Should K-12 program be abolished? Angara says law should be followed

Incoming Education Secretary Senator Sonny Angara on Thursday maintained that the K to 12 program has already been institutionalized under the law and therefore should be followed.

Angara, who is set to replace Vice President Sara Duterte as head of the Department of Education (DepEd), made the remark amid calls for him to scrap the K-12 program which added two more years to the country’s basic education.

“‘Yung K to 12, batas ho ‘yan eh. So habang nandyan ang batas, obligado ho kaming sundan itong K to 12 na 12 years ang curriculum, tapos may Kindergarten hanggang Grade 12,” he said in an Unang Balita interview. 

(The K to 12 program is already a law. So while there is law, we are obligated to follow that there will be a curriculum from Kindergarten to Grade 12.)

Angara himself was one of the authors of Republic Act No. 10533 or the Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013, which institutionalized the government's K to 12 program.

The law restructured the basic education in the country by requiring Filipino students to undergo one year in Kindergarten, six years in primary school, four years in junior high school, and two years in senior high school.

Currently, the Education Department is in the process of reviewing the curriculum for Grades 11 and 12 in a bid to produce more job-ready and responsible graduates.

Angara admitted that there were a few hitches in the implementation of the senior high school program, and should thus be reviewed thoroughly.

“‘Yung pinangako na makakakuha na ng trabaho ‘yung ating mga K-12 graduates, parang hindi pa nagiging reyalidad,” he said.

(The promise that our K-12 graduates will be able to get a job hasn’t become a reality yet.).

“So ‘yan ang dapat ipukpok pa rin natin. Ayusin natin ang curriculum ng Grade 11 and Grade 12 na talagang ’yung tinuturo diyan ay ‘yung mga makakapagbigay ng trabaho sa kanila. Bukod sa kanilang personal growth, nandun ‘yung kanilang professional growth at potential na makakuha na ng trabaho,” he added.

(So that's what we would push for. Let's fix the curriculum of Grade 11 and Grade 12 so that what will be taught to them would be something that can provide them with jobs. Apart from their personal growth, they should also have professional growth and potential to get a job.)

Angara said that there needs to be coordination with the labor sector for them to also employ senior high school graduates.

No politicking in DepEd

In the same interview, Angara vowed that he will not politicize the agency which he is set to serve once the resignation of Duterte takes effect on July 19, 2024.

“Hindi natin popolitikahin itong napakahalagang departamento,” Angara said.

(We will not politicize this very important department.)

He also acknowledged that he still has a lot to learn in the education system and is willing to listen to the advice of experts and educators.

On June 19, Duterte quit as DepEd Secretary and National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) Co-Vice Chairperson, effective July 19. — RSJ, GMA Integrated News