Embracing the Philippines’ K to 12 curriculum

THE theme of the graduation ceremonies is “K to 12: ( K to 12 Learners: Ready to Face Life’s Challenges).” As Senior High School Coordinator of SJJNHS, I am thrilled to finally witness the first graduation rites of K to 12 students. Two years ago, when these learners were raring to enter college, they were instead thrown in the world of Senior High School, adding two more years in their basic education. Congratulations are in order, and so to the pioneering K to 12 candidates for graduation, kudos!

The Senior High School program is one of the salient features of K to 12, but there are other important elements that some of us still do not understand about Republic Act 10533, otherwise known as the Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013.

Some Filipinos, especially parents who support children with allowance and tuition fees, are not fond of this new curriculum. To appreciate K to 12 better, here are a few principal points:

* Universal Kindergarten. Research shows that Kindergarten programs give an advantage to learners than those who did not go through it. Children who undergo Kindergarten are better prepared for primary school. Nowadays, every Filipino child has access to early childhood education where they learn the alphabet, numbers, colors and shapes, through songs, games, and dances, in their Mother Tongue.

* Contextualization, Localization and Indigenization. This means presenting new subject matter in meaningful and relevant context by tapping to context

Teacher I, Simeon J. Jabasa National High School of previous experience in the students’ real life. To make the lesson relevant and easy to understand, activities, examples, and illustrations are based on local culture, history, and reality. Furthermore, Disaster Risk Reduction ( DRR), Climate Change Adaptation, and Information and Communication Technology ( ICT) are integrated in classes.

* Spiral Progression. Basic concepts are first learned before more complex versions are introduced. This let learners focus on topics and skills appropriate to their developmental and cognitive skills. Simply put; before K to 12, we learn General Science during our 1st year in High School, Biology in 2nd year, Chemistry in 3rd year, and Physics in 4th year. Under RA 10533, we learn all these topics in Grade 7 until Grade 10, with the

basic concepts introduced in the lower grades, progressing to sophisticated and complex ideas as we go to higher grade levels.

* Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education. To build proficiency, the child’s dominant language is used as the language of learning from Kindergarten to Grade 3, with Filipino and English gradually introduced during this period. Needless to say, pupils are more participative in class and learn a second language even faster when they are first taught in a language they understand. Moreover, the learners retain their values, ethnic identity, culture, and heritage.

* College and Livelihood Readiness, 21st Century Skills. The holistically developed Filipino i s nurtured. After undergoing 13 years of basic education, K to 12 graduates are ready to go into different paths – may it be further education, employment, or entrepreneurship. Every graduate will be equipped with life and career skills.

The Philippines was the last country in Asia with a 10-year pre-university education, and there were times when our work ethics and qualifications were not recognized abroad because of a lack of 12-year basic education. With the K to 12 program, we are now at par with professionals of other countries. We are qualified to take advantage of opportunities that we only dreamed of. Resistance to change is human nature, but when we step back and take a second look at the Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013, we will realize that change is good, and we should be embracing this change. (