The K-12 curriculum was incorporated in the Philippines during the time of former President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino, and the effectiveness of the K-12 curriculum in the Philippines has been questioned by following administrations.
Senior High School was originally incorporated into the Philippine basic education system to increase job opportunities for Filipino graduates locally and internationally. Moreover, the new curriculum was added for the Philippines to compete globally with other nations as the Philippines was only one of a few nations with a basic education system until tenth grade only.
Recently, on a unanimous decision, the House Committee on Basic Education and Culture approved the measure to amend the K-12 program, making Senior High School an option for students wanting to pursue the technical-vocational route.
The “Educational Pathways Act” allows tenth grade students two options: to skip college and pursue a career in the technical-vocational field, or pursue the preparatory college programs under the Department of Education which are grades eleven and twelve.
According to House basic education panel chair, Rep. Roman Romulo, giving high school graduates the opportunity to grab improved technical-vocational programs would break the usual from high school to college Filipino education route. Romulo further stated, “in effect, it will amend the K to 12 law in the sense that it now opens up additional education pathways for Filipino learners.”
This new act aims to increase the effectiveness of K-12 in the Philippines. If passed, the new law would need TESDA to step up. According to the House basic education panel chair, TESDA needs to improve its programs. If successfully passed as a law, there is an expected surge in technical-vocational enrollees where the government agency would need to step up and overall improve.
Romulo further stated, “we want the industry to be involved. We want to upgrade the tech-voc track by putting it under an expert, which is supposed to be TESDA and the industries.”
TESDA and both public and private industries must work together to produce graduates that meet the needs of various industries.
Previous results have shown that the current K-12 program has its discrepancies. A study done by the Philippine Business for Education has shown that only one out of five companies were willing to hire SHS graduates due to the lack of on-the-job training. This new bill aims to change that by encouraging TESDA and industries to openly communicate their respective needs with one another to produce capable and industry-ready candidates.
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