“The Lifelong Impact of K-12
Curriculum on Students”
Specifically in the Philippines
By: Khitch Jaywell G. Mamon
10- Zircon
English
Mrs. Angelica Po Bermudez
April 30, 2024
INTRODUCTION
Education is an important tool that we necessarily need in our life. It improves a person's
basic knowledge, develops skills and adapts to a more pleasing personality and attitude.
Education is the key to a more successful and prosperous life. And to receive a lot of
opportunities that can change one’s future. One of the benefits of education is that it
improves our way of thinking and how we resolve things during difficult times. And to be
able to achieve a more advanced education that all learners deserve. Our government
proposed K-12 in our country which is the Philippines.
The Philippines is the last country in Asia that only has 10 years of education program
before fully implementing the K-12 program. This system mostly occurred in Asia countries
such as Malaysia, Singapore, China, and Brunei. K-12 is a curriculum that changes the
Philippine educational system which was implemented more than a decade ago. The
purpose of this program is to improve our country’s education system and to lengthen the
number of years of education from 10 to 12 years. The K in K-12 stands for kindergarten and
“12” refers to the 12 years of basic education. This program covers Kindergarten and 12
years of education (6 years of Elementary Education, 4 years of Junior High School, and an
additional 2 years of Senior High School). The additional 2 years (SHS) is basically practice for
college, preparation rather, before entering college. The goal is to provide enough time for
the students to master their skills, develop their learning abilities, and prepare them for any
obstacles that may come in their way. It also gives additional years for the Grade 10
students to brace themselves before proceeding to the whole new level of
knowledge/education. On top of that, it provides students shallow knowledge about the
course they wish to take as well as providing enough time for the learners to decide and
think thoroughly which path they’ll be choosing. The program offers several benefits,
especially to us students. But aside from that, this also contains a few negative effects,
specifically affecting our fellow students. I chose this topic because this is something that I
want to talk about more and a topic that took my interest. I’ve observed that a lot of people
are still unaware of how K-12 affected each student’s lives.
HISTORY
Exactly May 15, 2013, our former president, Benigno Aquino 3 approved Republic Act (RA)
10533, which is the K-12 program. He thought about pushing our country into more
advanced education by implementing K-12 in the Philippines together with his secretary,
Brother Armin Luistro. The secretary of the Department of Education, Brother Armin Luistro
was the one who led as well as the major proponent of the implementation of the K-12
basic education program. According to Brother Armin Luistro, this will help our country get
close to our goal which is to provide the learners with the education they need and to what
employment and entrepreneurship require. He also expressed his gratitude to his fellow K
to 12 proponents in the House of Representatives especially Rep. Rosenda Ann Ocampo,
Committee on Basic Education and Culture Presiding Officer, Speaker Feliciano Belmonte
and the late Salvador Escudero 3 for helping pushing K-12 in our country. Republic Act (RA)
10533, the Enhanced Education Act of 2013 begun and was held in Metro Manila, on July
23, 2012. This act which is a consolidation of Senate Bill No. 3286 and House Bill No. 6643
was finally passed by the Senate and the House of Representatives on January 30, 2013, and
approved by our president on May 15, 2013. The Senate Bill No. 3286 is an act enhancing
the Philippine basic education system by strengthening its curriculum and increasing the
number of years of basic education filed by our sponsor Senator Angara, Edgardo together
with his co-sponsors Recto, Ralph G., Drilon, Franklin M., Legarda, Loren B. In addition, the K
to 12 Bill in the Senate was specifically championed by Senator Edgardo Angara along with
his co-author Senator Loren Legarda.
PROBLEM
After proposing K-12 in our country, it received a lot of mixed reactions. Not only did it
receive praise but also a lot of insults from our fellow citizens. Unsure of what to feel or to
react to the news they've heard. Especially those graduating students, students who are
finally about to enter college. They were having a hard time processing the news in their
minds. Although, they were left with no choice but to proceed. Before even fully
implementing K-12, there were already a lot of issues and difficulties along the way. One of
the examples is when the teachers needed to be trained in pedagogy, education research,
measurement and evaluation, and classroom management to make sure the learners
receive a more advanced education. Not to mention, the lack of budget to provide the
needs to support this new curriculum. A few years have passed after adding this curriculum,
there’s still some issues we faced about this topic. And recently, our vice president Sara
Duterte has voiced out her thoughts about K-12. Pointing out that this program has
progressively “failed” said her. According to her, the K-12 setup failed its promise which is
for SHS graduates to receive a job without having a need to finish college. And that’s
because nowadays, employers/companies prefer someone to work for them with a college
degree. Aside from that, this program is an additional financial burden for the parents. This
problem has a huge impact on our students' lives and on their parents as their providers.
The effects of the problems are that those students who cannot afford college and only SHS
are going to have a hard time finding a stable job. Or might not be able to find a job. And to
those parents who are financially unstable and unable to send their child to college, it’ll be
an additional burden for them.
PROS AND CONS
On the bright side, this curriculum contains advantages and has also been a huge help to
some students. For example, it provided the students with the preparation they needed.
They were able to think thoroughly about which course they’ll be taking. This really serves
its purpose of fortifying our basic knowledge and for building a stronger foundation. Most
importantly, they gained a bit of knowledge about the profession they wish to take. Which is
important nowadays, for me, you can’t enter college without having proper knowledge
about your course. Some students are still unprepared and undecided, though the
additional 2 years helped them to rethink their decision. Along the way, they had enough
time to practice their skills and abilities. Furthermore, this system will enhance our system
of education; it improves the learning capability of a student. This system creates/builds
students that are qualified enough to the society’s standards including jobs/professions.
They're no longer forced to master skills /lessons in a short period of time. This is also
advantageous for those people who wish to work abroad because the curriculum is almost
the same in another country. On the other hand, we also have some disadvantages. One of
them is the 2 extended years are physically, mentally, and emotionally draining for the
students. Some students are already tired after finishing the 4 years of high school and
adding another 2 years is not helping them. Not to mention that this is an additional burden
to our students and their parents, especially when it comes to finances. As well as the lack
of budget, as I've mentioned before our government doesn’t have enough budget to fully
support this curriculum. The lack of budget can cause a challenge to our students, they
failed to fully provide all the necessary resources for our students (Textbooks and facilities).
On top of that is the lack of qualified and experienced teachers, teachers who are good
enough to be teaching in SHS. Since the goal is to provide a more advanced and good quality
education, that means we need excellent teachers to handle the SHS department.
INTERVIEWS
This program contains a lot of positive as well as negative effects. And as an upcoming
Senior High School Student, I totally agree with this program. As someone who is still
undecided on which profession to take. I think the additional 2 years will help me think
thoroughly on which path to take. I’ve also interviewed a few people (1 who graduated with
K-12, 1 without, and 2 upcoming SHS students) about this, if they think K-12 is a big help to
students. Or if they think K-12 is just an additional burden to students.
According to Mr. Rowell, a professional who graduated without K-12 (Figure 1). He said that
he’s not in favor of this curriculum. Because this is just a waste of time and money for a
student and very disadvantageous to those people who only earn a minimum amount of
income. They were also successful degree holders (doctors and attorneys) in their batch
considering that they didn’t get to experience K-12. He stated that, in their time, all the
things you needed to know before entering college are already provided in junior high
school. And compared to before there’s no such as “preparation” because according to him
they turned out fine even without K-12. On the other hand, Sir Ralph, a college graduate
who has experienced K-12 (Figure 2). He said that he totally agrees with this program. As
mentioned by him, K-12 can help you think about which course you will be taking because
there are times that some students are still unsure of what course they should take. And it
helped him somehow because it provided him enough time to think about which course he
should choose. And, that K-12 can give you a little background about your course. So, when
you enter college, you won’t be too shocked in the new environment because as mentioned
by him you had already expected things to be like that. However, Lei Jezel, an upcoming
Grade 11 student disagreed with the idea of K-12 (Figure 3). She complained about the
additional 2 years because according to her it’ll be an additional burden, a physical burden
to be specific. Because 2 additional years means more years in school. It’s disadvantageous
to those people who already want to graduate college and find a job. She also stated that
the things we’ll learn in SHS can also be discussed in college. Because there’s this thing
called “learning process” that’s why there’s no need of SHS. Whereas, for Kristine Kaye, also
an upcoming Grade 11 student (Figure 4). She agrees with K-12, she said she’s fully aware
that this program can cause financial problems. But for her, this program can be a huge help
not only for her but also to our fellow students. According to her, this program can help
students to prepare themselves before entering college and to help enhance one’s
knowledge. She also added that people shouldn't compare the generation before to this
generation. Because there is a huge difference between the education system/curriculum
then and now. Nevertheless, for Nojod Marohom, another upcoming Grade 11 student
(Figure 5). She also agrees with the idea of K-12, cause for her without K-12 we’ll be having
a hard time catching lessons in college. And our knowledge is not enough to proceed or
jump into college right away. She also stated that the things we learn in SHS can be used in
future situations and not only in college. And lastly, for Jhasmine Gail, also an upcoming
Grade 11 student (Figure 6). She doesn’t agree with K-12, mainly because it’s physically and
financially draining for the students. For her, it’s useless because even if you graduate SHS,
you’re still not allowed to work or find a job. Since they prefer candidates with college
degrees, for her, it’s a waste of money and time. And if it’s possible to just remove it, she
thinks they should.
Out of 6 people I’ve interviewed 3 of them agreed while the other 3 disagreed with K-12. I
concluded that K-12 can be advantageous and disadvantageous for some people. K-12 might
be helpful for those people who are stable enough to support themselves in SHS. But it is
very disadvantageous for those people who only earn a minimum amount of income.
Therefore, K-12 contains both pros and cons, and can be very helpful at the same time can
serve as a burden to the students.
POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS
K-12 Is something that our government should focus on. As they believe that this is one of
the solutions to all the problems our country is facing today. A lot of researchers have been
conducted to figure out the things needed to be worked on in this program. And it is a must
to conduct further research to identify and to keep an eye on the progress of this
curriculum. The government should also provide the necessities for this curriculum. They
should focus on enhancing the facilities, laboratories, and equipment's needed for this
program. Additionally, they should make sure teachers are trained and prepared enough to
deal with the students who became a part of this curriculum. And according to Vice
President Sara Duterte, they will focus on revising the K-12 curriculum. After seeing the
current state of the program, they've decided to strengthen the program more. Making sure
the additional 2 years will surely be worth it and not waste the student's time. And I think
they should build a more advanced curriculum, knowing employers don't accept SHS
graduates. They should at least create a curriculum where you don't only gain knowledge
but also gain experience for future purposes. While on the financial side, we cannot deny
that this is another financial burden to our students and parents. And the only thing I could
think of is students must apply for scholarships and apply for a part time job.
CONCLUSION
The implementation had received both positive and negative comments. Some viewed it
negatively and others saw it the other way around. The students, teachers, and parents who
were greatly involved in the change had faced a lot of difficulties during the implementation
until now that K-12 had fully implemented in our country, they all have different
perspectives in the said program. Its goal is to produce competent and qualified candidates,
although as stated by our vice president, they failed to execute their so-called promise. The
program had a huge impact on our fellow students' lives. It greatly affected them not only
financially, but also physically, mentally, and emotionally. We cannot deny the fact that it is
very draining and tiring for our students. But on the bright side, it helped them to be more
advanced in education. Although, as of right now, our government doesn't have any plans
on removing it but instead strengthen it a bit more. Regardless of the problems faced by our
students, teachers, and parents they’re hoping that this will at least help the country’s
economic growth. In conclusion, this program can be either a huge help or a burden to our
students like me. Nevertheless, a positive view in life and careful planning can help them
deal with these issues. Either way, proper awareness and understanding about this topic can
help them engage more actively in the sad program.
REFERENCES
1. Research Review on K-12 Curriculum Implementation in The Philippines: A Generic
Perspective [Link]
2. Perspectives on the Implementation of the K to 12 Program in the Philippines: A
Research Review
[Link]
ons/IJIRES_1638_FINAL.pdf
3. VP Sara: DepEd pledges to produce employable K-12 graduates
[Link]
employable-k-12-graduates
4. Implementing Rules and Regulations of the Enhanced Basic Education Act of
2013 [Link]
5. Republic Act No. 10533
[Link]
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