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A Holistic Critique of the Philippine Government’s Kindergarten to 12 (K to 12) Program
2nd De La Salle University (DLSU) International Education Congress
De La Salle-College of St. Benilde Hotel, Manila
September 29-October 1, 2011
A Holistic Critique of the Philippine Government’s Kindergarten to 12 (K to 12) Program
Name of Presenter: David Michael M. San Juan
Institutional Affiliation: Filipino Department, De La Salle University-Manila
Keywords: Curriculum Development, Educational theory, Higher Education and Adult Learning
Abstract
The Philippine Department of Education started implementing the government’s
Kindergarten to 12 (K to 12) Program by establishing a system of compulsory and free
kindergarten education nationwide. Citing the educational improvement of advanced countries
such as the Netherlands, advocates of K to 12 claim that this is the only way to make Filipino
students globally competitive. Big business organizations such as the Philippine Business for
Education (PBED) consortium, Employers Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP), Philippine
Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines and many
more support the K to 12 program. Meanwhile, two of the largest umbrella organizations of
teachers in the country, the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) and the Teachers’ Dignity
Coalition (TDC), at least two Upper House legislators, namely Senators Tito Sotto and Antonio
Trillanes oppose it, along with a number of local executives. This paper will analyze the bones of
contention in this much-touted government education plan as a springboard for crafting a
workable compromise plan.
A Holistic Critique of the Philippine Government’s Kindergarten to 12 (K to 12) Program
Education is the wealth of nations. Many top ranking countries in the 2010 Human
Development Index (HDI) – a measuring tool of holistic human development (which covers
literacy rate) crafted by the United Nations – such as Norway, Finland, Sweden, Canada,
Australia and the Netherlands are known for excellence in education. The Philippines is ranked
99th in the 2010 HDI (among 169 countries), way below socialist Cuba (ranked 53rd) and slightly
below its former “twin tiger cub” Thailand (ranked 92nd). In 2000, the Philippines was ranked
77th, and in 1990, placed at 66th. Such measurable decline of the quality of life in the Philippines
relative to the quality of life in other countries mirrors the common perception that Philippine
education is (or has become) substandard. Some recent indicators seem to suggest that the over-
all quality of Philippine education at all levels is indeed at least subpar, as far as national
standards are concerned, or at worse, deteriorating, within the purview of international standards.
Former Department of Education (DepEd) Secretary Jesli Lapus revealed that the results
of the 2009 National Achievement Test (NAT) improved versus the 2006 outcomes in terms of
Mean Percentage Score (MPS) from 54.66% to 66.33%. He claimed that percentage gains were
achieved in all subject areas, comparing 2006 and 2009 results. Unfortunately, it must be
emphasized that 75% is the minimum level of mastery (the “passing mark”) set by DepEd. Thus,
recent NAT results imply that the average Filipino elementary and high school student is unable
to gain mastery of the required lessons. To illustrate this assertion, it is helpful to reproduce a
table based on DepEd data (figures are in percentage) that originally appeared in a “Policy Brief”
(June 2011) published by the Senate Economic Planning Office:
A Holistic Critique of the Philippine Government’s Kindergarten to 12 (K to 12) Program
In the NAT 2010-2011, majority of Philippine secondary schools (almost two-thirds)
got poor results, in contrast with of the country’s elementary schools. Alarmed with such results
DepEd Secretary Bro. Armin Luistro issued DepEd Order No. 72, Series of 2011 entreating
bureau directors, regional directors, schools division/city superintendents, and school
administrators to provide intensive supervisory support to improve the NAT performance of
Philippine schools. The said document provided a percentage table of schools’ NAT scores in
quartile distribution:
Quartile Distribution Percent of Schools in Every Quartile(NAT-Grade Six)
Percent of Schools in Every Quartile(NAT-Second Year)
Superior (76-100%) 36.28% 1.13%Upper Average (51-75%) 49.62% 31.41%Lower Average (26-50%) 14.04% 67.10%Poor (0-25%). 0.01% 0.35%
Such sad state of basic education in the Philippines is also observable when the country’s
performance is contrasted with other countries. In the 1999 Trends in International Mathematics
and Science Study (TIMSS) which evaluated the performance of eighth graders, the Philippines
ranked 36th among 38 participating countries, just above Morocco and South Africa. In the 2003
A Holistic Critique of the Philippine Government’s Kindergarten to 12 (K to 12) Program
TIMSS, Philippine performance was dismal too: in the 4th Grade or 9-year-old category for
Mathematics, the Philippines ranked 23rd among 25 participating countries, just above Morocco
and Tunisia; in the 8th Grade or 13-year-old category for Mathematics, the country is 41st among
45 countries, just above Botswana, Saudi Arabia, Ghana and South Africa; in the 4th Grade
category for Science, the country ranked 23rd among 25 countries, just above Tunisia and
Morocco; and in the 8th Grade category for Science, it’s 42nd in a list of 45 countries, just above
Botswana, Ghana and South Africa. Measuring the Philippine score versus the international
average, one finds that the country’s performance is below average: in the 4th Grade or 9-year-
old category for Mathematics, the country’s score is 358 versus the international average 495; in
the 8th Grade or 13-year-old category for Mathematics, it’s 378 versus 467; in the 4th Grade
category for Science, it’s 332 versus 489; and in the 8th Grade category for Science, it’s 377
versus the international average 474. To gain a better perspective of our country’s standing in the
2003 TIMSS, it is helpful to reproduce some tables from the website of Singapore’s Ministry of
Education:
Average Achievement of Grade 4 Students
Mathematics (Grade 4) Science (Grade 4)
Country Average Country Average
Singapore 594 Singapore 565
Hong Kong, SAR 575 Chinese Taipei 551
Japan 565 Japan 543
Chinese Taipei 564 Hong Kong, SAR 542
Belgium (Flemish) 551 England 540
Netherlands 540 United States 536
Latvia 536 Latvia 532
Lithuania 534 Hungary 530
Russian Federation 532 Russian Federation 526
England 531 Netherlands 525
A Holistic Critique of the Philippine Government’s Kindergarten to 12 (K to 12) Program
Mathematics (Grade 4) Science (Grade 4)
Hungary 529 Australia 521
United States 518 New Zealand 520
Cyprus 510 Belgium (Flemish) 518
Moldova, Rep. of 504 Italy 516
Italy 503 Lithuania 512
Australia 499 Scotland 502
International Average 495 Moldova, Rep. of 496
New Zealand 493 Slovenia 490
Scotland 490 International Average 489
Slovenia 479 Cyprus 480
Armenia 456 Norway 466
Norway 451 Armenia 437
Iran, Islamic Rep. of 389 Iran, Islamic Rep. of 414
Philippines 358 Philippines 332
Morocco 347 Tunisia 314
Tunisia 339 Morocco 304
Average Achievement of Grade 8 Students
Mathematics (Grade 8) Science (Grade 8)
Country Average Country Average
Singapore 605 Singapore 578
Korea, Rep. of 589 Chinese Taipei 571
Hong Kong, SAR 586 Korea, Rep. of 558
Chinese Taipei 585 Hong Kong, SAR 556
Japan 570 Estonia 552
Belgium (Flemish) 537 Japan 552
Netherlands 536 Hungary 543
Estonia 531 Netherlands 536
Hungary 529 United States 527
Malaysia 508 Australia 527
A Holistic Critique of the Philippine Government’s Kindergarten to 12 (K to 12) Program
Mathematics (Grade 8) Science (Grade 8)
Latvia 508 Sweden 524
Russian Federation 508 Slovenia 520
Slovak Republic 508 New Zealand 520
Australia 505 Lithuania 519
United States 504 Slovak Republic 517
Lithuania 502 Belgium (Flemish) 516
Sweden 499 Russian Federation 514
Scotland 498 Latvia 512
Israel 496 Scotland 512
New Zealand 494 Malaysia 510
Slovenia 493 Norway 494
Italy 484 Italy 491
Armenia 478 Israel 488
Serbia 477 Bulgaria 479
Bulgaria 476 Jordan 475
Romania 475 International Average 474
International Average 467 Moldova, Rep. of 472
Norway 461 Romania 470
Moldova, Rep. of 460 Serbia 468
Cyprus 459 Armenia 461
Macedonia, Rep. of 435 Iran, Islamic Rep. of 453
Lebanon 433 Macedonia, Rep. of 449
Jordan 424 Cyprus 441
Iran, Islamic Rep. of 411 Bahrain 438
Indonesia 411 Palestinian Nat'l Auth. 435
Tunisia 410 Egypt 421
Egypt 406 Indonesia 420
Bahrain 401 Chile 413
Palestinian Nat'l Auth. 390 Tunisia 404
Chile 387 Saudi Arabia 398
Morocco 387 Morocco 396
A Holistic Critique of the Philippine Government’s Kindergarten to 12 (K to 12) Program
Mathematics (Grade 8) Science (Grade 8)
Philippines 378 Lebanon 393
Botswana 366 Philippines 377
Saudi Arabia 332 Botswana 365
Ghana 276 Ghana 255
South Africa 264 South Africa 244
* England 498 * England 544
*England did not satisfy guidelines for sample participation rates at Grade 8.
Meanwhile, in May 2011, Philippine papers reported the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS)
Asian rankings of top Philippine universities: University of the Philippines (UP) is 62nd; Ateneo
de Manila University (ADMU) ranked 68th; University of Santo Tomas (UST) is 104th; De La
Salle University (DLSU) ranked 107th. The 2011 QS Asian University Rankings used the
following criteria: academic reputation, employer reputation, faculty/student ratio, papers per
faculty, citations per paper, international faculty review, international student review, student
exchange inbound, and student exchange outbound.
In September 2011, QS released its World University Rankings where no Philippine
university garnered a rank in the top 300. The country’s premier state university (UP) landed at
332nd from 314th in 2010; ADMU dropped to 360th from 307th last year; DLSU slid to the 551-
600th bracket from the 451-500th bracket last year; and UST is now below the 551-600th bracket
that it occupied in 2010. The 2011 QS World University Rankings used six indicators, namely,
“employer reputation, faculty/student ratio, citations per faculty, international faculty, and
international students.”
A Holistic Critique of the Philippine Government’s Kindergarten to 12 (K to 12) Program
Another gauge of the quality of tertiary education in the Philippines is the average
national passing rate for regulated professions (such as teaching, civil engineering etc.). In the
Licensure Examination for Teachers (LET) conducted on April 2011, the national average
passing rate is only 15.81% for Bachelor in Elementary Education (BEED) and 26.28% for
Bachelor in Secondary Education (BSED). It must be noted that in the 2008 LET, the national
average passing rate is 30.47% for BEED, and 35.34% for BSED. At least in the last decade, the
national average passing rate for the LET has never breached 51%. Simply put, majority of
examinees don’t pass the LET. The data for Civil Engineering Board Exam is just as dismal,
considering that in May 2011, 38.34% is the national average passing rate.
With these things in mind, it is safe to conclude that there’s enough quantitative data to
buttress the perception that the quality of Philippine education is at least subpar or worse,
steadily deteriorating. Alarmed by such dilemma, the Philippine government has presented the
Kindergarten plus/to 12 Years of Basic Education (K to 12) Program as the primary remedy.
Like any purported solution, this program must be scrutinized for some cures are at times worse
than the diseases that they aim to heal.
Philippine K to 12 Program at A Glance
The most comprehensive publicly accessible and easy-to-read document that explains the
Philippine government’s K to 12 scheme is a “Discussion Paper on the Enhanced K+12 Basic
Education Program” dated October 5, 2010 and prepared by DepEd. In the said “discussion
paper,” DepEd disclosed that it favors the “K-6-4-2 Model” which involves a year of
kindergarten education (formerly optional), six years of elementary education, four years of
junior high school (Grades 7 to 10) and two years of senior high school (Grades 11 to 12). The
“discussion paper” justifies the institutionalization of two years of senior high school asserting
A Holistic Critique of the Philippine Government’s Kindergarten to 12 (K to 12) Program
that it will “provide time for students to consolidate acquired academic skills and competencies”
that they should have acquired from kindergarten to the sixth grade in elementary. Ostensibly to
prepare graduates for possible employment even without any college/university education, the
curriculum for senior high school will include “specializations in science and technology, music
and arts, agriculture and fisheries, sports, business and entrepreneurship, etc.” Hence, in a DepEd
briefer (November 2, 2010) available at the website of the Official Gazette of the Republic of the
Philippines, K to 12 is hailed as a scheme that gives students the opportunity to work two (2)
years earlier than what would they expect if they were enrolled in a university degree program
(“Minus 2 years before work”) and not as a plan that will add two more years to prolong the
period before college/university graduation (“Plus 2 years before graduation”). Simply put,
DepEd would want students and parents to believe that the K-6-4-2 Model minimizes if not
eliminates the need to enroll in and/or eventually finish a degree program (a bachelor’s degree)
in a college or a university. Current DepEd Secretary Bro. Armin Luistro revealed that Grades 11
and 12 (senior high school) students will be given “on-the-job training” and that the K to 12
scheme will enable them to acquire “specialized skills, such as creating and implementing
business plans, selling products, and even doing journalism” (The Daily Tribune, 2011). To allay
fears that the implementation of the K to 12 Program could be haphazard, DepEd provided the
following time table (reproduced from the Senate’s “Policy Brief” on K to 12):
A Holistic Critique of the Philippine Government’s Kindergarten to 12 (K to 12) Program
Arguments In Favor of K to 12
To produce a holistic critique of the Kindergarten plus/to 12 Years of Basic Education (K
to 12) Program, it is helpful to identify the main arguments put forward by those who favor and
those who oppose the scheme. Philippine President Simeon Benigno “Noynoy” C. Aquino III,
then a senator and presidential candidate justified the inclusion of the Kindergarten to 12 Years
of Basic Education (K to 12) Program as the first item in his 10-point education agenda (2010)
by saying that “We need to add two years to our basic education cycle to catch up with the rest of
the world.” He further states that “In this country, those who can afford it pay for up to fourteen
years of schooling for their children before university (including pre-school, prep, kindergarten,
Grades 1 to 7 and HS I to IV). Thus, their children are getting into the best universities and the
best jobs after graduation.” Former DepEd undersecretary and education expert Dr. Isagani Cruz
lauded Aquino’s K to 12 program by claiming that “Once the two missing years are added to
basic education, however, there will be time for the system to give students the skills to find jobs
or become entrepreneurs.” The esteemed educator bewailed that “(o)ther countries regard us as
an educationally backward nation, primarily because we do not educate our children long
enough,” remarking that “(n)o matter how intelligent our children are, they can never learn in 10
years what children in other countries learn in 12.” He further argued that “our children fail
A Holistic Critique of the Philippine Government’s Kindergarten to 12 (K to 12) Program
international exams, because other children have had more time to absorb the knowledge and
skills that we cram into the shortest educational cycle in the world.”
Meanwhile, a briefer dated November 2, 2010 prepared by the DepEd and posted in the
website of the Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines enumerated eight (8) reasons
on why two years should be added to the current 10-year Philippine basic education scheme: to
decongest and enhance the basic education curriculum; to provide better quality education for
all; to be at par with the world considering that the Philippines is the only remaining country in
Asia with a 10-year basic education program; to implement an old proposal (the DepEd claims
that the proposal to expand the basic education dates back to 1925); to increase earnings of basic
education graduates (the DepEd boasts of studies in the Philippines that have allegedly shown
that an additional year of schooling increases earnings by 7.5%); to purportedly improve the
quality of education so as to contribute to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth (the DepEd
reveals that improvements in the quality of education – apparently, in the agency’s opinion, the
implementation of the K to 12 – will increase GDP growth “by 2% to 2.2%”); to “give” poor
families an “employable child” in a shorter period of time (the DepEd tries to repackage the K to
12 scheme as a “minus 2 instead of plus 2” win scenario for those families who cannot afford
college education but still wish to have their children find a good paying job claiming that, right
now, parents spend for at least 4 years of college to have an employable child while as per the K
to 12 plan, parents will not pay for 2 more years of basic education that will purportedly “give
them an employable child”); and to transform the current popular “attitude” on basic education
so that the completion of high school education will no longer be primarily considered as more
A Holistic Critique of the Philippine Government’s Kindergarten to 12 (K to 12) Program
than just a preparation for college but, increasingly, as a possible instrument for gainful
employment or in pursuit of a career.
Interestingly, the World Bank supports the K to 12 scheme. The World Bank Group’s
“Country Assistance Strategy (CAS) Progress Report” dated April 20, 2011 claims that “(t)he
quality of basic education services remains one of the pressing development challenges in the
Philippines,” revealing that the Philippine Government “is also considering extending the basic
education cycle from 10 to 12 years under the DepEd‘s Enhanced K to 12 Basic Education
Program,” for which the Bank promise to “sustain technical support and assistance to the reforms
in partnership with AusAID and others.” The World Bank report went on to say that “Ongoing
and proposed Bank operations are being aligned to this new policy context and the challenges
brought about by the major policy decision to change the basic education cycle.” Simply put, the
World Bank is willing to finance the K to 12 Program despite the fact that, all throughout its
dealings with the country, it is unwilling to provide funds for any major Philippine
industrialization project such as petroleum refineries, gold mines, steel mills etc. With the World
Bank’s record of failure to help alleviate the country’s over-all socio-economic status, especially
when it comes to bridging the gap between the rich and the poor, its support for the K to 12
scheme is reason enough to cast doubts on the real agenda of this divisive educational reform.
Meanwhile, renowned businessman Ramon R. del Rosario, Jr., the president of Philippine
Business for Education (PBED) – an organization that actively supports the government K to 12
scheme – in a speech before the 2011 League of Corporate Foundations (LCF) Annual Corporate
Social Responsibility (CSR) Expo claimed that “…K to 12 will improve the lives of our youth,”
and urged the acceleration of its implementation, lamenting that “If we stay on this course, our
college graduates, between now and 2020, will not yet be globally comparable. Must we leave
A Holistic Critique of the Philippine Government’s Kindergarten to 12 (K to 12) Program
behind our students graduating from 2012 to 2020? We feel that we need to explore and
implement steps that will begin to improve the global competitiveness of our graduates, as early
as now.” Del Rosario bats for the “institutionalization” of the K to 12 program through
legislation so as to avoid its “complete reversal by a new administration come 2016.”
Professor Juan Miguel Luz, associate dean of the Asian Institute of Management’s Center
for Development Management and former DepEd undersecretary, assumes that “To be
competitive, the Philippines must develop a labor force with knowledge and skills comparable
with the rest of the world. That has to start with more years of basic education.” Like his fellow
former DepEd Undersecretary Dr. Isagani Cruz, Prof. Luz claims that “The Philippines has the
shortest basic education cycle before qualifying to enter university or college of any country in
Asia – 10 years (6 years elementary plus 4 years secondary).” He is quick to add that “UNESCO
recognizes 12 years of basic education as the global norm, excluding pre-school. This includes
elementary and secondary education but excludes pre-schooling.” Professor Luz says “(a) 12-
year basic education cycle where the same subjects can be spread out over a longer period of
time” is the “solution” to the short education cycle “problem” which “results” to “little or poor
learning by our children.” To emphasize the purported need to follow international standards,
Prof. Luz states that “…Philippine high school graduates going for university study abroad (i.e.
Australia, US) are now being made to take an additional senior year of high school to qualify.
The Philippine HS curriculum is not seen as covering enough material.” The former DepEd
undersecretary expressed concern for the gap between the elite and the poor in terms of years of
“basic schooling” which creates a situation where “graduates from lower-income families with
less years of basic education are at a disadvantage whether competing for university slots or for
jobs.” He thus presented the K to 12 program as an egalitarian scheme to eradicate such divide.
A Holistic Critique of the Philippine Government’s Kindergarten to 12 (K to 12) Program
Nick Tenazas, an Asian Development Bank (ADB) consultant praises the timing of the K
to 12 Program “which comes at the heels of the recently concluded global recession,” as
“Southeast Asian tigers like Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand are widening their lead over the
Philippines in terms of labor quality and overall investment climate.” He asserts that even
“(e)merging economies in our backyard, namely Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam are also
prioritizing skills development.” Tenazas claims that K to 12 “also aspires to correct the
connotation that basic education is simply a preparation for college,” and to establish “industry-
linked technical training systems” “enough to drive the economy” as what developed countries
like Germany, Australia and South Korea have achieved. He theorizes that “If a credible high
school diploma can be earned at age 18, students will have another career option aside from
college. If they decide on entering the labor market immediately after high school, they will not
be second-class workers but instead, they will be fully protected by labor laws and safety nets.”
The general arguments of the pro-K to 12 camp can be summarized as follows: extending
the basic education cycle is necessary for the Philippine system to be at par with international
standards; the program will improve student learning and uplift the over-all quality of education
in the country; the scheme will enable poor students to find work right after “senior high school”
graduation without enrolling in and/or finishing a bachelor’s degree first; the plan will make
Filipino graduates “globally competitive” (e.g. capable of landing jobs overseas and in foreign
firms that operate in the country).
Arguments Against the K to 12 Scheme
Ironically, teachers’ organizations, student groups and education sector consortia are at
the forefront of the broad and vocal opposition to the Philippine government’s K to 12 scheme.
The Civil Society Network for Education Reforms (E-Net Philippines), a national and
A Holistic Critique of the Philippine Government’s Kindergarten to 12 (K to 12) Program
multisectoral consortium of non-government organizations, adopted a moderately critical stance
by asserting that “The Enhanced K to 12 program is not ripe for implementation as there are
more pressing issues besetting the basic educational system that need to be addressed.” Member-
organizations of E-Net Philippines believe that “...simply adding 2 years to the basic education
program” will not “arrest the deteriorating quality of education in the country.” Hinting that
beyond the jobs-and-skills mismatch, the lack of industries in the country is the primary cause of
unemployment, E-Net Philippines claims that “The additional 2 years in the basic education does
not guarantee employment unless there are enough employment opportunities available in the
market.” Finally, the consortium blasts the K to 12 program as a scheme that fails to comply with
the primary “purpose of education” which is “to develop competent citizens who will serve the
needs of the country and not to qualify them for jobs abroad.” E-Net Philippines’ assertion is
bolstered by the constitutional provision which outlines the country’s educational goals: “Article
XIV Section 3. (1) All educational institutions shall include the study of the Constitution as part
of the curricula. (2) They shall inculcate patriotism and nationalism, foster love of humanity,
respect for human rights, appreciation of the role of national heroes in the historical development
of the country, teach the rights and duties of citizenship, strengthen ethical and spiritual values,
develop moral character and personal discipline, encourage critical and creative thinking,
broaden scientific and technological knowledge, and promote vocational efficiency.”
Meanwhile, the largest organization of teachers and workers in the education sector in the
country, the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) labeled the K to 12 scheme as a “man-made
disaster” which is “ill-conceived as it repeats the bureaucratic, anti-democratic...manner of
implementing educational reforms.” It must be emphasized that, indeed, like other purported
education reforms before, the K to 12 scheme is another imposition “from above.” Public
A Holistic Critique of the Philippine Government’s Kindergarten to 12 (K to 12) Program
consultations were only held after the program has been adopted by DepEd. This explains why
most teachers’ organizations are against the scheme. They were never consulted prior to its
adoption. After the dismal failure of DepEd’s haphazard implementation of K to 12 Scheme’s
(compulsory) universal kindergaten in public schools, the opposition of teachers to the program
has become more vocal. In a Manila Bulletin report (June 7, 2011), teachers are quoted as saying
“We are teachers, not carabaos!” to protest DepEd’s treatment of kindergarten teachers. The
Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT)-Manila chapter and Manila Kindergarten Teachers
Association (MAKITA) marched to DepEd after their classes to reveal how the implementation
of the government’s kindergarten program miserably failed in the first day of school (June 6,
2011). ACT National Vice President Benjie Valbuena said that “plus the implementation of K to
12 will make education even worst” considering that before it was crafted and implemented,
“perennial and unresolved problems still exist in our educational system, including shortages in
school building and classrooms, instructional materials and books, lack of teachers, and facilities
among others.” While ACT-Manila Chapter President Louie Zabala expressed the organization’s
support for universal kindegarten, he emphasized that the provision in DepEd Order No. 37,
series of 2011 regarding the conduct of “two-session classes or six hours of straight teaching”
“will not help produce quality Kindergarten Education.” De Ocampo, the MAKITA president
complained that “This policy is very difficult for us especially with the large number of
enrollment, our class sizes go up to almost 60 students per class instead of the ideal 35 pupils per
class.” The No to K to 12 Alliance, a coalition of students, student councils, parents, and
teachers, had also voiced out its united opposition to the much-ballyhooed education reform
through this justification "The implementation of the universal kindergarten phase of the K to 12
failed miserably, enough proof that the government failed in its attempt to implement the initial
A Holistic Critique of the Philippine Government’s Kindergarten to 12 (K to 12) Program
plan to add two more years to the current 10-year basic education cycle." The group claims that
the sudden implementation of K to 12’s first step (compulsory kindergarten) will put the
education sector under much stress considering that the system has no sufficient classrooms for
the 1.93 million five-year old kids who enrolled in the government’s kindergarten program. Such
deficiency is on top of the reported shortage of 103,599 teachers, 152,569 classrooms,
13,225,527 chairs, and 95,557,957 textbooks in public elementary and secondary schools for
school year 2011-2012 (SunStar June 23, 2011), not to mention shortages on desks and sanitation
systems. It in this context that League of Filipino Students (LFS) spokesperson Aki Merced
criticized the Aquino administration for “insisting on a program (that is) bound to fail.”
Vencer Crisostomo, secretary general of Kabataan Partylist and former national
chairperson of the League of Filipino Students (LFS) begins his critique of the K to 12 scheme
by emphasizing its hidden economic costs to parents and students: “The administration’s plan is
a plain insult to poor parents and students who are trying hard to make ends meet. As it is,
families can barely afford to get their kids through 10 years of education.” He echoes the concern
of ACT Secretary General France Castro, who in a broadcast interview said that two more years
of basic education means two more years of additional expenses related to schooling such as
transportation fare, student allowance for food etc., which the government won’t of course
shoulder. Crisostomo claims that “(p)oor parents are not able to afford” the educational expenses
even just for the 10-year basic education cycle “as proven by the rising drop-out rates. He further
claims that “During the past years, only 4 out of 10 students entering the school cycle manages to
finish high school, and only one will be able to get a degree. More than 8 million Filipino school
aged youth are out-of-school because of hardships.” Crisostomo concludes that expanding the
basic education cycle will further raise the drop out rates, thereby causing young Filipino to be
A Holistic Critique of the Philippine Government’s Kindergarten to 12 (K to 12) Program
“deprived of their right to education.” While he impliedly acknowledges that the quality of
education is declining, he emphasizes that even with a prolonged education cycle, deficiency in
quality will persist for as long as current educational dilemmas (e.g. high classroom to student
ratio, error-laden textbooks, underpaid teachers and dilapidated facilities) can be addressed.
Blasting the claim that K to 12 will produce “employable” senior high school graduates, the
chairperson of Kabataan Partylist says “There are no jobs not because there is a lack of
“employable” young people but because there is no clear plan for national development which
will lead to sustainable job generation.” Crisostomo went further to condemn the scheme as
“...primarily designed to serve foreign needs for cheap “semiskilled” labor.”
Senator Antonio “Sonny” Trillanes IV filed Senate Resolution Number 599 (May 31,
2011) which provides a comprehensive perspective that casts doubts on the “feasibility, viability,
practicability and the acceptability of justifications advanced by the Department of Education in
implementing the K to 12 Education Program.” The said resolution questioned the validity of
using the TIMSS results as a justification to implement the K to 12 scheme by quoting a
regression analysis study by UP Professor Abraham I. Felipe and Fund for Assistance to Private
Education (FAPE) Executive Director Carolina C. Porio which found out that “(t)here is no clear
empirical basis in TIMSS to justify a proposal for the Philippines to lengthen its education
cycle...There is no basis to expect that lengthening the educational cycle calendar-wise, will
improve the quality of education...” Senator Trillanes’ resolution on K to 12 impliedly blames
the government’s lack of ample financial support to the education sector as the main reason for
the decline in the quality of education, emphasizing that for the past decade, the Philippine
annual budgetary allocation for education “has barely breached three percent (3%) of the GDP”
in the past decade, despite the fact that the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
A Holistic Critique of the Philippine Government’s Kindergarten to 12 (K to 12) Program
Organizations (UNESCO) standard is pegged at six percent (6%) of the GDP. According to the
Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) World Factbook, the Philippines allots only 2.8% of its GDP
to education. In contrast, the top 10 countries in the 2010 Human Development Index have these
figures: Norway (6.8%), Australia (4.5%), New Zealand (6.10%), United States (5.5%), Ireland
(4.9%), Netherlands (5.3%), Canada (4.9%), Sweden (6.6%), and Germany (4.5%). Meanwhile,
neighboring Asian countries allot the following rates of their GDP to education: South Korea
(4.2%), Vietnam (5.3%), and Timor Leste/East Timor (16.80%) Singapore (3%), Japan (3.5%),
India (3.1%), Malaysia (4.10%), Thailand (4.10%) and Nepal (4.6%). Worldwide, the
Philippines is no. 139 among 164 countries in terms of the percentage of the GDP allotted to
education. The substandard budget for Philippine education negatively affects the quality of
education, more than the 10-year basic education cycle, the anti-K to 12 camp argues. Just like
many teachers’ organizations, Sen. Trillanes believes that “contrary to the rationale advanced by
proponents of the K to 12 curriculum that increasing the number of years of basic education
would translate to the increase in the quality of education, intervening variables such as the
disproportionate ratio of students to teachers, the serious shortage in classrooms and deficiency
in educational infrastructure, facilities and academic materials in many areas in the country are
perceived to have greater impact on the performance of these students in achievement tests.”
With regard to the claim of “employability” of high school graduates, Sen. Trillanes cited
statistics from the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) showing that as of January
2011 “[n]early half (48.9% or 1.427 million) of the total unemployed workforce were young
workers (aged 15 to 24 years old) ... youth unemployment rate at 17.2% was more than twice the
national average ... [and] [t]he majority (47.0% or 1.373 million) were high school graduates or
undergraduates ... [equally large were college undergraduates and graduates (39.1% or 1.141
A Holistic Critique of the Philippine Government’s Kindergarten to 12 (K to 12) Program
million),” implying that “our country's disturbingly high unemployment rates particularly among
the youth may have nothing to do with the length of basic education in the country but, rather,
calls for a serious review of the country's economic system and the government's job generation
policies.” This echoes Kabataan Partylist Chairperson Vencer Crisostomo’s complaint about the
government’s lack of a “clear plan for national development which will lead to sustainable job
generation.” Finally, it must be mentioned that the K to 12 scheme has no clear specification on
what will happen to teachers of tertiary level institutions, especially teachers of subjects in the
General Education Curriculum (GEC). As per popular speculations in the academic community
(based on the researcher’s actual conversations with tertiary level teachers from at least 6
universities in Metro Manila), the GEC will be trimmed down at the tertiary level. Purportedly,
some (if not all) of the GEC subjects will be absorbed by the two-year senior high school
curriculum. Unfortunately, there’s no way to immediately verify the veracity of such
speculations due to the dearth of publicly available materials regarding how DepEd intends to
implement K to 12 on a piece-meal basis, another proof that this current education reform is a
haphazard “top-down” imposition rather than a well-thought product of consensus among
stakeholders in the education sector. Nevertheless, it is safe to assume that the speculations are
partly valid, considering that the current K to 12 scheme intends to offer English, Science,
Mathematics, Filipino and Contemporary Issues as the “core learning areas” in senior high
school (Grades 11 and 12) so that after graduation, “students are already prepared for
employment, entrepreneurship, or middle-level skills development and can thus lead successful
lives even if they do not pursue higher studies” (Senate Briefer, 2011). If the GEC subjects will
be the “core learning areas” of senior high school, it is possible that the GEC in the university
might be trimmed down, or at worst, abolished. Thus, a number of instructors and professors
A Holistic Critique of the Philippine Government’s Kindergarten to 12 (K to 12) Program
voiced out their opposition to the K to 12 due to their fear of possible retrenchment or transfer to
“senior high school.”
The Way Forward: Education for National Development
Generally, the anti-K to 12 camp thinks that the additional two years of basic education is
an additional burden. The opposition to the government K to 12 Program strongly rests on the
perceived lack of quality of the current 10-year basic education cycle which is perennially
troubled by deficiencies in many aspects, especially in terms of finances. Quoting the DepEd
Briefer on K to 12, Senator Trillanes pointed out that the program is too costly, considering that
it requires “P150 billion for 152,569 new classrooms, 103,599 more teachers, 95.6 million more
books, and 13.2 million more seats.” The anti-K to 12 side generally argues that such amount is
better spent for improving the current 10-year basic education cycle. For those who oppose the
swift implementation of K to 12, funding it is like throwing good money after bad. Thus, the
only workable compromise is for the government to temporarily shelve out the K to 12 scheme
until current deficiencies in the 10-year basic education cycle are addressed. It’s like repairing or
rebuilding the foundations of a huge infrastructure project so as to ensure that its vertical
expansion won’t cause the building to collapse. Otherwise, the implementation of the K to 12
scheme would just go down in history as one of the many failed “reforms” that this country have
had in the past decades. The failed implementation of the universal kindergarten program (the
first step in achieving K to 12) in June 2011 is an accurate forecast of what will happen if the
Aquino administration pushes through with its scheme. Another thing, a highly unpopular
education reform scheme which was never subjected to prior deliberation in the grassroots level
of the stakeholders is bound to be plagued with troubles. A program that lacks the support of
students and teachers, (even parents) is more likely to fail. If the government is sincere in
A Holistic Critique of the Philippine Government’s Kindergarten to 12 (K to 12) Program
reforming the education system, it must halt K to 12 so that the two opposing camps would be
able to cooperate first in overhauling the current 10-year pre-university education, which should
be prioritized if any future reform is to be successful. After the 10-year basic education cycle is
perfected, the debate on whether to extend it by two more years will have a clearer perspective.
Those who favor the K to 12 scheme as a way to make the country’s education system at
par with the education system of other countries seem to ignore the main purpose of any
education system, which is to serve the interest of the country where such system operates.
Simply put, those who simply wish for the increase of Filipino students in international
universities through K to 12 should be reminded that while international education is well and
good for those who would want to attain it, the main goal of the Philippine education system is to
propel and/or complement national development as stated in the Philippine Constitution.
Practically, only fewer Filipino students would need to study abroad if Philippine universities
offer affordable and quality education.
On the problem of employability, the anti-K to 12 camp is correct in emphasizing that the
government’s job creation program should be reviewed and overhauled. It’s common knowledge
that the government’s biggest job program is the Marcos-initiated deployment of Filipino
workers abroad. The government’s labor export policy scheme is so successful that OFW
remittances amounted to 10% of the Philippine Gross National Product in 2010. Due to the
current international financial crisis (e.g. debt woes of the United States of America and some
countries in the Euro Zone), the Philippine government is duty-bound to seek an alternative job
program. Focus should be shifted to local job creation. Thus, instead of just contemplating
whether the education cycle should be expanded or not, the government must ensure that the
constitutional goal of education (e.g. promotion of national development) is achieved. Instead of
A Holistic Critique of the Philippine Government’s Kindergarten to 12 (K to 12) Program
just complying with “international standards” by producing “globally competitive” graduates for
overseas employment or local employment under foreign firms or subsidiaries, the Philippine
government must start preparing Filipino graduates who are capable and willing to help the
country in achieving progress. The best way to insulate the Philippines from the international
financial crisis and to maximize the country’s labor force and rich natural resources is to utilize
such through industrialization. Thus, it seems that a paradigm shift should be prioritized over the
mechanical addition of two years in basic education. If this is to be followed, K to 12 scheme’s
inherent and declared bias for overseas employment and semi-skilled labor to serve big firms,
should be scrapped. Consequently, the government will be compelled to take a more active role
in national industrialization through capital accumulation and mobilization, and industrial
management so as to ensure that all, or at least majority of Filipino graduates will be absorbed by
local jobs. Without funds, reforms are impossible. To accumulate capital for educational reforms
and industrialization, the country may stop debt payments for 10 years and refuse to pay
onerous/illegitimate debts (like the funds used for the North Rail Project). It must be noted that
40% of the 2011 National Budget or 800 billion pesos ($20 billion) went to debt payments. In the
proposed 2012 National Budget, 689 billion pesos ($16.80 billion) will be allotted to debt
payments, contrary to the Aquino regime’s blatant lie that education got the lion’s share of the
national budget. The “savings” that the Philippines can have by stopping debt payments for just
two years amount to $36.8 billion (enough to “buy out” the assets of the country’s 11 richest
individuals in the country whose combined wealth amounts to $24.4 billion). The country can
also demand a refund for paid illegitimate debts (e.g. payment for the Bataan Nuclear Power
Plant). The recovery of all ill-gotten wealth from past and present plunderers will be also helpful.
A Holistic Critique of the Philippine Government’s Kindergarten to 12 (K to 12) Program
Quality education has a price and in a poor country like the Philippines, as stated in
Article XIV of the Constitution, the government is duty-bound to pay for it. At the very least,
before talking about any proposal to extend the education cycle, the government should first
implement the UNESCO standard for education budget relative to the GDP (ar least 6%).
Otherwise, the Philippine education system will remain as bad as it is today, if not worse, upon
the addition of two more years in basic education. The workable compromise under the Aquino
administration is best described by the words of youth leader Vencer Crisostomo: “...to
genuinely address the problems of the education sector by filling the gaps in classroom and
facilities, fulfilling his promise to increase state subsidy for education to six percent of the gross
domestic product (GDP), stopping unjust tuition and other fee increases, increasing teachers’
wages and pushing for a nationalist-oriented curriculum and education system.”
Ultimately, any reform loses potency if the people don’t accept it. The “culture of
silence” imposed by more than a century of English hegemony in the national discourse must be
reversed. Citizens should actively participate in crafting national and local policies in education.
Towards this end, summoning a national consultative assembly on education is necessary. The
medium of such assembly should be the national language so that people will be able to discuss
their ideas freely. As a start, this national assembly must bring about an education system that
follows the basic framework of the nationalist writer Renato Constantino (1982): “The education
of the Filipino must be a Filipino education. It must be based on the needs of the nation and the
goals of the nation. The object is not merely to produce men and women who can read and write
or who can add and subtract. The primary object is to produce a citizenry that appreciates and is
conscious of its nationhood and has national goals for the betterment of the community, and not
an anarchic mass of people who know how to take care of themselves only...Education should
A Holistic Critique of the Philippine Government’s Kindergarten to 12 (K to 12) Program
first of all assure national survival. No amount of economic and political policy can be successful
if the educational program does not imbue prospective citizens with the proper attitudes that will
ensure the implementation of these goals and policies. Philippine educational policies should be
geared to the making of Filipinos. These policies should see to it that schools produce men and
women with minds and attitudes that are attuned to the needs of the country....” Obviously, such
education system can’t be implemented as a “top-down” imposition. The Filipino people know
their need better than bureaucrats and self-proclaimed experts. Any educational reform must be
discussed at the grassroots level. As the youth leader Isagani in Jose Rizal’s “El Filibusterismo”
told the careerist and opportunist lawyer Señor Pasta, “Governments are established for the
welfare of the peoples, and in order to accomplish this purpose properly they have to follow the
suggestions of the citizens, who are the ones best qualified to understand their own needs.”
Unfortunately, the K to 12 scheme did not undergo this democratic process. Hence, it must be
temporarily shelved out pending a consultative assembly on education reforms.
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A Holistic Critique of the Philippine Government’s Kindergarten to 12 (K to 12) Program
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A Holistic Critique of the Philippine Government’s Kindergarten to 12 (K to 12) Program
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