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Embracing Change: K-12 Education Program

The Philippines’ basic education system is composed of six years of elementary education that is started by a child at the age of 6, and four years of high school education, which is started at the age of 12.

After these, technical or vocational schools, or institutions like universities and colleges are providing much higher education. Well, this education curriculum was then implemented from 1945 until 2011 only.

In 2011, the country has changed its old 10-year educational system to a K-12 curriculum, as mandated by the Department of Education. The K-12 Program covers Kindergarten and 12 years of basic education (six years of primary education, and six years of high school - four for Junior High School and another two for Senior High School).

The execution of this new curriculum in the country has a lot of aims which include the reinforcement of early childhood education, giving of sufficient instructional time for students, creating of a curriculum that has a relevance to their chosen field, making the learners proficient first to their mother-tongue, ensuring a better learning, and preparing students for their future.

Another goal of the country of realizing the enhanced system is to level off with ASEAN and the rest of the world. 

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is a 10-member state, which comprises the Philippines, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. The Philippines is the last country in Asia and one of the three (Angola and Djibouti are the other two) to implement this curriculum.
This 13-year program is recognized as the best standard for students and professionals globally, therefore it is already tested by a bigger part of the globe and its effectiveness is cannot be questioned. Our country may be a little too late for this, but as a saying will go here that, “It is better late than never.”

So, why level off with other countries?

This question may be widespread to most Filipinos, particularly in the starting years of the implementation of this program. A lot may be whining and doubting to this, they may have hesitations about the country’s readiness, the value of the added years of the students’ education or the consequences that it may hand to the nation’s teachers, workers, parents and students.

Nevertheless, leveling with the rest of the world has also great advantages to our country.

As Sen. Miriam Santiago said, “The synchronization of the academic calendar of the Philippine universities with most ASEAN, European, and American academic partners will create more joint programs and partnerships with other universities and allow students to get transfer credits from different universities in the ASEAN.”

This means that wider doors are getting our way through the integration of the Philippines with the ASEAN countries and even outside this region.

Filipinos just need to be more optimistic to this matter and shall be looking forward through the better days with K-12 curriculum.

This might be a hard upside-down, turn of the way of life, but the government is doing its best for the people, Filipinos just need to invest their trust. 

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