Reflection no. # 3

Do you think that adding two years of high school will improve Philippine education as a whole?

We don’t know yet but K-12 is already on its way to prove it.
Department of Education (DepEd) Secretary Armin Luistro recently revealed that the K-12 basic education program will take-off next school year 2012-2013. The said program is comprised of universal kindergarten education, 6 years of elementary education (Grades 1 to 6), 4 years of junior high school (Grades 7 to 10) and an additional 2 years for senior high school (Grades 11 and 12). Although our country started out late (Philippines and Myanmar are the only countries in the world that still implements the 10-year education program), the said program has faced a lot of criticisms both from government officials and concerned citizens even before it was approved. K-12 has its own pros and cons and for a Third World country like the Philippines, such initiative have so much potential in bringing progress to the people as long as rampant issues in the educational system will be weeded out in the process.
One of the major pros that the program has to offer is that additional years of education will make Filipino students more mature, competent, well-rounded, and globally competitive. This is true to a certain extent especially that the  traditional educational system is in fact 12 years of quality education reduced into 10 years of congested curriculum. Our students will benefit a lot from this but  supporters of this program should also take into account the financial burden it will bring both to the government and parents alike. Additional years of education is tantamount to an extension of agony for families who are also struggling to make ends meet on a daily basis. In addition to that, the quality of teachers and educational facilities should be of utmost priority if we want to really experience the benefits of this program once we reach the year 2016. Furthermore, quality education will never be possible if the government will not back it up with financial support. If education will remain as the top priority for the national budget and fight against corruption will maintain its momentum, chances are we will get the fruits of our labor in due time.
According to the briefer prepared by DepEd, K-12 has also a potential to reduce unemployment rate in our country which will benefit everyone in the long run. It will be “minus 2″ instead of “plus 2″ for those families who cannot afford a college education but still wish to have their children find a good paying job.  Students can either choose to pursue a college degree or just finish Grade 12 of high school to find a job. If the latter will be his choice, it will be like completing the first two years of college and then dropping out to find a job immediately, the reason why it is called the “minus 2″ benefit. However, it has been part of our culture to believe that getting a college degree both brings honor to the family and a sure ticket to success for the graduate. Most companies, if not all, require a person to be at least a college graduate to be qualified in their entry-level positions. It’s not that easy to bring major changes in conceptions and policies but the government should not use K-12 to promote the notion that you don’t need to finish college just to get a job, or else it will give a false assurance and eventually increase the country’s drop-out rate.

K-12, as a whole, brings with it a lot of potential to bring significant changes in our educational system. But whether the change will be constructive or destructive, will all depend on the government’s strategies and cooperation of the public sector. We have no choice but to embrace changes to move forward and progress as a nation. Let’s all hope for the best but let’s also remember that most of the time, quality is more important than quantity and as an editorial put it, we need to have better education, not more education. K-12 is a milestone for all of us and one big step for the Filipinos because in the end, education will always stay as one of the best ways to rise above poverty and reach for the top.

http://kuro-kuro.org/archives/4924

 REACTION:

                   The educational program of the k-12 have its potential to divert the previous educational system in the Philippines. Although that a lot of Filipinos are not a supporter of this, still the great result that we could have is the increase of quality education of each aftermaths. Philippines does not  abstaining the traditional system we had for a long time because it is a living proof that even we don't have the international system we can survive the trends and wants of the world. The success  we could have depends on our cooperation to the program. A well quality education produce a competent students that the mastery haven't forget. However, don't trust  the educational program to carve you future, it is you who will carve it and so the educational system will provide your learning.

                 Our government is trying to  put new things that might help us continuously. Surprisingly, it is the K-12 program in which the students will choose their own specialties according to their preference choice. Unfortunately, it'll be another debate in our streets, sidewalks, schools and especially to our families. They will be sacrifice a lot to finish the additional two years program. However, the result will be much better that the previous for the reason that the schools will produce a good product. It's necessary for us to see the program wider than what we think it will be because things and satisfactions in the are changing its variant.

                   We will have the democracy in education if all of us will cooperate and accept the challenges and failures of this system. Learning is simple but complex to have and understand, same as knowledge is specific but broad to analyze. Again, no matter how feckless you are if the opportunity comes along with a great set of learning why not use it or just even try to convince yourself about the result not the years added.