A SURVEY commissioned by a senator indicates a growing dissatisfaction with the K to 12 education program, which was adopted in the Philippines 10 years ago.
“It is clear from the voices of our countrymen that they are not satisfied with the K to 12 program,” Senator Sherwin T. Gatchalian, who commissioned the survey conducted from June 24-27, said in Filipino in a statement on Monday.
The Pulse Asia survey showed that 44% of 1,200 respondents are unhappy with the current system. This is 16 percentage points higher compared to the results of a similar survey done in September 2019.
“This is because its promises are not being fulfilled and it has only become an additional burden on our parents and students,” said Mr. Gatchalian, who will likely chair the Senate Committee on Basic Education, Arts and Culture Committee.
The K-12 curriculum covers mandatory kindergarten, six years of primary education, four years of Junior High School, and two years of Senior High School.
“We must carefully review the implementation of the K to 12 program to ensure that it fulfills the goal of delivering quality education and promoting the competitiveness of our youth,” he said.
The senator has filed Senate Resolution 5 seeking to investigate the implementation of Republic Act 10533 or the K to 12 law.
Another survey that Mr. Gatchalian commissioned in December 2019 revealed that dissatisfaction with senior high school was mostly due to the additional financial burden.
While the K to 12 program promised to boost employability among senior high school graduates, only a little over 20% were able to enter the labor force while 70% continued with their education, according to the Philippine Institute for Development Studies.
Those aged 15 to 24 have the lowest rates in terms of labor force participation in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations region, it added.
Vice-President Sara Z. Duterte-Carpio, the concurrent Education secretary, has said that President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. asked her to review the country’s K-12 educational system.
