1. A major change in our country’s educational landscape is about to take place: the
Department of Education (DepEd) is launching the K-12 curriculum this coming
June.
According to President Benigno S. Aquino, “We need to add two years to our basic
education. Those who can afford pay up to fourteen years of schooling before
university. Thus, their children are getting into the best universities and the best
jobs after graduation. I want at least 12 years for our public school children to
give them an even chance at succeeding.” In line with this, the 1987 Philippine
Constitution states that, “The State shall establish, maintain, and support a
complete, adequate, and integrated system of education relevant to the needs of
the people and the society.“ Such mandate gives justice to the basic rights of
every Filipino child: the right to quality education and the right to a quality life.
What is K-12?
According to the K to 12 Deped Primer (2011), “K-12 means “Kindergarten and
the 12 years of elementary and secondary education.” Kindergarten points to the
5-year old child who undertakes the standardized curriculum for preschoolers.
Elementary education refers to 6 years of primary school (Grades 1-6) while
secondary education means four years of junior high school (Grades 7-10 or HS
Year 1-4). In addition to this, two years are now allotted for senior high school
(Grades 11-12 or HS Year 5-6).
Prof. Lorina Calingasan of the College of Education in UP Diliman explains that
“K-12 means extending basic education by two years, so instead of having a high
school graduate at 16 (years old), we will have high schoolers graduating at 18.”
The DepEd discussion paper (2010) on the enhanced K-12 basic education
program explains that this new setup “seeks to provide a quality 12-year basic
education program that each Filipino is entitled to” (p.5). Furthermore, the
purpose is not simply to add 2 more years of education “but more importantly to
enhance the basic education curriculum” (p.5).
What is the rationale for this program?
There is an urgent need to enhance the quality of basic education in our country
as seen in the education outcomes of Filipino students and the comparative
disadvantage of the Philippines with regard to other countries. The following data
would support this explanation:
At present, the Philippines is the only country in Asia and among the three
remaining countries in the world that uses a 10-year basic education cycle.
According to a presentation made by the South East Asian Ministers of Education
Organization (SEAMEO-INNOTECH) on Additional Years in Philippine Basic
Education (2010), the comparative data on duration of Basic and Pre-University
Education in Asia shows that the Philippines allots 10 years not just for the basic

2. education cycle but also for the pre-university education while all the other
countries have either 11 or 12 years in their basic education cycle.
Achievement scores highlight our students’ poor performance in national
examinations. The National Achievement Test (NAT) results for grade 6 in SY
2009-2010 showed only a 69.21% passing rate while the NAT results for high
school is at a low 46.38%. Moreover, international tests results in 2003 Trends in
International Mathematics and Science study (TIMSS) show that the Philippines
ranked 34th out of 38 countries in HS Math and 43rd out of 46 countries in HS II
Science. Moreover, the Philippines ranked the lowest in 2008 even with only the
science high schools joining the Advanced Mathematics category.
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The present curriculum is described as congested. This means that students do
not get enough time to perform tasks because the curriculum is designed to be
taught in a span of 12 years and not 10 years. The more obvious result of this is
the fact that most high school students graduate without the readiness to take
upon higher education or employment. These students are not equipped with the
basic skills or competencies needed at work. Furthermore, the short duration of
our basic education program puts Filipinos who are interested to either work or
study abroad at a disadvantage. This is because other countries see our 10-year
program as incomplete, which then, causes Filipino graduates to not be
considered as professionals abroad.
Given all these supporting facts, there is indeed a need to improve the quality of
basic education by enhancing it and by expanding the basic education cycle.
What is the vision of this program?
Records will show that as early as 1925, there were already efforts to improve
the basic education curriculum and recommendations have been put forward
since then. Thus, this idea of adding years to the present curriculum is not new.
The K-12 Curriculum envisions “holistically developed learners with 21st century
skills” (Deped Primer, 2011). At the core of this basic education program is “the
complete human development of every graduate” (DepEd discussion paper, p.6).
This further means that every student would have an understanding of the world
around him and a passion for life-long learning while addressing every student’s
basic learning needs: “learning to learn, the acquisition of numeracy, literacy, and
scientific and technological knowledge as applied to daily life” (p.6). In addition to
this, every graduate is envisioned to have respect for human rights and would
aim to become “Maka-Diyos, Maka-tao, Makabansa, Maka-kalikasan” (p.6)
The K-12 vision aims to have relevance in the socio-economic realm, as well. This
means that the students would understand their role as productive members of
the country. Such vision can only be possible through an enhanced curriculum.

3. What is the K-12 curriculum all about?
According to the DepEd discussion paper (2010), the K-12 curriculum aims to
enable every child “to achieve mastery of core competencies and skills” (p.6) and
develop tracks based on the student’s interests and competencies. The focus of
K-12 is twofold: curriculum enhancement and transition management.
Curriculum enhancement – With the K-6-4-2 model, the 2 years for senior
high school is aimed at giving the students time to strengthen competencies and
academic skills. The curriculum will also provide specializations in the following:
science and technology, music and arts, agriculture and fisheries, sports,
business and entrepreneurship, etc, depending on the occupation or career that
they intend to pursue. These two years will build on skills that are essential to
their chosen field.
Transition management - The DepEd mentions in their discussion paper (2010)
that they are “preparing a carefully sequenced implementation plan to ensure
smooth transition with the least disruption” in the current program.
According to Education Secretary Br. Armin A. Luistro, the new curriculum is
focused more on the learners and not on the teacher. Luistro said, “We are
making it a real learning experience for the students, meaning, it will be less on
memorization and more encouraging of critical thinking”. In addition to this, a
mother tongue-based multi-lingual education (MTB-MLE) will be used for
instruction in Kinder to Grade 3 classes after studies showed that students learn
more when their language at home is used in discussing the lessons in school.
Also, there will be less contact time as Grade 1 pupils will only attend school for
half a day instead of 6 hours. Luistro explains, “It is important that our learners
develop that natural love for learning and not feel that it is something imposed on
them…we will reduce it to four hours to make education less stressful and more
enjoyable.”
For the first year high school curriculum, Luistro mentions that the lessons will be
more interactive and meaningful to everyday life. This means that Science will be
reflected in terms of its practical use. He further explains, “as students go up the
ladder, we want them to learn skills that are being demanded by employers while
at the same time giving them the chance to appreciate and enjoy the lessons”.
For instance, Luistro stresses that Science is to be integrated in all learning areas
since it is a complex subject. He further expounds, “the focus of early education
(Kinder to Grade 2) should be the fundamental skills and literacy of the pupils to
develop better comprehension for more complicated subjects such as science”.
A study done by SEAMEO points out that the current curriculum allots about
1,100 minutes per week in elementary education to Science, which will change
with the introduction of K-12. Luistro says, “this, coupled with teaching more
competencies, imply congestion in our current elementary Science curriculum.”
To address this, Science will now be integrated into the teaching of the Language,
Mathematics and Health under MAPEH subjects beginning at Kindergarten.
Prof. Calingasan further explains that the K-12 curriculum for Social Studies will
instead center on historical thinking skills rather than memory work (of dates,

4. names, regions, capitals, etc) and accumulation of facts. She mentions examples
of thinking skills such as “weighing the evidence of any information, using
primary source evidence, analyzing and interpreting information, manifesting
ethical standards (e.g., respect for differences, recognition of sources of
evidence/idea). The K-12 Social Studies curriculum will also teach students about
local history.”
Who will be affected by this program?
Prof. Calingasan explains that incoming Grade 1 and Grade 7 students by school
year 2012-2013 are the ones who will be directly affected by the K-12 program.
According to a DepEd briefer on K-12, the Department will begin implementing
the curriculum in school year 2012-2013. As mentioned in the article, “the
enhanced 12-year curriculum will be implemented starting with incoming Grade 1
students. Incoming freshmen of SY 2012-2013 will be the first beneficiaries of a
free Senior High School education that will be made available by DepEd in public
schools beginning in SY 2016-2017.”
What are the benefits of this program?
Prof. Calingasan explains that “while parents may look at this as extended
expense i.e., paying tuition for another 2 years in high school, this would offset
itself since the competencies one would learn from the additional years are the
same ones which the first two years of general education in college teach.”
The DepEd primer (2011) specifies the benefits to individuals and families:
1. A decongested academic workload, giving students more time to master
competencies and for co-curricular activities and community involvement, thus,
allowing for a more holistic development;
2. Graduates will possess competencies and skills relevant to the job market and
they will be prepared for higher education;
3. K-12 is affordable;
4. The potential annual earnings of a K-12 graduate will be higher compared to
the earnings of a 10-year high school graduate;
5. Graduates will be recognized abroad.
The benefits of K-12 curriculum for the society and the economy are:
1. It will contribute to economic growth. Studies show that improvements in the
quality of education increases GDP growth. According to the DepEd (2010),
studies in the country have reflected that an additional year of school increases
the earnings by 7.5% and that improvements in the quality of education will
enable the GDP grow by 2-2.2%.
2. It will facilitate the recognition of Filipino graduates and professionals in other
countries
3. A better educated society provides a sound foundation for long-term socio-
economic development.
What will this mean for students and their future?
”Definitely this will mean that they will graduate late (by present reference point),
but on another perspective, will mean that they will be more mature when they
enter college, or that they will be ready for work,” explains Prof. Calingasan.
The DepEd, in its 2010 discussion paper, explains further that every graduate of
the K-12 program will have “the courage, the drive, and the relevant skills to
engage in work and have a productive life” (p.6). This means that every graduate

5. is ready to take upon the world as he is prepared holistically to meet those
challenges.
The goal of the K-12 curriculum is to create a purposeful basic education system
that will “produce productive, responsible citizens equipped with the essential
competencies and skills for both life-long learning and employment” (p.7).
To summarize, the K-12 curriculum speaks about hope and change for the
country. As our culture puts great value on education, it is about time that our
national government supports this fully. The K-12 honors every Filipino child’s
right to better future as it is designed to “develop a learner who possesses a
healthy mind and body; has a solid moral and spiritual grounding; has essential
knowledge and skills for lifelong learning and self-actualization; engages in critical
thinking and creative problem solving; contributes to the development of a
progressive, just, and humane society; is proud to be a Filipino and appreciates
the beauty around him/her and cares for the environment for a sustainable
future.”