Challenges of the K to 12 system

probationary basis (the first two months are always the “show your best foot forward,” and the third month would reflect the “real” or actual behavior and habits).

Lo and behold, on the third day of his reporting for work, I noticed that the car was not clean at all, in fact, it was quite dirty. When I talked to the new driver about it, his reply was, (and I quote verbatim), “May car wash naman po, di ba?” This, from a person who claimed through his biodata that he trained in a driving school, who spoke good English and who appeared confident and proud of his work experience, and with clearances from the barangay, police and NBI (National Bureau of Investigation).

Thus did he instantly experience his shortest job in the World Book of Records.

Today’s household help has at least elementary and/or high school education. A few are college graduates taught by teachers who speak English with heavy provincial accents and wrong grammar, so how will we expect quality of work when comprehension is their biggest shortcoming?

I believe that our DepEd is on the right track, reviewing and re-assessing the K to 12 system, gathering inputs and ultimately coming up with better solutions to our worsening literacy rate. When literacy rates increase, our workers become better at conversation and comprehension, thereby becoming better employees here and abroad. And when workers get more jobs and better work compensation because of their literacy, then the work force will increase, correcting the employment deficiency.