Republic of the Philippines

Carlos Hilado Memorial State College

Graduate School

Current Trends, Issues and Problems in Philippine Education

A. Trending Topic Philippine K-12 Education Program and the PQF

Rationale

Prior to the implementation of the K-12 curriculum guide, the Philippines was one of only three
countries in the world and the only one in Asia that still had only 10 years in basic education.
This has always been seen as a disadvantage for our students who are competing in an
increasingly global job market. Therefore, the longer educational cycle of the K-12 curriculum
was implemented with the main objective which to provide Filipino students a higher quality of
education making them more prepared to enter the labor force.

Historical Background

 October 05, 2010- DepEd announced the K+12 proposal.

 December 2010- DepEd started the Universal Kindergarten (start of the K+12
curriculum).
 January 01, 2011 – The education department encouraged parents to pre-register their
children in the public kindergarten program.
 June 17, 2011- The enhanced K+12 Basic Education Program has begun implementation
for S.Y. 2011-2012.
 February 13, 2012 – Preparation for the adoption of the new curriculum under the K to 12
program for all grades 1 and 2 public school teachers nationwide.
 March 31, 2012 – The enhanced 12-year curriculum implemented starting with incoming
grade 1 students and freshmen of S.Y. 2012-2013 who are the first beneficiaries.
Current State

 March 11, 2015- After 4 years of implementation of the K-12 program, the first graduates
of Junior High School will now undergo Senior High School Program.
 June 11, 2016 – The Pilot batch of the K+12 Program will be the first beneficiaries of a
free Senior High School before entering college.

Future Direction

 March 11, 2018 – After 6 years of the implementation of K+12 program, the pilot batch
completes 6 years of High School and now are ready to go to college.
 June 11, 2018 - A full 12 years of basic Education will eventually be required for entry
into tertiary level education.
 Year 2021- First graduates in new educational system in the Philippines.

Driving Factors

As presented by DepEd:

1. Sufficient Instructional Time

 With K-12 education, students will have sufficient instructional time for subject-related
tasks, making them more prepared in every subject area. With the old system, Filipino
students were consistently behind on achievement scores. In 2008, for instance,
international test results revealed that Filipinos were behind compared to other countries
when we finished dead last in Math.

2. More Skilled and Competent Labor Force

 Another reason to support K-12 education is because the graduates of this program will
be more prepared to enter the labor force. High school graduates of the 10-year
curriculum were not yet employable since they were not competent or well–equipped
enough for the workplace.
 In addition, high school graduates of the 10-year curriculum are not yet 18. With the new
curriculum, senior high school students can specialize in a field that they are good at and
 interested in. As a result, upon graduation they will have the specific job-related skills
they need even without a college degree. When they graduate from high school, these
young people will be 18 and employable, adding to the nation’s manpower.

3. Recognition as Professionals Abroad

 Finally, with K-12 education, Filipino graduates will be automatically recognized as
professionals abroad because we are following the international education standard as
practiced by all nations.
 There will be no need to study again and spend more money in order to qualify for
international standards. With a K-12 education, Filipino professionals who aspire to work
abroad will not have a hard time getting jobs in their chosen field. Furthermore, they will
be able to help their families in the Philippines more with remittances, property purchase,
and small businesses.

Benefits of the K-12 Program

 Benefits of the K 12 curriculum for Filipino students as perceived by stakeholders:

 Preparedness for tertiary learning – With adaptation of K-12 scheme, students are
expected to graduate at age a bit older than past graduates’. This is an advantage,
according to DepEd, as graduates will be considered young adults. Hence, they will be
more equipped to deal with much higher level of learning as they enter college education.

 Readiness to join the workforce – Unlike the old system, K-12 does not compel each
student to take college after completing Senior High School (SHS). In fact, this scheme
empowers students to make a choice on their own. They may not pursue college education
especially if they have chosen a track other than academic track. The good thing is SHS
graduates will be equipped with skills (through electives) that will make them good at
certain field(s).

 Skill competency in the global job market – K-12 system aims to improve Filipino
students’ mathematical, scientific, and linguistic competence. With the new curriculum,
 DepEd promised to offer higher quality education through tracks. Each track will give
students enough time to master a field and enhance their skills. In the end, K-12 graduates
will become globally competitive and are set to obtain spot in the stiff labor market.

 As presented by DepEd:

Strengthening Early Childhood Education (Universal Kindergarten)

 Every Filipino child now has access to early childhood education through Universal
Kindergarten. At 5 years old, children start schooling and are given the means to slowly
adjust to formal education.
 Research shows that children who underwent Kindergarten have better completion rates
than those who did not. Children who complete a standards-based Kindergarten program
are better prepared, for primary education. Education for children in the early years lays
the foundation for lifelong learning and for the total development of a child. The early
years of a human being, from 0 to 6 years, are the most critical period when the brain
grows to at least 60-70 percent of adult size.
 In Kindergarten, students learn the alphabet, numbers, shapes, and colors through games,
songs, and dances, in their Mother Tongue.

Making the Curriculum Relevant to Learners (Contextualization and Enhancements)

 Examples, activities, songs, poems, stories, and illustrations are based on local culture,
history, and reality. This makes the lessons relevant to the learners and easy to
understand.
 Students acquire in-depth knowledge, skills, values, and attitudes through continuity and
consistency across all levels and subjects.
 Discussions on issues such as Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR), Climate Change
Adaptation, and Information & Communication Technology (ICT) are included in the
enhanced curriculum.

Building Proficiency (Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education)

  In Kindergarten to Grade 3, the child's dominant language is used as the language of
learning.
 Filipino and English language proficiency is developed from Kindergarten to Grade 3 but
very gradually.
 Mother Tongue is used in instruction and learning materials of other learning areas.
 The learners retain their ethnic identity, culture, heritage and values.
 Children learn better and are more active in class and learn a second language even faster
when they are first taught in a language they understand.

Ensuring Integrated and Seamless Learning (Spiral Progression)

 Basic concepts/general concepts are first learned.

 More complex and sophisticated version of the basic/general concepts are then
rediscovered in the succeeding grades.
 This strengthens retention and enhances mastery of topics and skills as they are revisited
and consolidated time and again.
 This also allows learners to learn topics and skills appropriate to their developmental and
cognitive skills.

Gearing Up for the Future

Ensuring College Readiness

Working with CHED to:

 Ensure alignment of Core and Applied Subjects to the College Readiness Standards
(CRS) and new General Education (GE) Curriculum.
 Develop appropriate Specialization Subjects for the Academic, Sports, Arts and Design,
and Technical Vocational Livelihood Tracks.
Strengthening TVET Integration in SHS
Working with CHED to:

 Integrate TVET skills, competencies and qualifications in TLE in JHS and Technical
Vocational Livelihood (TVL) track in SHS
 Ensure that any Grade 10 finisher and all Grade 12 TVL graduates are eligible for
TESDA competency/qualifications assessments (i.e. COC, NC I or NC II)
 Prepare learning resources that are consistent with promulgated Training Regulations.
 Develop appropriate INSET and certification programs for TLE teachers.

Nurturing the Holistically Developed Filipino (College and Livelihood Readiness, 21st
Century Skills)

After going through Kindergarten, the enhanced Elementary and Junior High curriculum, and a
specialized Senior High program, every K to 12 graduate will be ready to go into different paths
– may it be further education, employment, or entrepreneurship.

Every graduate will be equipped with:

 Information, media and technology skills,

 Learning and innovation skills,
 Effective communication skills, and
 Life and career skills.

Adoption, Integration and Implementation in Education

The K-12 program as supported and embraced by the stakeholders:

 Dominica Chua from Ramon Aboitiz Foundation, Inc. emphasized the support they will
provide for DepEd’s ongoing campaign. Chua mentioned that 60% of their budget is
dedicated to education. “We are your biggest fan,” she added.
 Emiliano Salceda II said that the Energy Development Corporation (EDC) pledges to
integrate their programs to that of the K to 12 curriculum. Consultations are currently
 being made in the division and regional level. EDC also pledges to assist the department
on their Technical-Vocational Track in SHS -- being the only center in the locality
offering this track.
 Mr. Marcus Leslie Suntay from the Philippine Transmarine Carriers, Inc. who shared the
triumphs and challenges their company faced during the early implementation of the
program. He also extended his gratitude for the support of the Local Government and
other private companies in addressing their concerns.
 Most of private Higher Education Institutions (HEI) and some SUC have taken active
parts in the implementation of the k-12 curriculum.

B. Issues and Problems

The year has strike for full implementation of K-12 educational reform program of the Aquino
administration however the law continues to have its share of detractors and perennial problems
addressed by netizens that may serve as a hindrance for the success of the program’s main
objective which to produce “globally competitive” graduates are still turtle in progress.

Problems and Issues of the K-12 curriculum as perceived by different sectors:

 Coalition of Teachers Appeals for Suspension of K-12 Program

Last March 2015, a coalition of teachers and staff of higher educational institutions around the
Philippines petitioned the Supreme Court to suspend the K-12 law. As head of the coalition,
Professor Rene Tadle of the University of Santo Tomas told CNN Philippines that the group
agrees with the objectives of the program. Nevertheless, he said that the law should be suspended
because the government is not yet prepared to implement it, especially with regard to labor. The
K-12 program does not take into account the labor rights of teaching and nonteaching staff who
will be displaced by the program. Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) urged the government
to suspend the K to 12 program, citing lack of preparation, especially in terms of facilities,
equipment, and the hiring, training and salaries of teachers. “We are not ready” for it, said ACT
national chair Benjie Valbuena.
  Senator Antonio “Sonny” F. Trillanes IV Pushes for Suspension of K to 12 before its
Full Implementation in 2016

"It is in the best interest of the country to suspend the K to 12 Program while we are addressing
the perennial problems of our education system, such as the lack of classrooms and school
materials, high student-teacher ratio, and low salary of teachers. In addition to this is the
government's unpreparedness to the threatened retrenchment of around 85,000 college professors
and employees when the program commences in 2016," said Trillanes, who conducted a country-
wide inspections and consultations on K to 12.

"At this point it is more appropriate to call this the K minus 12 program because of the problems
besetting the program: inadequate resources, inadequate tools, inadequate classrooms, inadequate
teachers, inadequate preparation and planning, inadequate time to prepare for its implementation,
inadequate information dissemination among its stakeholders, inadequate consultations among
affected sectors, inadequate coordination between the government and private sectors,
inadequate opportunities for those who will graduate from the program, inadequate capacity of
parents to send children for additional 2 years in high school, and inadequate heart," Trillanes
said in a statement.

Other Problems Hounding K-12 Program

 Failure information dissemination

Aside from the use of mother tongue language as medium of instruction in grades one to three,
aside from additional two years in the four years of high school, what is K-12 program?
Unsuccessful linking of program to household resulted parents view senior high school as an
additional expense.

 Two years is an added burden to parents

Alliance of the Concerned Teachers (ACT) said the additional two years in the four years of high
school is an additional cost to parents. “A parent does not only spend money in tuition but also in
transportation, school projects and food,” said France Castro, secretary general of ACT. “Most of
the parents are not aware of the details of this program, including the financial burden it would
bring them," said Professor Rene Luis Tadle, head of Coalition for K to 12 Suspension.
  Retrenchment of teaching and nonteaching staff

Government is unprepared and has no clear vision to the threatened mass termination of college
professors and non- academic personnel of schools since there would be no incoming freshmen
in S.Y. 2016- 2017, statement supported by Senator Antonio “Sonny” F. Trillanes IV.

 Not all high schools offered and qualified for senior high school

Most rural high schools are not yet ready for senior high so students are obliged to move out
from the countryside to enroll the additional 2 years in high school wherever school offers
program that will fits their interests. This concern raised by stipulators will just lead less
fortunate students to stop after finishing their junior high school.

 High student-teacher ratio and lack and unconducive classrooms

Congested classrooms with lack of facilities is a great hindrance for effective transfer of
learning. For example a ratio of 50 students is to 1 teacher, students will make noise
simultaneously added by classroom lack of facilities such as lighting and ventilation, do you
think teaching and learning process can be made possible in its better form? Clearly, it’s a no!

 Rushed teachers’ trainings & lack of materials

Teachers were trained at a very short time and teaching guides are not massively
distributed. Teachers noted that trainings they have undergone were rushed and not well thought
of. France Castro, secretary general of the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) said the time
spent for teachers’ training is not enough. “There are lots of new things for teachers to learn in
order to implement the new curriculum. One to two months training is not enough”. Castro
added, teaching guidelines and learning modules have not yet been distributed to teachers.
“Supposedly teaching guidelines and learning modules are given to teachers while they are on
training. But, according to the teachers who underwent the training, some of them have yet to
receive the said materials”. Public school teachers, believe that to properly implement the
“flagship” program of President Benigno “Noynoy” S. Aquino III, enough time for teachers’
training is essential.
  Errors in textbooks

Antonio Calipjo-Go an educator has been studying DepEd textbooks for years and spotted
thousands of errors. He says not much has changed. "Once we are teaching these children in
black and white all of these errors, what happens?" As it says, the criminal of all criminals is a
teacher who is consciously and unconsciously teaching wrong to the students. Why? Because
he/she doesn’t only victimizing one at a single time but he/she is depriving the chance of
numbered children who are laying their future to him/her.

Given these problems with regards in implementation of K-12 law, many can't help but ask: Are
government, DepEd, and other affected sectors really ready for the K-to-12 program? At the end
of the day, those who will bear the burden are public school students likewise the teachers.

C. Recommendations and Solutions

Mitigations initiated to address various problems in the implementation of the K-12

Curriculum

 Public Private Partnership in filling numerous gaps in the program implementation

o The Department of Education signed an agreement “with two winning consortia
which will undertake the construction of close to 10,000 classrooms.”
o The department’s Public Private Partnership for School Infrastructure Project
(PSIP) will give schools the physical space they need and “provides the private
sector the business opportunity to invest in the design, construction and
maintenance of classrooms.” Philippine Education Secretary Armin A. Luistro has
said he hopes that by doing so, the classrooms would stand as a testament to
Filipino capability and efficiency. Progress is well underway; construction of more
than 9,000 classrooms began in March of this year. But making more room for
students is only half the solution; someone has to teach them and as of early last
month, the Department of Education still hadn’t filled over 61,500 teaching
positions.
 o The only solution of the government to fill in the shortages in the country’s
education system is through Public-Private Partnership projects. According to the
PPP website, the PPP for school infrastructure project (PSIP) seeks to supplement
the current initiatives and program of the DepEd on classroom construction
nationwide. “The objective of the government is to expand the supply of
classrooms in all public school systems as fast as it could reasonably be done and
cut the current shortage of around 66,800 classroom units nationwide.”
o The project was awarded to consortiums of Citicore Holdings Investment, Inc.-
Megawide Construction Corp., Inc. and BF Corp.-Riverbanks Development
Corporation last Dec. 12, 2012. The project would involve the design, financing
and construction of about 9,300 one-storey and two-storey classrooms, including
furniture and fixtures, in various sites in Region I, III and IV-A.
o The PSIP is now on its second phase where 10,680 classrooms are targeted to be
constructed, including school furniture and comfort rooms – in 14 regions
nationwide. The government targets to close the gap in classrooms nationwide by
2013.
 Cooperation with other countries to help provide for various needs
o Australia extends a helping hand
o Australia has long been a friend to the Philippines – donating time, funding and
other resources, as well as working with the nation to develop and ensure quality.
The country granted PHP 8.4 billion (nearly US $193 million) “to address basic
education issues and support the implementation of the K-12 program.” They have
also funded a project to “enhance the skills of school officials in managing school
processes and turn schools into learner-centered institutions that continually
improve and build on its best practices.” In return, Australia is surely hoping
Filipino schools and students will select Oz as their destination of choice for
partnerships and study. As ICEF Monitor reported in February, the Philippines is
one of the top ten student markets for Australian schools, colleges and universities.
 Assistance to those whose employment were directly affected by the implementation
of the program
o Jesus Mateo, assistant secretary of planning and development of the Department of
Education, told CNN Philippines that the government has set in place programs to
accommodate displaced workers. He says that the government will set aside
funding over the next several years to support a transition fund and several other
programs. About P20 billion in funding has been slated for 2016, as well as P26.7
billion for 2017. Amid claims that a number of teachers stand to be unemployed
because of the K to 12 Program, Luistro gave his assurance saying, "The situation
is manageable. We will be hiring an estimated 30,000 to 41,000 high school
teachers for 2016 and 2017 and we will give priority to the displaced teaching and
non-teaching staff."

o DepEd Green Lane – The Department of Education needs to hire 30,000 new
teachers and 6,000 new non-teaching staff in 2016-2017 alone, and about the same
number again for 2017-2018–more than enough to absorb all the displaced
personnel from the higher education sector. DepEd will open a “Green Lane” to
prioritize and fast-track their hiring, in keeping with RA 10533, and will match
them according to locality and salary.

o DOLE Adjustment Measures Program – Those who will opt not to transfer to
DepEd, on the other hand, will benefit from the Adjustment Measures Program of
the Department of Labor and Employment. DOLE will provide income support for
a maximum duration of one year, employment facilitation that matches their skills
to the current job market, and training and livelihood programs in case they may
want to pursue entrepreneurship,

o CHED Development Packages

o CHED, for its part, has designed the following development packages for faculty
and staff who will experience a much lower workload during the transition, with
the view of not only curbing the adverse effects of the transition but also, and
more importantly, upgrading higher education in the country:
o ■Scholarships for Graduate Studies and Professional Advancement – CHED
will give a total of 15,000 scholarships to higher education personnel: for 8,000 to
complete master’s degrees and another 7,000 to finish doctorate degrees.
■Development Grants for Faculty and Staff – Those who may not wish to go on
full-time study may still avail of grants that will allow them to retool, engage in
 research, community service, industry immersion, and other programs throughout
the transition period.
■Innovation Grants for Institutions – Higher education institutions may
likewise apply for innovation grants to fund the upgrading of their programs
through: (1) international linkages, (2) linkages with industry, (3) research, or (4)
the development of priority, niche, or endangered programs.

 Recommendations and Solutions, as perceived by the reporters:

o The creation of several task force to keep track of the infrastructure, facilities and
material needs for the delivery of lessons in the curriculum
o Create regional committees to review content, appropriateness and effectivity of
the delivery of lessons especially those that were introduced as new / added topics
or subjects like the use of mother tongue in the delivery of lessons.
o Constant, effective quality assurance measures to ensure that the students acquire
competencies expected of them to exhibit at various levels in the curriculum
o Portal to input valuable feedbacks from the various stakeholders for the effective
implementation of the curriculum and improvement of various processes.
o Continuous program to address skills gaps especially to teachers in the TVL tracks
and other strands needing the same.
o Prompt responses to address operational problems distinct to provinces and
various areas across the country.

D. Conclusion

According to George Bernard Shaw “Progress in impossible without change, and those who
cannot change their minds cannot change anything”.

The hardships and setbacks experienced in the migration of the country’s educational system to
the K-12 curriculum is no different from the experiences the citizen have with other agencies in
the government.

The lesson from COMELEC

 In 1997, RA 8436 was passed into law, authorizing Comelec to implement an automated
system in the May 1998 elections, and in subsequent national and local elections.
 However, “lack of preparation, time and funding” led to the use of the automated process
only in Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi in the 1998 elections. In 2001,
the COMELEC’s failure to launch a public education campaign on the new election
process led to the unintended exclusion of an estimated 3 to 6 million voters (Schaffer,
2009).
 In 2007, RA 9369, amending RA 8436, was passed “to encourage transparency,
credibility, fairness, and accuracy of elections.” An automated electoral process on a
nationwide scale was first enforced in the 2010 elections, which brought President
Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III to power. The multinational company, Smartmatic, was
chosen to supply the hardware and software for electronic voting. A few weeks before the
elections, the memory chips of the vote counting machines were found to be faulty, and
candidates like former President Joseph Estrada petitioned to postpone the elections and
revert to manual polls. Elections pushed through as scheduled, however, because all
technical problems were deemed to have been addressed. Four hundred sixty-five vote
counting machines were reported as malfunctional, but 75,882 machines worked
smoothly. Compared to past elections where the winners were known after weeks or
months, local winners were determined in a few hours, while half of the national winners
were known after a day. As Rep. Raymond Palatino wrote, “Most people are satisfied
with the election process and the voting results.
 Foreign media and world leaders have already congratulated the Philippines for the
successful conduct of its first automated elections.”

(http://www.filipinaslibrary.org.ph/filipiniana-library/filipiniana/70-features/275-a-
history-of-automated-elections-in-the-philippines)

The learnings from GSIS

 GSIS received numerous complaints when they started reforms by implementing change
to electronic handling of data and in the administration of members’ benefits. Some
members even stopped paying their monthly amortizations in disgust of perceived
inefficiency of the agency in processing claims and updating members’ records.

 The GSIS has also announced that it will be replacing the IBM-DB2 with Oracle. Based
on its research, the Oracle Database Management Software (DBMS) is very much capable
of addressing the problems that IBM cannot solve. Oracle's DBMS is currently used in 65
percent of all SAP deployments, attesting to its reliability and wide-of-use in different
markets and industries globally. It will also upgrade its servers and operating system that
runs the GSIS database system to those manufactured by Hewlett-Packard or HP.
 The GSIS will commence with the final stages of the data migration to a new and better
system within the first few days of December. During this period, the GSIS assures its
members that it will accept applications for claims and loans, over the counter.
 (http://www.gsis.gov.ph/default.php?id=136)
o Today GSIS has renewed reputation and the services they render is generally seen
to be efficient and effective.

In conclusion allow us to quote

“Without mistakes there are no lessons. Without lessons there is no progress. Without progress
there is no achievement” Paul Irvine.

References:

ANNE MARXZE D. UMIL and IGAL JADA SAN ANDRES, Bulatlat.com, May 30, 2012

ANNE MARXZE D. UMIL and PARTICIA LOURDES VIRAY, Bulatlat.com, May 30, 2012

Paolo Taruc, CNN Philippines, April 17, 2015

Miguel Ortilla, CNN Philippines, June 25, 2015

http://www.ched.gov.ph/index.php/ched-k12-transition-program/the-k12-transition-in-higher-
education/

http://www.deped.gov.ph/press-releases/deped-gears-k-12-full-implementation

http://k12philippines.com/three-practical-benefits-of-the-philippines-k-to-12-curriculum/

http://www.deped.gov.ph/press-releases/industry-partners-back-full-implementation-k-12

http://cnnphilippines.com/news/2015/04/17/k-12-unresolved-issues.html

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/692757/act-joins-call-for-k-to-12-program-
suspension#ixzz46f63cqvn

http://www.trillanes.com.ph/media/press-releases/trillanes-suspend-implementation-of-k-to-12/

http://bulatlat.com/main/2012/05/30/two-years-is-an-added-burden-%E2%80%93-parents/

http://news.abs-cbn.com/nation/03/07/15/trillanes-spearheads-coalition-vs-k-12

http://bulatlat.com/main/2012/05/30/rushed-trainings-lack-of-materials-mar-implementation-of-
k-to-12/
http://cnnphilippines.com/incoming/2015/06/25/Problems-hounding-K-to-12-program-Part-2-
Errors-in-textbooks.html

http://hubpages.com/education/The-Implementation-o-the-K-12-Program-in-the-Philippine-
Basic-Education-Curriculum