Changes

CHANGE, as the saying goes, is the only constant thing in this world. This, however, is dependent on the kind of change on whether it is a minor or major change. It is in this context that we now seem to find ourselves in the K-12 issue.

As one of only three countries left in the world with the seemingly obsolete 10-year basic education system, our country’s college degrees are not only being ignored in other parts of the world, but more so are being taken to be nothing but a piece of paper that lacks the very weight of its claims.

The European Union set its education standards with the Bologna Process while the United States set its own with the Washington Accord. Both European and United States systems call for a 12 year basic education program for recognition of students and professionals abroad. As it is, our 10-year basic education—which we now share only with Angola and Djibouti, both African nations—falls quite short of both standards. As a result, our graduates are forced to study some more or take specialized examinations if they are to ply their specific trades in other parts of the world.

This, however, does not mean that we, Filipinos, are not as intelligent as our foreign counterparts; rather it simply means that we are losing out due to a technicality—a two-year technicality.

The K-12 basic education program attempts to remedy this.

But the changes that this program brings are both broad and sweeping. And most of us only see the additional two years in the basic program and which we misunderstand as additional financial burden; both in terms of additional two years in high school as well as the two years taken from a prospective belief that we could have entered the work force earlier.

To exacerbate the situation, several groups have called for the postponement of the full implementation of the program, the fact that the government have been preparing for this since 2011 notwithstanding.

What these groups do not seem to understand is the simple fact that postponement of the implementation would only further hurt our children’s chances at getting quality education at par with international standards.

Our English proficiency has long been an advantage for all of us, so much so that we are now slowly taking the global lead in the business process outsourcing sector. But this proficiency is slowly being overtaken by other countries—and it is not because they have found the quickest way to speaking the English language; rather it is simply due to the fact that our children are losing the ability to speak the language well.

In math and science, we have either come dead last or among the worst. This could be very well traced to the fact that other country’s basic 12-year education has been crammed into our 10-year basic education program. As a result, our basic education program has produced functional illiterates—students who can read and write but could hardly comprehend what they are reading or writing.

The new basic education program aims to correct all this—and more. It also attempts to arm our children with the necessary skills of specialization—higher education, technical and vocational, or sports and the arts. In this manner, the student can be ready for work after they graduate from high school or they can pursue degree courses in less time than it is today.

As it is, in the final reckoning, the K-12 program not only enhances our children’s chances to land jobs anywhere in the world, it also cuts the needed time for them to earn degree courses should they decide to pursue higher education.

But of course, this hinges on the simple fact that the Dept. of Education and the government as a whole would implement this program thoroughly. Otherwise, it may become just another exercise in futility.