NPTA: K to 12 ineffective, does not solve employability issues

National Parents-Teachers Association President Willy Rodriguez, on Saturday,  criticized the effectiveness of the K to 12 curriculum and should be done away with.

In a Super Radyo dzBB interview, Rodriguez commended President  Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. for ordering the simplification of the current education curriculum.

“Napakagandang desisyon po 'yan... Hindi effective ang ating K to 12... Naka-design ito na pang-OFW... Ibalik  ang K to 10, 'wag nang K to 12,” Rodriguez said.

(That’s such a good decision… Our K to 12 is not effective… It is designed for OFWs… K to 10 should be re-implemented, not K to 12)

“Ilang beses na  naming nabatikos [ang K to 12]... Ang pinakamagandang gawin ay tanggalin na 'yan dahil hindi kapaki-pakinabang,” he added.

(We have criticized the K to 12 program so many times… The best thing to do is to remove it because it’s not beneficial)

He also backed the President’s statement on how the curriculum did not increase students' employability.

He further said that the K to 12 program only served as a burden to students and parents and that many senior high graduates remained unemployed.

“'Yung mga kumpanya ay hindi tumatanggap ng mga graduate ng senior high... Hindi ito  effective... Ayon sa mga pag-aaral at diskusyon, ang employability ay  hindi nasusunod... Hindi masakripisyo ng mga kumpanya na kukuha sila ng  senior high graduates—college graduates ang kinukuha nila,” he said.

(Companies do not accept senior high graduates… This is not effective… According to studies and discussions, employability does not follow… Companies  will not sacrifice to take in senior high graduates—They will take  college graduates)

As an alternative, he suggested that teachers undergo free seminars and retraining and that history,  engineering, and technology subjects needed to be focused on.

“'Yung ating pagiging makabayan, medyo nawawala kaya dapat ibalik ang history. Sa ating curriculum, ang engineering, technology, IT—‘Yan ang mga dapat tignan dahil 'yan ang mas malaki ang sweldo at regular ang trabaho,”  said Rodriguez.

(Our patriotism is fading, so history should be brought back. In our curriculum, engineering, technology, and IT are what we should look into because these pay well and offer regular  jobs.)

On Friday, Marcos said he and incoming Education Secretary Sonny Angara were discussing the state of employment of the country's graduates.

"There are two  elements we paid attention to specifically... No. 1, ginawa natin 'yung K to 12 dahil hinahanap ang years of training sa ating mga nag-apply at  sinasabi dito sa Pilipinas kulang dahil 10 years… That was the reason we did it para employable 'yung mga graduate natin," Marcos said in an  ambush interview in Sulu.

(The K to 12 program was implemented because employers tend to look at the years of job applicants'  training. In the Philippines, it's only 10 years... That was the reason  we did it so our graduates would be employable.)

"Pero kung  titignan natin ang naging resulta, hindi tumaas, hindi gumanda ang  employability nila. So we have to do something else. Kaya we were  examining things like mini-courses, three to six na buwan, one-year  short courses para sa mga specialty," he added.

(But if we look at the results, it did not improve their employability. So we have  to do something else; therefore, we are examining things like  mini-courses lasting three to six months, or one-year short courses for  specialty.)

The Department of Education is reviewing curricula that produce more job-ready and responsible senior high graduates. — DVM/KG, GMA Integrated News