THE K TO 12 SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL

So the first batch of Senior High School graduates just recently finished the level under the fully implemented K to 12 Program of the Department of Education (DepEd).

The new Senior High School system thus is seen to provide the best educational opportunities for the graduates and choose either to move up or seek employment with their chosen tracks.

But what really is Senior High School or SHS?

SHS refers to Grades 11 and 12, the last two years of the K-12 program that DepEd has been implementing since 2012. Students begin to study in SHS the subjects that will introduce them to their preferred career path.

High school in the old system consisted of First Year to Fourth Year. What corresponds to those four years today are Grades 7 to 10, also known as junior high school ( JH S) .

Take note now: “Senior high” has two grade levels and no longer means just the very last year of high school; “junior high” has four grade levels and does not mean just the second to the last year of high school.

Students cannot be forced to spend two more years in school, but if they stop at Grade 10, they will only receive a JHS certificate, not a high school diploma.

Students who belong to the K-12 generation but do not complete Grade 12 will be disadvantaged in that they will not be accepted into a college degree or technicalvocational certificate program without a SHS diploma.

They will also miss out on an opportunity to learn skills that can qualify them for employment right after SHS, or prepare them for starting up a business.

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The author is Principal II of Sta. Ana National High School