RESOLVING: THAT THE K-12 CURRICULUM BE REPEALED

INTRODUCTION:
The K-12 Curriculum in the Philippines has been a subject of debate since its implementation
in 2011. Several issues have risen affecting students, teachers, parents, schools, and the
community. This affirmative argument aims to present facts supporting the repeal of the K-12
Curriculum.

Key Pointers
Burden on Students-required to undergo two additional years of senior high school.
Burden to Parents- additional 2 years of tuition payment.
Limited Resources for Schools- lacks resources such as classrooms, textbooks, and teaching
materials.
Disalignment in the courses- strand do not matter anymore upon proceeding college.
Less Employment Opportunities- graduates with just SH won’t be as demand as college
graduates.
Producing Professionals Takes longer.
Decreasing Numbers of Teachers- the number of available qualified teachers has not
matched the demand because of adding 2 more years.
STUDENTS’SIDE:
this additional financial burden also forces thousands or even millions of students to drop out
of school.
Students who are k-12 graduates are not ready to higher education and overseas job.
Fact: study of Evaluation of Acad. Performance of student in Phil” by Almerino et al. 202,
evaluation appears there is a mismatch in the programs. Only STEM and ABM shows
significant relationship with their college courses. Basically, its implementation shows that
students who are in strands of HUMMS, TVL, GAS, and other took up courses in tertiary
education not related to their strand.
Fact: In 2017, based on PSA, 9 percent or 3.53 million of the estimated 39.2 Filipinos aged 6
to 24 years old were considered OSYs. PSA also indicated that one of the main reasons is due
to high cost of education and financial concerns.

PARENT’SSIDE:
In an article by Manila Bulletin, Yelyn Mestionla, a mother of a Grade 11 student, shared her
sentiment that the education reform is still a BURDEN because of the additional expenses.
Also, this was this viral post of a student who graduated, and he stated that, “The weight of
poverty pushed my parents into a constant struggle for survival.”

TEACHERS’SIDE:
The K-12 Curriculum has resulted in a high demand for qualified teachers, particularly for
senior high school subjects. the number of available qualified teachers has NOT MATCHED
this demand. As a result, some schools have resorted to hiring underqualified teachers, which
compromises the quality of education.
Another drawback is how it places pressure on Filipino educators, especially in public
schools. Teachers are required to undergo extensive training to be able to offer the courses
that need to be taught to senior high school students. A study conducted by Braza and Supapo
(2014), stated that the teachers were discovered to struggle in delivering the content of class
materials and possess poor teaching skills.
Fact: A study conducted by the Philippine Business for Education (PBEd) in 2018 revealed
that there is a shortage of around 26,066 teachers for senior high school,
SCHOOL’SSIDE:
Implementing the K-12 Curriculum requires additional resources. However, many public
schools, especially in rural areas, lack these resources. This scarcity limits the quality of
education provided to students, contributing to the educational inequity experienced across
the country.
Fact: the data of the National School Building Inventory S.Y 2019-2020, shows 35% of the
targeted 75,017 new classrooms had not begun construction. Issues affecting this problem
include delays in the release of funds and lack of buildings.
Fact: In a report by UNICEF and the Philippine Statistics Authority in 2018, 27% of public
elementary schools in the Philippines still do NOT have adequate classrooms, while 24% do
not have electricity.
COMMUNITY’SSIDE:
K to 12 has also been bombarded with criticisms, mainly on the financial ability of Filipinos
to support their children through the additional years of school. Under the current setup, two
more years of school means thousands more in expenses. So, it increases the number of Out-
of-School youth.
Industries in the country even internationally demands college graduate students. Students
with only Senior high school diploma were not given as much opportunity. So, most students
who were not able to proceed college does not have a stable and highly profiting profession.
Takes longer to produce college graduate professionals. With the 2 years added in the
curriculum, the cycle of producing workers is longer.
Fact 1: According to the 2020 Annual Poverty Indicators Survey, the number of out-of-school
youths has increased since the implementation of the K-12 Curriculum, reaching 2.4 million
in 2019.