ACT: K-12 review long overdue

MANILA, Philippines — A group of militant teachers has called for a “long overdue” review of the K-12 basic education program, which it said is responsible for retarding instead of advancing the process of “molding patriotic youths.”

The Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) Philippines in a statement said the government should take bold measures to correct the “problematic program,” and push for a “nationalist, scientific, and mass-oriented education.”

It criticized the curriculum for weakening integral subjects for the development of nationalism and core values among the youth, among them Philippine History, Araling Panlipunan, and Edukasyon sa Pagpapakatao.

“The key issue with the K-12 program lies in its core objective, which aims to produce graduates who are immediately ready to work as semi-skilled and cheap laborers here and abroad,” said ACT secretary general Raymond Basilio.

The results of the 2018 Program for International Student Assessment, the National Achievement Test and the Philippine Informal Reading Inventory are also “enough causes of alarm” about the declining quality of education under the K-12 program, the group said.