The k to 12 program is expanding Basic Education by adding two years to a ten years cycle which can be a solution to yearly deteriorating quality of education.

Strengthening Early childhood education

Every Filipino child now has access to early childhood education through Universal Kindergarten. At 5 years old, children start schooling and are given the means to slowly adjust to formal education.

Research shows that children who underwent Kindergarten have better completion rates than those who did not. Children who complete a standards-based Kindergarten program are better prepared, for primary education.

Education for children in the early years lays the foundation for lifelong learning and for the total development of a child. The early years of a human being, from 0 to 6 years, are the most critical period when the brain grows to at least 60-70 percent of adult size..[Ref: K to 12 Toolkit]

In Kindergarten, students learn the alphabet, numbers, shapes, and colors through games, songs, and dances, in their Mother Tongue.

Making the curriculum Relevant to the learners

Examples, activities, songs, poems, stories, and illustrations are based on local culture, history, and reality. This makes the lessons relevant to the learners and easy to understand.

Students acquire in-depth knowledge, skills, values, and attitudes through continuity and consistency across all levels and subjects.

Discussions on issues such as Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR), Climate Change Adaptation, and Information & Communication Technology (ICT) are included in the enhanced curriculum.

Building Proficiency through language

Students are able to learn best through their first language, their Mother Tongue (MT). Twelve (12) MT languages have been introduced for SY 2012-2013: Bahasa Sug, Bikol, Cebuano, Chabacano, Hiligaynon, Iloko, Kapampangan, Maguindanaoan, Meranao, Pangasinense, Tagalog, and Waray. Other local languages will be added in succeeding school years.

Aside from the Mother Tongue, English and Filipino are taught as subjects starting Grade 1, with a focus on oral fluency. In Grade 4, English and Filipino are used as the primary Medium of Instruction (MOI).

After Grade 1, every student can read in his or her Mother Tongue. Learning in Mother Tongue also serves as the foundation for students to learn Filipino and English easily.

Ensuring Integrated and seamless Learning

Subjects are taught from the simplest concepts to more complicated concepts through grade levels in spiral progression. As early as elementary, students gain knowledge in areas such as Biology, Geometry, Earth Science, Chemistry, and Algebra.

For example, currently in High School, Biology is taught in 2nd Year, Chemistry in 3rd Year, and Physics in 4th Year. In K to 12, these subjects are connected and integrated from Grades 7 to 10. This same method is used in other Learning Areas like Math.

Gearing Up for the future

Senior High School is two years of specialized upper secondary education; students may choose a career track based on aptitude, interests, and school capacity. The choice of career track will define the content of the subjects a student will take in Grades 11 and 12. These subjects fall under either the Core Curriculum or specific Career Pathways.

Core CurriculumThere are six subjects under the Core

Curriculum. These are Humanities, Languages (English and/or Filipino), Math, Philosophy, Science, and Social Sciences. Current content from some General Education subjects are embedded in the SHS curriculum.

Career PathwaysEach student in Senior High School can choose among five tracks:

Business and Entrepreneurship; Humanities and Social Sciences; Science, Technology, and Engineering; Sports; and Technical-Vocational.

Students undergo On-the-Job Training (OJT) or immersion, which may include earn-while-you-learn opportunities, to provide them relevant exposure and actual experience in their chosen track.

TVET (Technical Vocational Education & Training) National CertificateAfter finishing Grade 10, a student can obtain Certificates of Competency (COC) or a National Certificate Level I (NC I). After finishing a Technical-Vocational track in Grade 12, a student may obtain a National Certificate Level II (NC II), provided he/she passes the competency-based assessment of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA). NC I and NC II improves employability of graduates in fields like Agriculture, Electronics, and Trade.

Modeling Best Practices for Senior High SchoolIn SY 2012-2013, there are 30 public high schools and higher education institutions (HEIs) that have implemented Grade 11. This is a Research and Design (R&D) program to simulate different aspects of Senior High School in preparation for full nationwide implementation in SY 2016-2017. Modeling programs offered by these schools are based on students’ interests, community needs, and their respective capacities.

Nurturing the Holistically Developed Filipino

After going through Kindergarten, the enhanced Elementary and Junior High curriculum, and a specialized Senior High program, every K to 12 graduate will be ready to go into different paths – may it be further education, employment, or entrepreneurship.

1. Every graduate will be equipped with:2. Learning and innovation skills,3. Information, media and technology skills,4. Effective communication skills, and5. Life and career skills.

ARGUMENTS ON K + 12

Government Opposes

Enhancing the quality of basic education in the Philippines is urgent and critical.

Parents have to shell out more money (for transportation and food) for the education of their children.

The poor quality of basic education is reflected in the low achievement scores of Filipino students. One reason is that students do not get adequate instructional time or time on task.

The government does not have the money to pay for two or more years of free education, since it does not even have the money to support today’s ten years.

International test results consistently show Filipino students lagging way behind practically everybody else in the world.

We can do in ten years what everyone else in the world takes 12 years to do.

The congested curriculum partly explains the present state of education.

As far as the curriculum is concerned, DepEd should fix the currents subjects instead of adding new ones.

The quality of education is reflected in the inadequate preparation of high school graduates for the world of work or entrepreneurship or higher education.

A high school diploma will not get anybody anywhere, because business firms will not hire fresh high school graduates.

The current system also reinforces the misperception that basic education is just a preparatory step for higher education.

Every family dreams of having a child graduate from college.

Most graduates are too young to enter the labor force.

While students are stuck in Grades 11 and 12, colleges and universities will have no freshmen for two years.

And completing formal schooling , reducing

The short duration of the basic education program also puts the millions of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), especially the professional, at a disadvantage.

The drop-out rate increase because of the two extra years.

The short basic education program affects the human development of the Filipino children.

Advantages of K+12

The K to 12 uplift the quality of education in the Philippines in order for graduates to be easily employed.

The k +12 meet the standards required for professionals who would want to work abroad.

It enhances and develops the students in order for them to be prepared especially in emotional and cognitive aspects.

The k to 12 prepare 5 years old children chance for surviving and formal schooling, reducing dropouts incidence and insuring better school performances. It will be the readiness and foundationally skills of the children to be ready for primary grades.

The kj+12 decongest and enhance the basic education curriculum.

It provides better for all.Studies in the Philippines have shown that an

additional years of schooling increase earnings by 7.2.

The advantages to the society:

K to 12 will facilitate an accelerated economic growth.

k to 12 will facilitate mutual recognition of Filipino graduates and professionals in other countries.

A better educate society provides a sound foundation for long-term socio-economic development.