K-12 review

YIKES!

I did not see that coming.

The recent instruction from the incoming president BBM to his Vice President and DepEd Secretary Sara Duterte-Carpio to “review” Republic Act 10533, more commonly known as “K-12”, came as a surprise.

“Review.” A good word. My Oxford American Dictionary defines review in a way which is very well-expressed. It says that a review is a “formal assessment or examination of something with the possibility or intention of instituting change if necessary.”

Well said.

RA 10533 was passed in 2013. Of the Senators, only Trillanes voted against. Doubtfully, the Act was passed with effect from the Scholastic Year (SY) 2012-2013. This meant that students entering High School in 2012 with the expectation of graduating in 2016 found that it was not until 2018 before they could gain admittance to tertiary institutions.

This also meant that college graduates who hitherto graduated at the age of 21 found that it was not until they were 23 before they completed their college studies.

At the time, 2012, I was appalled that our democratically elected Congress did not challenge effectively the hectoring zeal of Br Armin Luistro who single-handedly persuaded otherwise sophisticated politicians that a six year high school program was necessary before a student could enter tertiary education.

Predictably, the Liberal Party has not enjoyed electoral success since the passage of RA 10533.

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Sara’s review is not a foregone conclusion. I believe that her thorough examination of our education system will elicit substantial challenges, and hopefully, recommendations for significant changes.

Overall, our education system is mediocre.

In 2012, Luistro said that the implementation of K-12 would make our education system “globally competitive”. Nonsense.

By definition, a globally competitive education program would enable the Philippines to compete effectively with the programs from other countries. Surveys regularly establish our education attainment to rank well behind other countries.

We need to address this.

It seems that the problem starts early and that our students have difficulties with comprehension.

Let’s have more focus on achievement.

I am saddened that many students must be sitting in classrooms and not really understand what is going on.

We would like to see our teachers tell us what they believe is necessary to remedy an unsatisfactory situation./PN

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