Philippines is one of the countries popular for valuing education. Filipinos respect and value education. There's even a saying coming from Filipino parents that states that a child should study well because that's all they can pass on him. This saying lone proves the importance of education to Filipinos. Filipinos do love education but there are families with lower class living status that have problems with the aspect. Some young adults especially incoming college freshmen could not enroll to universities because of unlucky instances. This factor further affects the country's development. To improve the country's educational system the Department of Education proposed the K to 12 Education System. What is the K to 12 Education System?
K to 12 is a pioneering education system. It is a program that covers 13 years of basic education. Its stages are from Kinder to Grade 3, Grade 4 to Grade 6, Grade 7 to Grade 10, and Grade 11 to Grade 12. Furthermore, a student who wants to admit to Grade 1 will not be accepted if he hasn't been in kindergarten, especially with an inappropriate age. He is required to take kindergarten to step to the 1st grade. Another 2 years will be added in the secondary level which serves as the senior high school. It is a part of the President's Educational Reform Program. This program aims to uplift the quality of education in the country for better employment. The program aims to fully enhance and develop for them to be well-prepared.
With the implementation of the K to 12 Education System there are three main pro arguments. First of these is to enhance the quality of our education. "The Philippines ranks a poor seventh among nine Southeast Asian nations in the area of education and innovation" (Luz,2011). The article taken from ABS-CBN News states that the Philippine is ranked 99thout of 138 nations in the area of primary education. Then is ranked 69th in the Educational system, 112th in science and math and 76th in Internet Access. With these facts on our faces it is a good choice to use K to 12 to further improve our education. It also sets higher standards and will add students' knowledge. The second one is to be ready for a living. The additional two years on the secondary level is not just put there for nothing. The Senior High School offers specializations which the student will choose from. It includes enhancing one's technical skills which will be a big help in the future. Also, with the previous curriculum a student finishes high school at the age of 16 which is too young to work. The last agreement is that to "lessen" the weight of work into a student's shoulders. So that the 12 years content of the education is not crammed into 10 years. (Cruz,2010)
With three pro arguments there are also three counterarguments. First one is MONEY. Let's face not all Filipinos can afford the additional two years of education. People already complain about their basic necessities and they think this is just an extra burden on their shoulders.The second one is the lack of classrooms and learning materials. We all know too well that our country is in lack of classroom and the books aren't in 1:1 ratio. Even if the government announces the construction of additional classrooms, would it be built the next school year? The third and last one is the lack of schools that offers Senior High School. What if there is a student wants this particular career track but there's no nearby school that offers it? He would be forced to enroll to an unwanted career track. The student's capability would not be enhanced properly therefore one of the objectives of the program is not met.
These arguments, whether good or bad, are good points for the K to 12 Curriculum but I am for this program. I believe that it will help me enhance my strengths and improve my weaknesses. I also feel that because there are more profits the cons are outweighed. It would sure be an additional bill but it would be worth it if a child would be successful and achieve his dream.
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