Pros and Cons of the Philippines’ K-12 Educational Program

The K to 12 educational system has been debated over by Filipinos ever since its implementation. If you are still confused on what K to 12 is, it covers basic education from kindergarten through 12th grade. One of its foremost functions is to offer a general academic strand for students who haven’t made their minds up yet on what career to pursue. Though the system offers a lot of advantages, some parents are still alarmed with its disadvantages. Here are some of its pros and cons:

(delineo.com)

PROS 

• The Philippines will be compliant to international standards. Before K to 12 was approved, our country is the only nation with a 10-year basic education cycle. 
• Aside from the K to 12 compliance, the minds of the students will be more mature as they will be equipped in facing the college or working life at the age of 18. 
• Not every job requires the subjects you took up in college. When the student reaches Senior High, the student can choose from several specialized strands or “career tracks.” These include the ABM Strand (Accountancy, Business and Management), HUMSS Strand (Humanities and Social Sciences), STEM Strand (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) and GAS or the General Academic Strand. 
• In public schools, K to 12 education is offered for free. 
• Students are able to learn best through their first language so the system offers a Mother-Tongue Based Multilingual Education (MTB-MLE). 
• Career counseling is also provided to help students decide on what they really want. If they still aren’t, there is a backup plan in the form of the general academic strand. 

CONS 

• In a report made by Inquirer, Pasig City Representative Roman Romulo claimed that DepEd cannot admit the millions of students with the lack of classrooms and facilities. 
• 10 years of education is enough as we have always been able to adapt for the last how many years. 
• There’s an observed increase of dropout rate (based on the fact that 2 more years is added). 
• Financial disasters for many colleges and universities or Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). 
• As detailed by GMA news, the amount of school years does not equate to better quality of education. 
• Companies still prefer hiring college graduates than high schoolers. 

Are you for or against the education program? Either way education is something not to be taken lightly. Education after all is a very powerful weapon which you can use to make a difference.