Karen Wang, Rozelle Javier, Arizha Bumatay, Sarah Villano, and Chloe Pidong
The K-12 program, which covers twelve years of basic education, has been implemented as an effort to remedy the country’s waning educational quality.
The program was implemented on June 8 last year; and instead of the usual 10-year basic education we have always had in the country, the program consists of six years of primary education, four years of Junior High School, and two years of Senior High School.
This program is said to provide sufficient time for mastery of concepts and skills needed in college, and thus, producing productive contributors in our society.
Not Good Enough
The functional literacy rate of the country is at 86.4 percent, and yet however it seems that it is still not enough to raise the country’s educational quality. Consider the country’s top four universities: The University of the Philippines ranked 367th on the QS World University Rankings 2014/15; while the Ateneo de Manila University, the De La Salle University, and the University of Santo Tomas were all below the 460th rank. In other words, the country’s best universities are nowhere near good enough in world standards.
According to the National Statistics Office (NSO), the basic literacy rate of Filipinos in 2008 is 95.6 percent while the functional literacy rate is 86.4 percent.
The functional literacy rate is defined by the UNESCO Institute for Statistics as “a level of reading, writing, and calculation skills sufficient to function in the particular community in which an individual lives,” while the basic literacy rate is the measure of how many citizens can read and write.
Lacking In Application
The difference between the functional and basic literacy rates show that the Filipinos strive only as much as being able to read and write, but do not try to maximize the skills or knowledge they might get from learning how to read and write.
K-12 Features
Since children learn best when taught using their first language or mother tongue (MT), the new curriculum has added 12 MT languages for the school year 2012-2013: Bahasa Sug, Bikol, Cebuano, Chabacano, Hiligaynon, Iloko, Kapampangan, Maguindanaoan, Meranao, Pangasinense, Tagalog, and Waray. These MT languages, including Filipino and English, will be used as modes of instruction starting in Grade 1. English and Filipino will gradually be used as modes of instruction from Grades 4-6, and both languages will be the primary languages of instruction in Junior High School (JHS) and Senior High School (SHS).
Unlike to the old 10-year basic education, Biology, Chemistry, Physics and other learning areas in Mathematics will be integrated to grades 7 to 10. This method will ensure that students will have enough mastery of knowledge and skills.
SHS consists of two years of specialized upper secondary education in which students can choose a specialization based on aptitude, interest, and school capacity; and the chosen course will determine the subjects each student will take. SHS subjects fall under either the Core Curriculum or Specific Tracks.
There are seven Learning Areas under the Core Curriculum namely: Languages, Literature, Communication, Mathematics, Philosophy, Natural Sciences, Social Sciences, and the current content from some General Education subjects.
On the other hand, there are three tracks in which students can choose from, namely: Academic, Technical-Vocational-Livelihood, and Sports and Arts. There are three strands under the Academic track: Business, Accountancy, Management (BAM); Humanities, Education, Social Sciences (HESS); and Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM).
Earn-while-you-learn opportunities were included in the immersion stage of students in Senior High with this; students will be exposed in the field of their chosen track and will gain experiences that will help them in their future work.
Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) specialization will either give students Certificates of Competency (COC) or National Certificate Level 1 (NC1). If the student successfully accomplished all the assessments of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), he/she will obtain NC 11.
NC 1 and NC 11 graduates will have a higher probability to be employed in fields like Agriculture, Electronics, and Trade. Students who graduated from the curriculum will have wider knowledge about information, media, technology, learning and innovation, effective communication, and life and career.
You Can’t Please Everyone
Even if K-12 has been implemented and has already reached its half-year point, some parents are still against it. Mostly because of financial problems, while some see it as unnecessary—seeing as the country has been without it until now. However, there are parents and students who believe that the country needs it to make ourselves more efficient for its progress.
The program was implemented on June 8 last year; and instead of the usual 10-year basic education we have always had in the country, the program consists of six years of primary education, four years of Junior High School, and two years of Senior High School.
This program is said to provide sufficient time for mastery of concepts and skills needed in college, and thus, producing productive contributors in our society.
Not Good Enough
The functional literacy rate of the country is at 86.4 percent, and yet however it seems that it is still not enough to raise the country’s educational quality. Consider the country’s top four universities: The University of the Philippines ranked 367th on the QS World University Rankings 2014/15; while the Ateneo de Manila University, the De La Salle University, and the University of Santo Tomas were all below the 460th rank. In other words, the country’s best universities are nowhere near good enough in world standards.
According to the National Statistics Office (NSO), the basic literacy rate of Filipinos in 2008 is 95.6 percent while the functional literacy rate is 86.4 percent.
The functional literacy rate is defined by the UNESCO Institute for Statistics as “a level of reading, writing, and calculation skills sufficient to function in the particular community in which an individual lives,” while the basic literacy rate is the measure of how many citizens can read and write.
Lacking In Application
The difference between the functional and basic literacy rates show that the Filipinos strive only as much as being able to read and write, but do not try to maximize the skills or knowledge they might get from learning how to read and write.
K-12 Features
Since children learn best when taught using their first language or mother tongue (MT), the new curriculum has added 12 MT languages for the school year 2012-2013: Bahasa Sug, Bikol, Cebuano, Chabacano, Hiligaynon, Iloko, Kapampangan, Maguindanaoan, Meranao, Pangasinense, Tagalog, and Waray. These MT languages, including Filipino and English, will be used as modes of instruction starting in Grade 1. English and Filipino will gradually be used as modes of instruction from Grades 4-6, and both languages will be the primary languages of instruction in Junior High School (JHS) and Senior High School (SHS).
Unlike to the old 10-year basic education, Biology, Chemistry, Physics and other learning areas in Mathematics will be integrated to grades 7 to 10. This method will ensure that students will have enough mastery of knowledge and skills.
SHS consists of two years of specialized upper secondary education in which students can choose a specialization based on aptitude, interest, and school capacity; and the chosen course will determine the subjects each student will take. SHS subjects fall under either the Core Curriculum or Specific Tracks.
There are seven Learning Areas under the Core Curriculum namely: Languages, Literature, Communication, Mathematics, Philosophy, Natural Sciences, Social Sciences, and the current content from some General Education subjects.
On the other hand, there are three tracks in which students can choose from, namely: Academic, Technical-Vocational-Livelihood, and Sports and Arts. There are three strands under the Academic track: Business, Accountancy, Management (BAM); Humanities, Education, Social Sciences (HESS); and Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM).
Earn-while-you-learn opportunities were included in the immersion stage of students in Senior High with this; students will be exposed in the field of their chosen track and will gain experiences that will help them in their future work.
Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) specialization will either give students Certificates of Competency (COC) or National Certificate Level 1 (NC1). If the student successfully accomplished all the assessments of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), he/she will obtain NC 11.
NC 1 and NC 11 graduates will have a higher probability to be employed in fields like Agriculture, Electronics, and Trade. Students who graduated from the curriculum will have wider knowledge about information, media, technology, learning and innovation, effective communication, and life and career.
You Can’t Please Everyone
Even if K-12 has been implemented and has already reached its half-year point, some parents are still against it. Mostly because of financial problems, while some see it as unnecessary—seeing as the country has been without it until now. However, there are parents and students who believe that the country needs it to make ourselves more efficient for its progress.
Sources:
1. Official Gazette – The K to 12 Basic Education Program – http://www.gov.ph/k-12/
2. QS Top Universities – QS World University Rankings 2014/15 – http://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/world-university-rankings/2014
3. Oxford Bibliographies – Functional Literacy - http://www.oxfordbibliographies.com/view/document/obo-9780199756797/obo-9780199756797-0032.xml
4. Philippine Statistics Authority, National Statistics Office – Education of Women and Men - http://census.gov.ph/content/education-women-and-men
1. Official Gazette – The K to 12 Basic Education Program – http://www.gov.ph/k-12/
2. QS Top Universities – QS World University Rankings 2014/15 – http://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/world-university-rankings/2014
3. Oxford Bibliographies – Functional Literacy - http://www.oxfordbibliographies.com/view/document/obo-9780199756797/obo-9780199756797-0032.xml
4. Philippine Statistics Authority, National Statistics Office – Education of Women and Men - http://census.gov.ph/content/education-women-and-men