared for entrepreneurship or employment or higher education disciplines.

K+12 on Final Note

Cognizant of this urgent and critical concern, the Department of Education is taking bold steps to enhance the basic education curriculum. Hand in hand with vigorous efforts to address the input shortages such as classrooms, instructional materials and teachers, DepEd intends to raise the quality of basic education through the enhancement of the curriculum and the expansion of the basic education cycle.

The department down the different school heads and teachers are one in doing its best to raise not only quality but most importantly reaching universal participation and zero drop out rates through the help and involvement of various stakeholders.

Apart from these, the Enhanced K+12 Basic Education Program seeks to provide for a quality 12- year basic education program that each Filipino is entitled to. This is consistent with Article XIV, Section 2(1) of the 1987 Philippine Constitution which states that “The State shall establish, maintain, and support a complete, adequate, and integrated system of education relevant to the needs of the people and society.”

For the country, relevant means not only locally but globally in response to international standards being a member of the family of nations of the world.

References:

Gorospe, Marjorie.  PH Only Country in Asia with 10-year Basic Education-DepEd, Yahoo News, June 2, 2011

Department of Education.  Discussion Paper on the Enhance K+12 Basic Education Program, 5 October 2010

Preschool (Kindergarten) Teachers Should Receive Benefits

Since the first time pre-school education or kindergarten program has become an optional part of the education program of the country, it has already gained the support and following of parents from among the central schools where it has been offered.  Central figure to its success are the pre-school teachers who offered their services even when there is no salary except a small honorarium from the parents.

As a result, so called PTA Funded pre-schools flourished through out key central schools all over the country in the eighties.  When the Department of Education encourages all schools to establish pre-school programs, partnership with LGU’s came into being.  LGU’s provided for the honorarium of pre-school teachers from the Special Education Fund and other sources whenever possible.

Later on, a Preschool Service Contracting Program was instituted by DepEd which is an alternative delivery system to provide preschool education to prospective Grade I enrollees throughout the country through contracting.

Preschool classes are organized in the 5th and 6th municipalities and urban poor areas, and are provided preschool experiences for six months by private preschool providers.  It appears however that most of the time the same teachers who are receiving small amount of honorarium from their respective LGU’s have applied to the program giving them additional income.

However, this is not the case in small municipalities who could not afford to give honorarium to preschool teachers who are also under the service contracting program.  They just settle for it even when many times they have to wait for a long time—months, before they can receive the three thousand pesos monthly payments for their service.

What is wonderful about them is the fact they are doing their job in the best way that they can like any ordinary public school teacher.  They even surpass expectations.  And they are doing with it pride.  A fact that remuneration though of course is very important has no relation in ones efficiency and effectiveness towards work.  It is the attitude that matters and counts.

While preschool teachers are silent about their situation it is because they know where they are from the very beginning.  For most of these preschool teachers, it is not a big deal whether they receive enough or too little remuneration because it is there choice. Nobody forced them into it.  And that choice is to serve. 

Indeed, they are our modern day education heroes which should be applauded by each one of us.  If the government couldn’t yet give a decent financial reward for them momentarily, at least slowly through other means like health insurance, life and accident insurance, and retirement benefits as what the law requires. 

True that majority of these teachers are not complaining, but they should be dignified and the current contracting scheme be reviewed and studied for no matter what they do represent the noblest of all professions which should not be sidetracked.