THE DRAWBACKS: K-12 PROGRAM’S SHORTCOMINGS

MICHELLE M. DAYRIT

Almost five years have passed, but K-12 Program is still full of issues. Ever since its implementation, the change of education system received massive public opposition. Various critics were doubtful for this curriculum and several Filipinos expressed their frustrations regarding the K-12.

Parents were the first who protested against the implementation. K-12 was ironic for them. How come it would be affordable if there are two more years for them to spend on? The vouchers might help but it cannot fully shoulder the other miscellaneous fees of the student. And also, the voucher won’t directly be in touch with the parents’hands; quite shady. And also, aside from the financial burden, in 2015, Parents’Movement Against K-12 was established and expressed their doubts about K-12. From the name itself, you can clearly understand what the group’s goal is. According to the protesting parents, their children are being experimented by the government, all Senior High School students will be subjected to experimentation. It is hard for them to rest assure if the students will be given a quality and proper education. All is new. And that is the problem. It is hard to trust the government.

Another thing is, the Philippines is far from being ready. The K-12 program is highly in need of new classrooms, textbooks and learning materials, chairs, tables, and other equipment for each track. Philippines can’t even provide the demands for the old education system and they added more materials that should be done. Last June of 2017, the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT), a nationalist organization of teachers, presented the shortcomings of DepEd in the second year of Senior High School. On the November Issue report of DepEd last 2016, the department’s inadequacies were showed; 13,995 classrooms, 88,267 teachers; 235 million instructional and other learning materials; 2.2 million school seats for 2016 and 66,492 sets – each seat with 45 seats and 1 teacher’s desk; and 44,538 computer packages (based from the news report in Bulatlat). These show how hard it is for the country to meet the requirements. The budget might increase, but it still not enough to produce the demands of the country especially in the education sector.

And recently, the first batch of Senior High School graduated and finally accomplishing their six years of high school. Department of Education promised that the SHS graduates can find a job after completing the curriculum. However, DepEd released an official statement that SHS graduates are still required to attend college. There are no jobs that can hold the graduates and it will be hard for them to be employed, as of now.

K-12 program might help our country, but without proper planning and preparedness, this might make our country suffer more. The citizens are having a difficulty adjusting and coping up with the new program. But, all we need to do right now is cooperate and strive harder for our country. It might be hard to solve a national issue, but with the help of everyone, led by the government, new rules can be effective, and a country can transcend.

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The author is Teacher III at Sindalan Elementary School