Senator Sherwin Gatchalian said Saturday he would push for an oversight review of the Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013 or the K to 12 law should he be re-elected.
In a release, Gatchalian claimed the implementation of the K to 12 program is hounded by challenges such as a congested curriculum, and inadequate teacher preparation and training.
“Patuloy nating susuriin ang mga naging kakulangan sa K to 12 program upang matiyak na naaabot natin ang mga layunin nitong makapaghatid ng dekalidad na edukasyon,” the chair of the Senate committee on basic education, arts and culture said.
Results of the 2018 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) showed the Philippines scored the lowest in reading comprehension among 79 participating countries. The Philippines also got second lowest scores in mathematics and science.
According to Gatchalian, there is also a need to revisit the work readiness of senior high school (SHS) graduates. The K to 12 law sought to boost the employment of Filipino youth.
“Maliban sa pagsusuri sa K to 12 program, patuloy nating isusulong ang mga reporma upang matiyak na hindi napag-iiwanan ang ating mga mag-aaral pagdating sa dekalidad na edukasyon tungo sa mas maayos na trabaho,” he said.
A 2020 discussion paper by the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) showed that based on eight quarters of the Labor Force Survey, only a little over 20% of SHS graduates entered the labor force and more than 70% chose to pursue higher education.
A 2018 PIDS study also showed that students were not confident they could get a job after graduating from SHS.
