MANILA – President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. openly criticized the K-12 educational program, saying it failed to fulfill its promise of making Filipino students job-ready while burdening families with additional costs.
In the latest episode of his “BBM Podcast” released Wednesday, the President expressed agreement with lawmakers pushing to scrap the mandatory two-year Senior High School program, citing its ineffectiveness and financial strain on parents.
“It is just expressing the same frustration that I expressed in the first place. It’s costing more for the parents, kasi nadagdagan ng two years pa,” Marcos said.
“Magmamatrikulasyon pa ‘yan, maraming school supplies, bibili ng libro lahat. Sa 10 years wala naman advantage. Wala naman naging advantage, hindi rin nakukuha sa trabaho,” he added.
While the K-12 program remains the law, Marcos said his administration is focused on improving the system and addressing the persistent issue of job-skills mismatch in the labor market.
He said this includes collaboration with the private sector to align education outcomes with actual industry demands.
“Basta ang sinabi ko kay [Education] Secretary Sonny Angara, pagandahin natin nang husto habang nandyan pa yan,” Marcos said.
“Kasi ano ang madalas nating marinig, mismatch. Yung skills hindi employable,” he added.
“We have partnered with the private sector to ask them, ano ba ang kailangan nyong skills? Ano ba ang kailangan ninyong klaseng trabahador para ma-employ doon sa inyo,” the President said.
The Department of Education, now under newly appointed Secretary Sonny Angara, is expected to review the program’s effectiveness amid growing public dissatisfaction over its outcomes./PN
