Is the K-12 model good for the Philippine education system?

Written by Sarah Katrina Maramag

Tuesday, 26 October 2010 07:00 AM

The enhanced K-12 program, or the Department of Education s (DepEd) proposal to overhaul
the basic and secondary education curriculum
by adding two more years to the system is arguably one of the most drastic and controversial
programs of the Aquino administration.

The program is proposed to start in school year 2012-2013 for Grade 1 and first year high
school students with the target of full implementation by SY 2018-2019.

K-12 has been met with criticism from youth and student groups , teachers, parents and the
academic community. The DepEd, for its part, appears determined to enact the program with its
proposed budget catering
mostly
to preparing the
grounds for its eventual implementation.

The DepEd argues that the K-12 program will be the solution to yearly basic education woes
and the deteriorating quality of education. Critics, however, counteract that the education crisis
needs to be addressed more fundamentally and adding more school years would only
exacerbate the situation.

1/4

Is the K-12 model good for the Philippine education system?

Written by Sarah Katrina Maramag
Tuesday, 26 October 2010 07:00 AM

Dissecting K-12

The K-12 model is an educational system for basic and secondary education patterned after
the
United States , Canada , and some parts of Australia . The current basic
education system is also an archetype of American schooling but with a 10-year cycle.

DepEd reasons that it is high time to adopt a K-12 system, attributing the low achievement
scores and poor quality of basic education to the present school setup. Following wide protests
over the proposal, the department released its official position defending K-12.

Below are the main arguments and corresponding counter-arguments from critics.

2/4

Is the K-12 model good for the Philippine education system?

Written by Sarah Katrina Maramag
Tuesday, 26 October 2010 07:00 AM

1.
The
K-12
will
solve
the
annual
growing
number
of
out-of-school
youth.
parents,
however
complain
that
itscores
would
be
an
added
burden
to
poor
families.
Students
and
While
public
education
is
free,
aof
political
youth
group
an
schooling
average
expenses.
of
P20,000
per
school
year
to
cover
transportation,
estimates
food,
school
a there
student
supplies
would
and
still
other
need
Also,
based
on
the
latest
Family
Income
and
Expenditure
Survey
education
for
food
and
would
other
inevitably
basic
needs
translate
over
their
to
higher
childrens
dropout
school
rate.
needs.
Two
,schooling
families
more
prioritize
years
for
spending
basic
2.
elementary
The
K-12
and
will
address
high
school
low
students.
achievement
scores
and
poor
academic
performance
of
reflected
in
the
low
achievement
of
DepEd
students.
says
Results
that
the
of
poor
the
quality
of
basic
education
TIMSS
(Trends
the
number
in
International
of
years
to
the
Mathematics
performance
and
Science
Study),
however,
negate
the
connection
of is
scores.
scores
while
In
fact,
those
results
some
implementing
of
countries
the
TIMSS,
with
the
the
the
K-12
length
same
model
of
or
schooling
shorter
or
more
school
years
does
cycle
not
ofthat
necessarily
garnered
got
the
mean
lower
highest
better
scores.
to
a
study
released
Fund
for
Assistance
to
Private
Education
former
Deputy
(FAPE)
Education
Executive
Minister
Director
Abraham
Carolina
I.
C.
Felipe
Porio
and
,According
correlation
the
DepEds
between
arguments
the
length
are
impressionistic
schooling
and
and
students
erroneous
performance.
because
is
no
clear
The
said
study
shows
that
fourth
graders
from
Australia
despite
having
only
one
year
ofby
pre-schooling,
while
had
respectable
TIMSS
scores
Morocco
(two
years
of
pre-school),
Norway
(three
years)
and
Armenia
and
Slovenia
(both
four
years)
had
lower
scores
than
Australia.
South
Korea
which
has
in
the
the
same
TIMSS,
length
while
of
basic
those
education
with
longer
cycle
pre-schooling
as
the
Philippines,
(
was
among
the
top
Ghana
,performers
Morocco,
Botswana
Saudi
Arabia
three
years)
had
lower
test
scores.
Test
with
shorter
scores
elementary
of
Filipino
students,
cycles,
namely,
meanwhile,
were
lower
than
those
garnered
by
all
13
countries
Russia
,
Armenia,
Latvia
,
Slovak
Republic,
Slovenia,
Bulgaria
,
Serbia,
Romania
,Hungary,
Moldova
Italy
Egypt
and
Iran.
In
the
high
school
level,
Singapore
score.
school
Ironically,
cycles
like
the
South
Philippines
Africa,
Chile,
got
a
that
lower
Palestine,
also
score
has
Morocco
a
together
four-year
and
with
high
Saudi
countries
school
Arabia.
cycle,
that
have
got
longer
the
highest
high
For
the
pre-college
level,
the
Philippines
got
a
low
score,
but
so
did
the
United
States
which
Korea,
has
a
15-year
basic
and
secondary
education
cycle.
Students
from
Singapore,
South
, inas
Japan
and
Hong
Kong
,In
all
with
shorter
education
got
higher
scores
than
America
students.
3.
The
DepEd
has
enough
resources
to
implement
the
K-12.
students
spending
got
for
high
education.
scores
incycles,
the
TIMSS
were
the
ones
whose
governments
Interestingly,
allotted
countries
high
whose
Despite
less
per
nominal
capita
on
increases
education.
in
The
the
total
real
education
spending
per
budget,
capita
the
per
government
day
has
been
spending
dropped
to
P6.85
in
2009.
From
2001
to
2009,
educations
portion
in
the
budget
has
steadily
decreased
inEducation
comparison
to
neighboring
countries
-national
. public
This
Malaysia
,pales
7.4
percent
and
Thailand
4percentage
It
lower
than
the
four
percent
average
for
all
countries
that
were
included
World
Indicators
in
2006
.the
a
The
country
is
of
also
total
lagging
public
spending.
behind
its
Asian
counterparts
in
public
expenditure
on
education
apercent.
statement
,
President
Benigno
Aquino
III
education
and,
as
proof,
the
DepEd
budget
will
said
increase
that
his
by
P32
administration
billion
in
2011.
is
prioritizing
However,
according
to
Anakbayan
DepEd
the
GDP,
and
a
far
SUCs
cry
(state
from
the
college
six
percent
and
spokesperson
universities)
GDFP-amount
budgets,
Charisse
advocated
it
Banez,
will
only
by
Even
the
equal
United
if
to
you
three
Nations.
combine
percent
the
of
The
UN
Educational,
Cultural
and
Scientific
Organization
(
UNESCO
governments
spend
at
least
six
percent
of
their
GDP
for
education.
)
recommend
that
Former
Education
secretary
Mona
Valisno
least
P63
million
P100
billion
for
textbooks
to
fully
address
and
scholarships.
the
shortage
stated
of
93,599
in
a
separated
classrooms
study
and
that
134,400
DepEd
seats
needs
and
at
Proponents
of
program
allude
to
the
experience
of
St.
Marys
Sagada
implementing
However,
suffering
any
aside
sort
K-12
from
of
that
shortage
the
has
K-12,
been
in
the
faculty
topping
school
or
the
also
facilities.
National
has
a
1:20
Achievement
teacher
to
Test
student
in

Mountain
ratio
a
school
and
Province.
is
not
Critics
insufficient
of
the
for
K-12
the
present
assert
that
10-year
while
cycle,
government
how
will
resources
it
be
able
have
to
afford
been
to
found
fund
a
wanting
K-12
model?
and
4. The K-12 will open doors for more jobs for the youth, even without a college diploma.

DepEd
to
among
will
improve
have
others.
says
jobs,
technical-vocational
that
thus
The
ageneration
K-12
making
K-12,
program
itis
further
them
skills
employable
will
states,
through
improve
will
focusing
ensure
the
even
chances
without
that
on
students
arts,
for
a
youth
college
aquaculture
graduating
degree.
and
at
agriculture,
the
as
itage
is
aimed
of
18
However,
population,
critics
also
has
are
quick
the
highest
to
note
overall
that
the
Philippines,
that
has
athe
predominantly
young
unemployment
rate
Region.
According
to
in
East
Asia
and
the
Pacific
World
Bank
study,
twice
average
as
the
likely
of
country
at
least
to
be
also
300,000
unemployed
has
the
new
highest
graduates
than
those
youth
in
unemployment
older
add
age
up
to
groups
the
rate.
labor
as
Young
they
force.
figure
Filipino
in
the
workers
annual
are
The
Department
of
Labor
and
Employment
(that
DOLE
unemployed
college
reached
degrees
undergraduate
2.7
while
million
about
nationwide
levels.
700,000
were
unemployed
aged
15
to
youth
)may
24.
reported
Of
either
these,
in
finished
2008
461,000
that
or
50
school
percent
percent
or
of
atthe
the
had
least
Therefore,
governments
the
job
persistent
cycle
but
high
instead
policies.
unemployment
with
the
countrys
rates,
existing
not
economic
be
necessarily
system
linked
and
with
the
5.
Filipino
graduates
will
be
automatically
recognized
as
professionals
abroad.
present
preparation
education.
10-year
of
high
cycle,
school
the
DepEd
graduates
argues,
for
the
the
world
quality
of
work
of
education
or
entrepreneurship
is
reflected
in
or
the
higher
inadequate
In
the
What
the
global
the
K-12
market.
program
With
young
aims
to
workers,
achieve,
mostly
therefore,
semi-skilled
is
to
reinforce
and
unskilled
cheap
semi-skilled
workers
labor
for
upFilipino
now
making
estimated
then
that
the
10.7
government
percent
of
the
now
total
programming
Filipino
labor
its
migrant
youth
to
population,
servicing
needs
itemployment
comes
of
as
the
no
global
surprise
market.
Labor
professionals.
professionalization
development
labor
under
migration,
the
and
Ironically,
guise
however,
nation-building
ofof
the
providing
while
has
young
the
resulted
labor
employment.
DepEd
sadly
force
in
being
and
the
in
brain
the
foreign
undervalued
government
drain
markets,
of
Filipino
at
mouths
their
expense
skilled
significance
ahigh
so-called
workers
of35
providing
to
and
domestic
cheap
While
unemployment,
and
nation-building.
the
proponents
inflow
of
critics
remittances
and
argue
advocates
that
that
itis
hail
do
will
not
the
only
necessarily
K-12
aggravate
model
contribute
as
the
the
countrys
saving
to
substantive
dependence
grace
of
and
youth
on
sustainable
labor
export
A
education
Lastly,
program
the
affects
DepEd
the
justifies
human
the
development
K-12
model
of
by
Filipino
saying
students.
that
the
present
short
basic
education
Ultimately,
development
youth
and
the
regardless
and
society
establishment
in
of
general.
whichever
of
an
model,
education
what
system
the
youth
that
and
caters
country
to
the
direly
needs
needs
of
the
isan
Filipino
for
the
3/4

Is the K-12 model good for the Philippine education system?

Written by Sarah Katrina Maramag
Tuesday, 26 October 2010 07:00 AM

The case
this
subsists.
schooling,
amid
technology
crisis
widespread
Unless
the
of
the
for
the
number
predominance
domestic
Philippine
the
corruption
government
ofyears
schooling
development,
education
within
of rights
aaddresses
colonial
years,
the
system,
sector
all
but
efforts
curriculum,
in
rather
and
inearnest
will
the
levels,
on
remain
development
lack
the
poor
is
conditions
ofon
public
stemmed
transparency
the spending,
surface.
of and
the
notcountrys
foundation
on
and
high
the
accountability
superficial,
costs
science
on of
which
and
init
neither
10
nor
12
would
make
much
ofall
difference.
And
Photos
from
POC
files.
Some
reserved.

4/4