OPEN-MINDEDNESS PERCEIVING POSITIVE OUTCOME

MARY JOY B. SALAS

Education is not preparation for life, education is life itself. ¨ A quote proves that the good thing about learning is that no one can take it away from you. The purpose of turning mirrors into doors. Also, the opening of doorways into great opportunities. This is the key to unlock the world, a passport to freedom. Education is everybody´s concern, it will personally affect in one’s life. The kind of education that a person has something to do with his/ her personality.

Southeast Asian countries like Japan-the most high-tech and progressive education system and other countries with strong educational organizations are always looking for ways that will improve their education systems and constantly implementing changes to create and earn bountiful harvest of pr osper i t y.

This is a comparative review of the current educational context of Southeast Asian countries (ASEAN+ 6) indicates that:

All ASEAN+ 6 countries have a legal provision for free and compulsory education for at least some levels of basic education.

Education system structures vary, however 6+ 3+ 3 is the most common in the region, followed by a 6+ 4+ 2 system.

Most ASEAN+ 6 countries have decentralized some functions and responsibilities to lower levels of administration but remain rather centralized, especially with regard standard setting and teacher management.

Many ASEAN+ 6 countries have promoted alternative education and the use of equivalency programmes, however the ways alternative learning programmes are organized, delivered and certified differ.

There is an increasing recognition of the association between the quality of learning outcomes and enabling factors for quality education such as curriculum and assessment, quality assurance, teaching and learning time, language in their education policies and teacher quality.

Trends in Technical and Vocational Education and training (TVET) enrollment rates vary across the region; in most countries, the share of TVET has tended to decrease over the past decade. All ASEAN+ 6 countries recognize the importance of TVET and many include it in their national socio-economic development plans, however TVET continues to be “unpopular” and demarcation between general and vocational education is increasingly blurred.

There are wide variances in the ways countries prepare their workforce and perform educationally in TVET but most have attempted to put in place systems for TVET quality assurance and qualifications frameworks.

How about in the Philippines? What is the quality of education system we have? Wayback 2012, K to 12 was being implemented in the education system of the Philippines. K to 12 means, kindergarten plus 12 years of basic education. 6 years from the primary (Grade 1-6) and another 6 years from the secondary (4 years from junior high school and plus 2 years from senior high school) before entering the tertiary l evel .

This curriculum provided the key to enter the world of employment of entrepreneurship. It offers different tracks inline on the course you want to take in college: Academic track, Technical and Vocational track, Arts and Design track and Sports track depending on the skills they have and so on depends upon on the career they will choose. It aims to equip, gain knowledge and skills and to provide every Filipino child with the education they need to be globally competitive in meeting the standard of the world.

Truly, K to 12 is a big challenge for us-physically, mentally and emotionally. But as times goes by, we will see the better results towards empowering and developing the future leaders of our nation.

Filipinos should work hand in hand and with an open mind to produce a unified system wherein it enables them to be united as one nation together, ready to face world life´s circumstances.

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The author is Master Teacher II at Emigdio A. Bondoc High School