Chapter I

Introduction

Education is the key to the long-term problems of the country. If we fix basic education, we fix the long-term problems of the country. And if we fix the countrys problems, we will build a truly strong society. . . This is a statement according to our President Benigno Simeon C. Aquino III in building the Filipino dream for the new generation, our president reflected on and acted on it. With the Philippines as the only country in Asia offering a 10year pre-university program, our government seeks for a change for the betterment of our Basic Education Curriculum, a curriculum that would prepare the students not just only for career and a higher education but most of all the transition from school to work and from school to further

learning. Why? Because the world change and so our learners, the way they think, act, understand and solve problems may not be the same as before as they do now. Each Individual, each student has a different way of learning and so are the teachings should be. Why? Because the teacher, even how knowledgeable and smart he or she maybe, if the learning cannot be properly transferred to the students, the students will not learn effectively. Every teacher, every educator should put first the goal of learning of the students because an effective teacher produces career competitive students who will best contribute to their social responsibilities of our country to improve economic growth and employment rate. K to 12 is the

key, key to the future of our succeeding generations. The enhanced curriculum will offer areas of specialization or electives such as science and technology, arts, sports, journalism, tech-voc, foreign language, entrepreneurship, and subjects for advanced placement. Graduates of K to 12 Basic Education Program are envisaged to be better prepared for life as they are expected to possess sufficient mastery of 21st century core skills; be emotionally developed and competent to live a meaningful life; be socially aware, pro-active and involved in public and civic affairs. The Department of Education (DepEd) of the Republic of the Philippines is committed to provide quality basic education that is equitably accessible to all, and to lay the foundation for life-long learning and self-actualization for effective citizenship at the local, national and global levels. Furthermore, it envisions developing functionally literate and god -loving Filipinos who help attain the national goals of social justice, unity, freedom and prosperity. Indeed, in its zealous efforts to concretize such mission and vision and as a response to the loopholes and the perceived needs of the Philippine educational system, DepEd is fearlessly undertaking its crucial steps towards the complete implementation of the enhancedK+12 basic education programs. His Excellency, President Benigno S. Aquino III himself claimed that, We need to add two years to our basic education. Those who can afford pay up to fourteen years of schooling before university. Thus, their children are getting into the best universities and the best jobs after graduation. I want at least 12 years for our public school children to give them an even chance at succeeding.

Background of the study

Mike Luz, in his article published in the Philippine Educational Research journal, argued that a 12-year basic education curriculum is mandatory, a prerequisite forthwith, to competitiveness. The hopes of the Philippine government, particularly the education to sector, to achieve excellence and counteract mediocrity, are expected to be realized through the implementation of the K+12 basic education curriculum. in accordance with Article XIV, Section 2(1) of the 1987 Philippine Constitution, which states, The State shall establish, maintain, and support a complete, adequate, and integrated system of education relevant to the needs of the people and society (Recto, 2005) DepEd intends to elevate the quality of the Philippine basic education in fairness to every stakeholder through this ingenuity. Aside from this objective, there are circumstances that served as reasons, which drove the administration towards shifting into this curriculum. Butch Hernandez (2010), the executive director of the Eggie ApostolFoundation, in his commentary published in The Philippine Daily Inquirer, and maintained that there exists the danger that the Philippines shall miss the Universal Primary Education (UPE) goals by 2015. Such goals are part of our commitments in two international declarations highlighting the Education for All (EFA) campaign, which is aimed at addressing the extreme and persistent education disadvantages that leave large sections of the population marginalized. Since the country exhibited a striking Underperformance as reported by Dr. Anwar Al Said, head of the Education unit of UNESCO Jakarta in his 2010 EFA Monitoring Report, the next most valiant step to undertake is to think of educational reform initiatives such as the K+12 curriculums.

Furthermore, students do not acquire sufficient mastery of basic skills and concepts as evidenced by the need for improvement of student achievement as reflected in their poor performance on national achievement tests. The Philippines also landed at the lowest part of the roster when it participated in the 2008 TIMSS (Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study). Nicki Tenazas (2010), in his article The Economics of K+12 agreed that such consistent poor performance may be largely attributed to poverty, the congested curriculum and student maturity. The overcrowded curriculum, which is originally designed to be covered in 12 years but is only delivered in 10 years, results to serious gaps in their critical skills, whereas the lack of emotional maturity, which is highly fundamental in the workplace results to the mismatch of industry demand and supply. Through the implementation of the aforementioned reform, congestion will be addressed through the additional two years in the curriculum while enriching the students emotional faculties through natural development; thus, helping them be at par in terms of global standards. More so, the 10-year pre-university education of the Philippines contribute to the dilemma of Filipino graduates in the global village because they are not automatically recognized as professionals due to the 12-year basic education requirement of, for example, the Washington and Bologna Accord. It is expected that the implementation of the K+12education program will provide a better access to our graduates worldwide.

Theoretical/Conceptual framework

Statement of The problem

The study deals with the objectives of the so called K12 program specifically it sought to answer the following sub-problems: What is K to 12 program? What are the features of the K to 12 program? What are the benefits of the K to 12 program in our society?

Scope and delimitations

The K to 12 Program covers Kindergarten and 12 years of basic education (six years of primary education, four years of Junior High School, and two years of Senior High School [SHS]) to provide sufficient time for mastery of concepts and skills, develop lifelong learners, and prepare graduates for tertiary education, middle-level skills development, employment, and entrepreneurship. The Learning Areas The cluster of subjects of the K to 12 curriculum- Languages, Math and Science, Arts and Humanities, and Technology and Livelihood Education cuts across the grade levels from K to Grade 12 to nurture the learners holistic development. The learning areas in the K to 12 curriculums can be grouped into two: 1) core compulsory learning areas and 2) areas of specialization. These are enumerated in

the discussion of elementary and secondary education. Co-Curricular and Community Involvement Programs Co-curricular programs and community involvement programs are an extension of the core subject areas and the teaching and learning process. They are an integral part of the school curriculum that enhances the holistic development of the learner. The co-curricular programs in a large sense also serve as a laboratory of life where what is learned in the classroom context can be applied in practical terms yet be used as a further teachable

opportunity. Co-curricular and community involvement programs

are irreplaceable

opportunities for the learner to reinforce and put into practice the knowledge, skills, values and attitudes learned. Co-curricular programs and community involvement programs are an extension of the core subject areas and the teaching and learning process. They are an integral part of the school curriculum that enhances the holistic development of the learner. The cocurricular programs in a large sense also serve as a laboratory of life where what is learned in the classroom context can be applied in practical terms yet be used as a further teachable opportunity. Co-curricular and community involvement programs are irreplaceable

opportunities for the learner to reinforce and put into practice the knowledge, skills, values and attitudes learned.

Significance of the study

The successfully implementation of the K to 12 programs will give us a strong foundation in the field of education of our country; it will build a good foundation and a mastery of skills and concept and develop our new education system. It can help to the unfortunate families in our society that cannot afford to support educational needs of their children in a mere future. This program will start a new and progressive education system for our country, so that our graduates of our K to 12 programs will be ready to face the new challenge in the journey of their life and find a satisfying job that match to their skill and strategies.

Definition of key terms

 Chapter II Review of Related Literature and Studies

Foreign and Local Literature
The United States is supporting the implementation of the Philippines K to 12 (Kindergarten to Year 12) basic education programs by facilitating and developing materials for teacher training. The US Agency for International Development (USAID) recently trained 20 chief trainers of the Department of Education (DepEd) in grade school Filipino and English instruction. Teacher training is a critical component of the initiative that aims to bring the countrys education system at par with international standards. The government is implementing the K to 12 programs, which adds two years to the current 10-year basic education scheme, in phases. The USAIDs one-day training in Cebu used demonstration videos and reference materials on Filipino and English teaching developed under the agencys Basa Pilipinas Program, the embassy said.

The Cebu participants will handle the training of 600 master trainers in English and Filipino, who will be sent around the country to train some 50,000 Grade 2 teachers. US Ambassador Harry K. Thomas Jr., in his remarks at the seminar, said his government looked forward to supporting the Philippines efforts to improve Filipino childrens reading and comprehension skills, essential components of good education and keys to growth. DepEd Metro Manilas chief trainer, master teacher Leah Bautista, said the training gave her fresh ideas for training her fellow educators. She said the training made her more confident as a

facilitator, as she learned to let go of old ideas and become more receptive to new teaching and learning techniques. The Filipino and English teacher training is part of the US governments efforts to help develop Filipino children as early readers. The program aims to improve reading skills among some 1 million primary schoolers in the next four years. The embassy said the initiative supported the DepEds education reform efforts to increase the quality of reading instruction through enhanced teaching of reading and increased access to quality reading materials. USAID Philippines mission director Gloria Steele said the Basa Pilipinas project was developed in close consultation with DepEd officials at all levels. K to 12 is the flagship education reform program of the Aquino administration. It aims to improve the quality of Filipino high school graduates by having them spend more time in school. The program hopes to make young Filipinos more prepared for either employment after high school or college studies.

Foreign and Local Studies

MANILA, Philippines - Education Secretary Armin Luistro urged public and private colleges and universities yesterday to put up specialized senior high school programs under the newly signed K to 12 Basic Education Program law to help ease unemployment in the country. Luistro said public and private colleges and universities that plan to offer programs for senior high school by 2016 should base their programs on the kind of jobs needed in their respective areas. If the schools will offer the same courses, the graduates will compete for the

same job. But if their programs will be specialized, they can focus on jobs as well as business opportunities available in their areas, Luistro told reporters. He cited Batangas where there is high demand for ship repair, and schools can offer welding courses for senior high school students. In Siargao, surfing is very popular especially among foreign tourists, we can create a surfing academy, he said. Republic Act 10533, or the K to 12 Basic Education Program law, makes it compulsory to enroll children in kindergarten before they can begin six years of primary education. Headlines ( Article MRec ), page match: 1, section match: 1 Two years will also be added to the four-year high school curriculum. The additional years will serve as a specialization period for senior high school students, whether in vocational skills, music, arts or sports. Luistro said the Department of Education (DepEd) and the Asian Development Bank are undertaking a mapping of schools planning to put up senior high school in the next three years. We hope to finish the mapping by November this year so we will have three years to prepare, he said. Prior to the signing of the K to 12 law, private schools expressed willingness to put up 30 percent of the classrooms needed for senior high school programs while the remaining 70 percent will be funded by the government. The schools were hesitant to commit to building facilities for senior high school before because they were not sure if the K to 12 programs will be signed into law, he said. After the signing of the K to 12 program (last Wednesday), we expect 60-40, said Luistro. He said the government would save on expenses if colleges and universities will offer programs for senior high school since this would mean the DepEd will construct less classrooms. He said the agency is also offering subsidies amounting to P6,500 for senior high school students who want to enroll in private schools.

Luistro said this would also address concerns raised by colleges and universities that they would be losing revenues with the implementation of K to 12 since there would be no enrollees for first year in 2016 and 2017. Around one million students will enter senior high school by 2016. Private schools laud K to 12 Meanwhile, the Coordinating Council of Private Educational Associations (COCOPEA) lauded the passage of the K to 12 programs into law. Jose Paulo Campos, COCOPEA chairman, said people should not look at K to 12 as a burden to students who would be required to take two more years of basic education.

 Chapter IV Research Methodology

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