Three Factors Contributing to the Failure of K-12 Education
Yesterday, I managed to read Moontrader and Jijisaur's opinions about the news that the incoming administration is planning to review the implementation of the K-12 program. Although some misunderstood this, thinking it would be immediately removed, thanks to several fact-checkers for clarifying this.Â
To make Filipino students more competitive in the international job market, the K–12 system seeks to enhance their knowledge of mathematics, science, and linguistics. The Department of Education says that the strands of the new curriculum will give students a better education.
Despite the incompetence of the education system, the Aquino administration pushed the K-12 curriculum in the Philippines. According to former President Aquino, this will empower the next generation of learners and improve Filipinos' education credentials in other countries. I also read that one of the reasons why Aquino pushed for this was the announcement by the European Union that they would no longer receive workers who didn't take the K-12 program.Â
If I am not mistaken, the Philippines was the only country at that time that had an outdated curriculum. As a result, we often get discriminated against by other nationalities.Â
Hearing that news for the first time got me confused because I was just an innocent child who had no idea what was happening in the world. But I am aware that many are against it, saying that it is anti-poor and another burden to parents.Â
I began to understand what k-12 meant as I grew older. It's an additional 2 years of secondary education that focuses on the career path the student will take in college. I support its primary goal of producing globally competitive students. However, as one of the students who have been part of this, I can't sense that there's something wrong with its implementation.Â
The K-12 failed to guide its students.
Before graduating from junior high school, we undergo a series of career seminars to help us choose what senior high school strand best fits us. Our adviser also helps in explaining what each strand means. However, after that, we are left to decide on our own. As a student who struggles with his identity and has trouble with what he really likes, those activities didn’t contribute that much to help me.
For me, K-12 is lacking in something. The next administration should provide a more comprehensive program to help the students choose what’s right for them. In my experience, we only had a career orientation at the end of our semester, weeks before our graduation. This won’t give students an ample amount of time to think. Career planning should start in the middle school years, and teachers should focus on helping students develop their skills and strengths.
The K-12 system failed to make the students competitive.Â
This new curriculum promised that students could already work after graduating from senior high school. But our situation right now is far from our expectations. Even after 9 years after its implementation, companies still preferred college graduates instead of senior high school graduates.Â
But I can't blame the corporations. With the current status of our education system, they are unsure if these new graduates are equipped with the right skills. If I am the owner of a business and someone applies to me with a poor educational background, he/she won’t have a chance.Â
I watched a YouTuber back then, and we were the same age. We both graduated from senior high school. But the amazing thing is that he’s already working in the IT field. Here in the Philippines, these kinds of jobs require a college degree. I'm still wondering why we were so far behind, hahaha. I think former Vice President Leni Robredo is correct; there’s an educational crisis and we need to act on it.Â
K-12 failed to provide better and additional educational facilities.Â
During the first year of K-12 implementation, there are few to no public schools that are ready to accept grade 11 students. As a result, parents have no choice but to enroll their children in private universities. Though the government gave a tuition subsidy, the students still had a hard time adjusting because even the private schools had insufficient classrooms and laboratories to accommodate the influx of students.Â
Despite the problems I observed in the K-12 curriculum, I still support it. If implemented correctly, this can help to bring success to our country. Knock on our new DepEd Secretary's door; this should be the priority, not mandatory ROTC.
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Education is the most important to everybody. So, all K-12 curricula must be upgraded to tally with equivalent international academic curricula in developed countries.