The K to 12 Program in Simple Terms

         

        A lot of educators and administrators, and other members of the academic community are talking about the so called K to 12 Program in various fora. Though already in effect, many people are still questioning its viability. In simple terms, the aforesaid program is the addition of two more years to the secondary education of a student. This translates to six years of high school education. The aforesaid program “interfaces” with three government agencies, the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), the Department of Education (DEPED), and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA). I was given the privilege by my school to attend two conventions this year (TEVSAPHIL and AASHPI), wherein one of the topics discussed was the K to 12 Program. Through this blog, allow me to share with you what I have learned as well as my personal insights. 

Why add two more years?

        It has been observed that many college students, if not all, are ill-prepared for college. This brings to the surface the quality of our basic education (kinder to high school), most especially the quality of basic education that public schools provide. Our public schools continue to confront a myriad of challenges, from shortage of classrooms, lack of instructional materials, to low wages of teachers. Such factors contribute to the decline in quality of our public education in elementary and high school. Will the addition of two more years in high school solve the problem? If the government will not be able to address the above mentioned concerns, then schools will be producing the same graduates year in and year out. This is not to mention the additional expenses that will be incurred by parents during the two-year extension of their children's secondary education.

        The addition of grades eleven and twelve is actually our country’s compliance to global standards in education. Before the implementation of the K to 12 Program in our country this year, our country is one of the few countries that is still lacking in two years in the high school level. Personally, I am in favor of the K to 12 Program so that the credentials of our future graduates who intend to work abroad will not be questioned, since our basic education has already conformed to the international standard of twelve-year basic education (six years in elementary and six years in high school).

The role of vocational courses

        Vocational courses are very much in demand these days, due to the  equally high demand of skilled workers by various industries (hospitality, manufacturing, healthcare, etc.) here and abroad. Many Filipinos are takers of such courses, most especially those who cannot afford a four-year college degree. Here is how it works: after several months of enrollment in a short course of your choice at a TESDA-accredited institution, you have to take an assessment exam. If you pass this exam, then you are given a certification by TESDA that you are already a certified skilled worker. Finally, next to this are local and foreign employment opportunities that are already in the offing. This is the exact reason why TESDA considers itself as “Kolehiyo ng Trabaho”. In effect, one need not earn a college degree in order to land on a good-paying job. Technical-vocational (tech-voc) courses are now being perceived as legitimate alternatives for college education, which cannot be afforded by Filipinos from poor sectors of society.

TEVSAPHIL : Technical Vocational School Associations of the Philippines

        The government, through its K to 12 Program, has designed the curricular incorporation of short courses in the senior high school years of students which are grades 11 and 12. During such period, high school students will  be trained in various skills that will eventually earn them their national certifications from TESDA, the so called “NC II”. This makes our high school students equipped with various skills, and eligible for either industry work or entrepreneurship right after high school graduation.

Implications to tertiary institutions

        The implementation of the K to 12 Program this year means that tertiary institutions will not have first year enrollees by 2016 and 2017. On the business side, colleges and universities will have no income from freshmen registrants for such period. Instructors handling General Education (GE) subjects will have no income too, since their supposed to be freshmen students are still finishing their senior high school years. They can teach though in grades 11 and 12, provided that they are LET (Licensure Examination for Teacher) passers. Unfortunately, many college instructors are not in possession of such license since this is not a requirement to be able to teach in college. What is required instead are graduate degrees such as MA (masteral) and PhD (doctorate). Thus, if they plan to teach in high school, they must take and pass the LET first, since this is a strict requirement for teachers in basic education. At a recent convention, it is being proposed that those with no LET will still be eligible to teach in high school come 2016, provided that they will be able to take and pass the LET within five years (while teaching in high school). 

AASHPI :Asian Association of School Human Resource Management and Development Practitioners, Inc.

        My take on this, is that there should be some sort of an equivalency for the benefit of college instructors who are already graduate degree holders (MA, PhD) but are not licensed teachers. Earning an MA or PhD is more painstaking than taking the LET, since an MA or PhD degree requires a number of years to finish. This is not to mention the comprehensive exam and thesis or dissertation which one has to comply during the duration of his or her graduate study. I personally believe that a graduate degree has more weight than a license to teach (LET). This is not an underestimation though, of those who are LET passers. The point I am trying to arrive at, is that an MA degree should already be equivalent to LET, or be considered in lieu of the latter, more so, if one is a PhD degree holder.

 Conclusion

        Since the K to 12 Program is still in its maiden voyage, an assessment of whether or not it has achieved its goals and objectives is very premature. The mechanics of this program will be fully felt once our high school students enter their senior years which are grades 11 and 12. My suggestion to our government is to make a thorough assessment of the current state of our basic education. DEPED has to make sure that we have enough facilities and materials, competent elementary and high school faculty, and a just compensation and benefits for them, to cater to the demands of the K to 12 Program. If such concerns will not be addressed by our government, then the K to 12 goals and objectives will not be realized, and the quality of our high school graduates will not improve. 

Same banana.

   ~o0o~