“We need to add two years to our basic education. Those who can afford pay up to fourteen years of schooling before university. Thus, their children are getting into the best universities and the best jobs after graduation. I want at least 12 years for our public school children to give them an even chance at succeeding.” President Benigno Aquino III explains.
At first I thought it is way too impossible to implement this in our country by just considering the less fortunate kababayans that can't even complete the daily meal. But suddenly after dissecting the said program, I think now, I shall say "Yes", I am in favor with it. This could be one of the solutions to the problems our country is facing today. One of which is the mutual recognition of our kababayans searching for jobs abroad. This is due to companies especially in American countries that consider 10-year education program as insufficient, resulting to a conclusion that Filipinos are less competitive.
According to a Discussion Paper on the Enhanced K+12 Basic Education Program prepared by the Department of Education this program aims to:
Create a functional basic education system that will produce productive and responsible citizens equipped with the essential competencies and skills for both life-long learning and employment. The program will enhance the basic education system to full functionality and fulfill the basic learning needs of students. This is in line with the agenda of PNoy with regards to having quality education as a long-term solution to poverty. In order to achieve these goals, the program has the following twin-objectives:
a) To give every student an opportunity to receive quality education based on an enhanced and decongested curriculum that is internationally recognized and comparable
• Develop a curriculum that is rational and focused on excellence (decongested, uses research-based practices, uses quality materials and textbooks, etc.)
• Produce a pool of highly qualified and adequately trained teachers.
• Achieve high academic standards, especially in Mathematics, Science, and English at all levels
• Produce graduates who are globally competitive and whose credentialsare recognized internationally
b) To change public perception that high school education is just a preparation for college; rather, it should allow one to take advantage of opportunities for gainful career or employment and/or self-employment in a rapidly changing and increasingly globalized environment
• Produce graduates who possess skills and competencies that will allow them to be productive members of society or pursue higher education.
• Through coordination between the academic and business sectors, to change industry hiring practices taking into account the enhanced skills and competencies of K+12 graduates.
The expected benefits of this enhanced education program include the ff:
To Individuals and Families-An enhanced curriculum will decongest academic workload, giving students more time to master competencies and skills as well as time for other learning opportunities beyond the classroom, thus allowing for a more holistic development.
-Graduates will possess competencies and skills relevant to the job market.
The K+12 proposal will be designed to adjust and meet the fast-changing demands of society to prepare graduates with skills essential for the world of work.
-Graduates will be prepared for higher education. Due to an enhanced curriculum that will provide relevant content and attuned with the changing needs of the times, basic education will ensure sufficient mastery of core subjects to its graduates such that graduates may opt to pursue higher education if they choose to.
-Graduates will be able to earn higher wages and/or better prepared to start their own business. There is a strong correlation between educational attainment and wage structure and studies specific to the Philippine setting show that an additional year of schooling increases earnings by 7.5%. This should also allow greater access to higher education for self-supporting students.
-Graduates could now be recognized abroad. Filipino graduates, e.g. engineers, architects, doctors, etc., could now be recognized as professionals in other countries. Those who intend to study abroad will meet the entrance requirements of foreign schools.
For the Society and the Economy
-The economy will experience accelerated growth in the long run. The objective of the K+12 program is to improve quality of basic education. Several studies have shown that the improvements in the quality of education will increase GDP growth by as much as 2%. Studies in the UK, India and US show
that additional years of schooling also have positive overall impact on society.
-The Philippine education system will be at par with international standards. K+12 will facilitate mutual recognition of Filipino graduates and professionals following the Washington Accord and the Bologna Accord.
-A better educated society provides a sound foundation for long-term socioeconomic development. The Enhanced K+12 Basic Education system will contribute to the development of emotionally and intellectually mature individuals capable of pursuing productive employment or entrepreneurship or higher education disciplines.
Now the Question is are we prepared for this kind of change? I think not yet maybe because of the reason that we still need to try some alternatives like providing more educational equipment and facilities for both public and private schools and see if it'll do the trick, that is to save efforts and most importantly? Money. Teachers? we have plenty so that's not much of a problem. Yet, I know, in time we will be ready, everybody knows that it'll be surely hard to deal with the adjustments but if we will just cooperate with each other then nothing's impossible. We can't expect to entrust everything to Pres. PNoy and blame him for all the misfortunes of this country. We must put in our minds that a country will never be considered as it is without its people. Thus, we also play an important role in running the country. Hello? We're democratic.
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