DepEd to implement senior high a year earlier

INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—Due President Benigno Aquino’s wish to see the K to 12 reform through during his term, the Department of Education is to begin implementation of senior high school in June 2015, a year earlier than originally scheduled.

“Our original plan for Grade 11 nationwide is to commence by June 2016, but the President wanted half of the Grade 11 students to already start by June 2015, one year earlier,” Education Secretary Armin Luistro said.

“That’s why you will find the 2014 budget [includes an allocation for] classrooms. Around 15,000 classrooms will be constructed for the first batch of Grade 11 students for 2015,” he added.

Malacañang has proposed a P336.9-billion budget for DepEd next year.

DepEd originally proposed a P334 billion budget for 2014, up from its budget for this year of P293.4 billion. But Malacañang added nearly P3 billion to advance the implementation of senior high school.

Assistant education secretary for planning Jesus Mateo said the House allocated another P1 billion for a school feeding program, for a total approved budget of P337.9 billion.

Under the original plan, Grade 11, or the first of the two additional senior high school years, was supposed to start nationwide in June 2016.

A major policy reform under the Aquino administration, the K to 12 (Kindergartten to Grade 12) reform provides for the gradual overhaul of the basic education curriculum which now consists of one-year preschool, six years of elementary and six years of high school.

Kindergarten became mandatory in 2011.

The following year, DepEd began to revise the curriculum beginning with Grade 1 and 7 (formerly first year high school).

The revised curriculum for Grade 2 and 8 was implemented this school year, while those for Grade 3 and 9 and for Grade 4 and 10 were due in 2014 and 2015, respectively.

Under the original schedule, the curriculum for Grade 11 along with Grade 4 was supposed to come out in 2016 while those for Grade 12 and Grade 5 were due in 2017.

Mateo said they will release this month the complete curriculum for all grade levels, including those for Grades 11 and 12 (senior high school).

He said the complete curriculum  will be presented this month to the multi-sectoral steering committee composed of the heads of DepEd, the Commission on Higher Education and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority.