Kate Binaiah V. Miciano Ms.

Bernadette Orias

1-HST Purposive Communication

Education is a Right not a Privilege

In 2011, the Department of Education (DepEd) implemented a new learning scheme

called the K to 12 basic education program. The K to 12 Program includes Kindergarten
and 12 years of basic education (six years of primary education, four years of Junior
High School, and two years of Senior High School [SHS]) to allow students to grasp
ideas and skills, cultivate lifelong learners, and prepare graduates for tertiary education,
middle-level skills training, employment, and entrepreneurship.

The objective of the program is to strengthen the quality of education in our country by
promoting global competency through hastening common standards of Filipino
graduates and professionals in other nations. According to Cruz (2010), in one of his
columns in a daily newspaper, he listed some of the following points why we should
endorse the K to 12 basic education system in the Philippine basic education system; it
allows students to have adequate training opportunities to carry out particular topic
tasks that have made them more prepared in specific subjects, and students in this
curriculum are well eligible to join the workforce. However, the K to 12 program is
indeed anti-poor because of the two years added to the curriculum. According to the
Philippine Statistics Authority, there are about 17.7 million Filipinos living in poverty in
2018, thus adding two more years of high school will undoubtedly be financially
burdensome for many families at this time, constituting an implicit threat to our
people's right to education. On top of other education expenses, some state university
colleges anticipated annual charges for senior high school to reach an astounding
16,000 pesos — a 1,600 percent increase in the country's lowest tuition rate.
Furthermore, many students and teachers are affected by the current global health
crisis as a result of the shift from face-to-face classes to virtual or modular learning.
Many years are wasted, therefore, students are the ones who suffer the most in this
kind of system.

The Filipino people are well aware that our country is unprepared to add two years to
the students' fundamental 10-year school cycle. Due to the increasing number of the
student population, public schools still have insufficient classrooms and equipment. As
evidenced by recent subpar National Achievement Test (NAT) results, the overall quality
of education in the Philippines is poor and stagnant, if not decreasing; thus, to enhance
the quality of education, the government must prioritize the advancement of facilities
and training of teachers, as well as increasing the salaries of teachers and non-teaching
personnel, particularly in public schools. According to Cruz (2014), dropout rates will
rise as a result of the additional two years because the K to 12 program is a financial
burden for many Filipinos. As a result, many students will drop out of school due to
financial reasons, and the additional two years will be a waste of time instead of being
a college student after four years of high school.
The education system of the Philippines is anti-poor, therefore the K to 12 program is
not the solution to enhance the quality of education in our country and prepare
students to compete in the global market. Government must put an effort to address
the needs of the students instead of adding a burden to them. Propose a bill that will
assist students in meeting the standards of large firms and other government agencies
once they complete a four-year degree in order to increase the Philippines' productivity
rate. Because education is a right, not a privilege, this bill should not be anti-poor.
Every child and every teacher does not deserve a system that will cause them to suffer
for the rest of their lives.

References:

WHY K-12 ?WHAT IS K-12 PROGRAM? (n.d.-b).

htps://www.dncarlocavinaschool.com/. Retrieved September 13, 2021, from
https://www.doncarlocavinaschool.com/why-k-12-what-is-k-12-program/

K-12 Basic Education Curriculum| K12 Philippines. (2021, May 17).

K12philippines. https://k12philippines.com/

Enderun Colleges. (2018, July 31). K to 12. https://www.enderuncolleges.com/k-

12

Llego, M. (n.d.-b). 10 Reasons Why the K to 12 Program Should Be Suspended.

TeacherPH. Retrieved September 13, 2021, from
https://www.teacherph.com/10-reasons-why-the-k-to-12-program-should-be-
suspended/