Why does the Philippines Need the K-12 Education System?

Starting this coming school year 2012- 2013,the current education system of thePhilippines will
be enhanced from the 10- years of basic education into 12- years through the program called
the K-12 Education Plan of the Department of Education.

The implementation of the K- 12 education plan in the Philippine Basic Education Curriculum is
the key to our nation’s development. Though the government will face many problems in the
long run of the implementation of the program, there really is a need to implement it because
the enhancement of the quality of our education is very urgent and critical.

Here are some of the reasons why not disagree with K- 12 education plan in the Philippines:
If K- 12 will be implemented, students will be able to get sufficient instructional time or time to do
a subject- related task which makes them more prepared and well- trained on that subject. On
the other hand, if we remain on the old system, Filipino students would continually get low
achievement scores. For instance, international test results revealed that we often come at the
tail end in the exams compared to other countries.

Another good reason why we should support K- 12 is that the graduates of this program will be
more prepared to enter the labor force. As we all notice, high school graduates of the current
curriculum are not yet employable for the reason that they are not yet competent and well –
equipped with the skills needed in the workplaces. In addition, most high school graduates are
not yet reaching the legal age of 18. With the new curriculum, senior high school students can
choose a field in which they are good at and that they are interested in. As a result, they will be
equipped with the skills needed for a specific job even without a college degree. At the age of
18, the age when they graduate from high school, they will be employable and competitive
already. Thus, adding up to the nation’s manpower.

Finally, with K- 12, Filipino graduates will be automatically recognized as professionals abroad
because we are following the international education standard as practiced by all nations. There
will be no need to study again and spend more money in order to qualify to their standards. With
this, Filipino professionals who aspire to work abroad will eventually get jobs in line with their
chosen field and will be able to help their families more in the Philippines as well as the
country’s economy with their remittances, property buying, and creation of businesses.

Filipinos are known to be competitive in the international community. On the contrary, our
current education system hinders us in becoming more competitive among other countries. The
K- 12 education plan offers a great solution to that problem. However, it is undeniable that there
seems to be problems arising as we implement the program such as lack of government
budget, classrooms and school supplies as well as the teachers. But, if we focus on the long-
term effect of K- 12, we can conclude that it is very beneficial to us Filipinos. Therefore, we must
have the strong will in supporting K- 12 Educational Plan for the betterment of our education
system and economy. Remember, if we want change in our society, we must start it with our
education system.

http://cianeko.hubpages.com/hub/The-Implementation-o-the-K-12-Program-in-the-Philippine-
Basic-Education-Curriculum

I will stand by my belief, and say that the K+12 education

system is the right step to take for our country. We need to
be more advanced in terms of development, and from this
step, who knows where we could go next. The public just
really needs to be educated in terms of why this is the
right direction to take, and from there, they will eventually
accept it, and want what's best for the country.
Filipinos are known to be competitive in the international community. However, our current education
system hinders us from becoming even more competitive.

Starting in the 2012-2013 school year, the education system of the Philippines was enhanced from
the ten years of basic education to a 12-year program through an initiative called the K-12 Education
Plan sponsored by the Department of Education.

The implementation of the K-12 plan in the Philippine Basic Education Curriculum is the key to our
nation’s development. Though the government faces many problems as it implements the program
over the course of several years, it is a necessary improvement since increasing the quality of our
education is critical to our nation's success.

See below some ways that the K-12 education plan will be beneficial for the Philippines according to
Isagani Cruz (2010) in one of his columns in a local newspaper.

Reasons for the K-12 Education System

1. Sufficient Instructional Time
With K-12 education, students will have sufficient instructional time for subject-related tasks, making
them more prepared in every subject area. With the old system, Filipino students were consistently
behind on achievement scores.

In 2008, for instance, international test results revealed that Filipinos were behind compared to other
countries when we finished dead last in math.

2. More Skilled and Competent Labor Force

Another reason to support K-12 education is because the graduates of this program will be more
prepared to enter the labor force. High school graduates of the 10-year curriculum were not yet
employable since they were not competent or well–equipped enough for the workplace.

In addition, high school graduates of the 10-year curriculum are not yet 18. With the new curriculum,
senior high school students can specialize in a field that they are good at and interested in. As a
result, upon graduation they will have the specific job-related skills they need even without a college
degree. When they graduate from high school, these young people will be 18 and employable,
adding to the nation’s manpower.
3. Recognition as Professionals Abroad
Finally, with K-12 education, Filipino graduates will be automatically recognized as professionals
abroad because we are following the international education standard as practiced by all nations.

There will be no need to study again and spend more money in order to qualify for international
standards. With a K-12 education, Filipino professionals who aspire to work abroad will not have a
hard time getting jobs in their chosen field. Furthermore, they will be able to help their families in the
Philippines more with remittances, property purchase, and small businesses.

K-12 Education Will Help Filipinos Gain a Competitive Edge

Though Filipinos are known to be competitive in the international community, our current education
system hinders us in becoming more competitive among other countries. The K-12 education plan
offers a solution to that problem.

However, it is undeniable that there will be problems that arise as we implement the program, which
could include a lack of budget, classrooms, school supplies, and teachers. That said, the long-term
effects of K-12 education will be very beneficial to us Filipinos.

Therefore, we must support the K-12 educational plan to help improve our educational system and
our economy. Remember that change in our society starts with education.

The K 12 curriculum is designed to enable graduates to join the work force right
after high school, and suitably prepare those who want to go on to higher
education.

The new curriculum will also support college graduates seeking work abroad.
Developed countries, according to the Department of Education’s (DepEd)
briefer, “view the 10-year education cycle as insufficient.”

All in all, the enhanced K 12 curriculum is designed to provide a holistic

education for all. Now decongested, it will give students ample time to master
basic academic skills as well as to participate in co-curricular and community
activities.

What it means for students

The transition began in 2011, when the universal kindergarten was introduced.
Starting in 2012, schools already implemented the curriculum decongestion
mentioned in the DepEd briefer.
Public schools began having half-day classes for grade one students, with the
mother tongue as the medium of instruction. Private schools also made
adjustments in their own DepEd accredited curricula.

The adaptation of the K 12 curriculum guide means that students will graduate a
bit older compared to those who graduated under the 10-year education cycle.

Far from being disadvantageous, however, DepEd states that young adults
graduating at age 18 or so will be more prepared to take on their tertiary
education.

Remedial classes during the first year of college will no longer be needed, as the
high school curriculum will already be aligned with the Commission on Higher
Education’s (CHED) guidelines.

–– ADVERTISEMENT ––

The government also encourages parents to think of the K 12 curriculum guide

not as having two extra years of high school, but as two years less of higher
education.

Graduates of the new educational system will already be equipped to join the
workforce right away with the help of the electives to be offered during grades 11
to 12.

The electives, or areas of specialization, will include academics for those who
wish to pursue higher studies, technical-vocational for those who want to acquire
employable skills after high school, and sports and arts for those who are inclined
in the two fields.
Change is never easy, especially when it is about a big undertaking such as the
implementation of the new K-12 curriculum guide in the Philippines. It is high
time, however, that we join the rest of the world and improve the quality of our
basic education system and our graduates.

TIMSS 2011 is the fifth in IEA’s series of international assessments of student

achievement dedicated to improving teaching and learning in mathematics and science.
First conducted in 1995, TIMSS reports every four years on the achievement of fourth
and eighth grade students. A number of countries participating in TIMSS 2011 will have
trend data across assessments from 1995 to 2011.

A globally cooperative enterprise, TIMSS conducts comprehensive state-of the-art

assessments of student achievement supported with extensive data about country,
school, and classroom learning environments. Fifty countries participated in
TIMSS 2007, and more than 60 are expected to take part in TIMSS 2011. There is
enormous diversity among the TIMSS countries—in terms of economic development,
geographical location, and population size. Fundamental to IEA’s vision is the notion
that the diversity of educational philosophies, models, and approaches that characterize
the world’s education systems constitute a natural laboratory in which each country can
learn from the experiences of others. TIMSS participants share the conviction that
comparing education systems in terms of their organization, curricula, and instructional
practices in relation to their corresponding student achievement provides information
crucial for effective education policy-making.

For information about enrolling in TIMSS 2011, please contact Dr. Barbara Malak-
Minkiewicz, manager of member relations, at IEA’s Secretariat.

ighlights from TIMSS and TIMSS Advanced 2015: Mathematics and Science
Achievement of U.S. Students in Grades 4 and 8 and in Advanced Courses
at the End of High School in an International Context

Description: The Trends in

International
Mathematics and
Science Study (TIMSS)
2015 is the sixth
administration of this
international
comparative study since
1995 when first
administered. TIMSS is
used to compare over
time the mathematics
and science knowledge
and skills of fourth- and
eighth-graders. TIMSS is
designed to align broadly
with mathematics and
science curricula in the
participating countries.
The results, therefore,
suggest the degree to
which students have
learned mathematics
and science concepts
and skills likely to have
been taught in school. In
2015, TIMSS was
administered in 49 IEA
member countries and 6
other education systems
at grade 4, and in 38 IEA
member countries and 6
other education systems
at grade 8.

TIMSS Advanced
assesses the advanced
mathematics and
physics knowledge and
skills of students at the
end of high school who
have taken courses in
advanced mathematics
and physics. TIMSS
Advanced 2015
represents only the
second administration in
which the United States
has participated since
the first administration in
1995, and is designed to
align broadly with the
advanced mathematics
and physics curricula in
the participating
countries. The results,
therefore, suggest the
degree to which students
have learned the
advanced mathematics
and physics concepts
and skills likely to have
been taught in school.
Nine countries
participated in TIMSS
Advanced 2015.

The focus of the report is

on the performance of
U.S. students relative to
their peers in other
countries on TIMSS and
TIMSS Advanced 2015,
and, for TIMSS results,
on changes in
achievement since 2011
and 1995. For a number
of participating countries
and education systems,
changes in achievement
can be documented over
the last 20 years, from
1995 to 2015. This
report also describes the
characteristics of
students who
participated in the
advanced mathematics
and physics
assessments at the end
of high school, and
describes the
performance of males
and females in these
subjects. In addition, it
includes achievement in
Florida, a U.S. state that
participated in TIMSS
both as part of the U.S.
national sample of public
and private schools as
well as individually with
state-level samples of
public schools.

In addition to numerical
scale results, TIMSS
also includes
international
benchmarks. The TIMSS
international
benchmarks provide a
way to interpret the scale
scores by describing the
types of knowledge and
skills students
demonstrate at different
levels along the TIMSS
scale.