K-12 PILOT TESTING

             “Don’t make our kids as an experiment. Our fear is the quality of education that will result from this program. Yes it is guaranteed that after two years our child may be able to work, but what kind of job would that be? A cheap labor?” complained by one of the parents who are against by the former President Noynoy Aquino’s K-12 programs.  

          “There is no law yet authorizing the implementation of the full K to 12 education program. The curriculum is not yet ready. Funds are insufficient to cover the basic inputs such as shortages on teachers, classrooms, textbooks, chairs and sanitation facilities,” the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) said in an interview.

          “They will be taught how to ‘maintain a professional image’ as household workers. Other topics include ‘Desirable Traits of a Household Worker’ and ‘Duties and Responsibilities of a Household Worker.’ At the end of the semester, students will be able to identify and operate a vacuum cleaner, floor polisher, and other cleaning materials,” Raymond Palatino discussed in his slideshow presentation.

Courtesy of: (http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/nation/567225/misunderstanding-lack-of-info-spawned-k-12-complaints-palace/story/)

            There were different outspreaded opinions which contradict the pilot testing of the implementation of proposed educational reform known as K-12 program even up until now. It is normal for people to throw negative stands and viewpoints especially when something doesn’t conform to what they expect. Prior to the newly-fresh graduates of Senior High School batch 2018 under K-12 programs, there were graduate students from the proposed educational reform program known as the “Guinea Pigs”. Guinea pig is a term to a person or thing that used as a subject for an experiment. San Pedro Relocation Center National High School in Laguna is one of the five chosen schools for pilot testing in Luzon to implement K-12 curriculum for the School Year 2012-2013.  SPRCNHS offered Technical Drafting, Consumer Electronics, Food Trades, Cookery/Food and Pastry Production and Shielded Metal Arc Welding (SMAW). Department of Education (DepEd) had selected these schools for the implementation of K-12 program, for Luzon: Bataan, Pampanga, Bulacan, NCR and Laguna. For Visayas: Leyte, Bukidnon and Cebu. And for Mindanao: Tagum.  Among the pilot schools is the University of Makati (UMak) which deeply supported by the former Mayor Jejomar Binay and engage graduate students to enroll in senior high to avail its benefits, to discover their capabilities and potentials and to help the country in promoting high standard education. Other pilot schools were Bukig Nation Agricultural and Technical School (BNATS) in Cagayan, Rizal Experimental Station and Pilot School of Cottages (RESPSCI) in Pasig, Don Alejandro Roces Sr. Science and Technology High School (DARSSTHS) in Quezon City, Bataan School of Fisheries (BSF) and Iligan City National School of Fisheries (ICNSF). Pioneer schools offered Agri-Crop Production Horticulture, Food and Beverage Service, Fish/Food Processing
Aquaculture and Automotive Technology. Each student will be given a certificate and allow them to work only after finishing the course with a year in kindergarten and twelve years in grade school. One of the graduates assured that the pilot test or experiment for the implementation of K-12 nationwide was really helpful, it was an alternative path to become successful, it was another opportunity especially to those who are incapable to pursue college that’s why they want to support the government to further propagate it and change the false beliefs of the parents even teachers. “What many of Filipinos failed to apprehend is the underlying reason why government persuasively implement these pre-college studies. It is more of what the majority know: Philippines is the only country in Asia that sticks into 10 year basic education cycle, so the government force to imitate leading countries even though of being unprepared to that matter for they deeply believe that it is way to increase the quality of education. It is more than that. It’s for the benefit of the poor students.” Said by a student from pilot school that initially has K-12 curriculum. American colonization period had influenced the Philippines to add years in education during high school, this was to train Filipinos to work like in a U.S standard, 3 years for junior high school and another 3 years for senior high school. The Philippines had an 11-year basic education cycle before, but when Commonwealth government believed of this as hindrance to graduate students quickly, they decided to reduce it but now it seems going back to what Americans have brought to us. This is due to the observed poor quality education here in the country. They assume that it is not enough to graduate with only 4 years in college that’s why professionals here are only domestic helpers in abroad, but the question here is: what makes it different? Or does it make difference? Is the skills that students may inherit in K-12 couldn’t acquire in college?  Well, apparently taking up courses in K-12 program is like taking vocational courses at TESDA because it is the skill and work-on-hand that will enhance primarily.

Courtesy of: (http://cityofsanpedrolaguna.gov.ph/category/news/page/21/)

Pilot senior high school graduates harvest benefits of K-12 program. To make a strong stance for this, there were these students came from Don Alejandro Roces Sr. Science and Technology who have taken courses in Food and Beverage, Bread and Pastry, Bartending and Front Office who were able to work in a restaurant in Quezon City to earn sufficient money for their college education and they were also be able to help their parents financially. Senior High School Students from Leyte also graduated with their respective course, according to the Department of Education (DepEd), a total of 100 graduate students -27 Automotive students, 22 Metals and Engineering students, 26 Tourism students and 25 Information and Communication Technology (ICT) students – marched from Merida Vocational School and Palo National High School.

Courtesy of: (https://www.rappler.com/move-ph/issues/education/55415-makati-first-senior-high-school-graduates)

                                           Courtesy of: (https://youtu.be/aLHsjKetBzI)

Upon seeing the succession results of the pilot testing, the government officially implemented the K-12 curriculum nationwide. There may be good results of the proposed educational reforms like K-12 program to many students who have the chance to be under of it but for some they still think that it is not a key to have a high standard education. There is this thing that I’d like to recommend after being exposed to this important kind of issue: If our government wanted a high standard education, they must eliminate non-practical subjects included in curriculum for college students but rather have a place in improving the two must haves in applying jobs: skills and knowledge (that are related to what a student want).