CITING the result of a survey last month of June 2022, Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian said the time has come to review and reform the government’s ‘K to 12’ program that was implemented in 2012 under Pres. Noynoy Aquino despite widespread opposition.
Quoting from the survey result conducted between June 24 and June 27, 2022 by Pulse Asia, Gatchalian noted that 44 percent of the 1,200 respondents have now expressed “dissatisfaction” with the system. The figure is 16 percent higher compared to the 28 percent dissatisfaction result of a similar survey held in September 2019, Gatchalian noted further.
The latest survey was commissioned by Gatchalian, chair of the Senate Committee on Basic Education, Arts and Culture.
The June survey also saw a drop of 11 percentage points in satisfaction rate with the K to 12 program compared to the September 2019 survey.
While 50 percent of respondents in the September 2019 survey were satisfied with the program, only 39 percent of respondents in this year’s survey said that they are satisfied.
To remedy the situation, Gatchalian has filed Senate Resolution No. 5 seeking a Senate inquiry, in aid of legislation, on the status of the implementation of the Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013 or the K to 12 Law (Republic Act No. 10533) – exactly ten years from the time the enhanced curriculum for K to 12 was initially implemented in school year 2012-2013.
The proposed review is one of Gatchalian’s priority measures for the 19th Congress, and was at the centerpiece of his commitments to the Filipino voters during the senatorial campaign.
Another Pulse Asia survey commissioned by Gatchalian in December 2019, showed that 78 percent of the respondents citing “additional financial burden” as behind their dissatisfaction with the program.
“Malinaw sa boses ng ating mga kababayan na hindi sila kuntento sa programa ng K to 12. Ito ay dahil hindi natutupad ang mga pangako nito at naging dagdag na pasanin lamang ito sa ating mga magulang at mga mag-aaral,” said Gatchalian.
A 2020 discussion paper by the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) showed that while the K to 12 program promised to boost employability among senior high school (SHS) graduates, only a little over 20 percent of SHS graduates enter the labor force while 70 percent had to continue with their education.
The same discussion paper added that historically, the Filipino youth or those aged 15-24 have the lowest rates in terms of labor force participation in the ASEAN region.
In Vietnam, the paper noted that 70 percent of Vietnamese youth are in the labor force but only less than 60 percent of their counterparts in the Philippines are in the labor force, Gatchalian noted.
“Dapat nating suriin nang husto ang pagpapatupad ng K to 12 upang matiyak na natutupad nito ang layuning makapaghatid ng dekalidad na edukasyon at isulong ang pagiging competitive ng ating mga kabataan,” the lawmaker stressed.