‘K-12’ education reform project to be launched on Tuesday

MANILA, Philippines – President Benigno Aquino III and education officials are set to formally launch on Tuesday the Kindergarten to Year 12 (K to 12) basic education reform program, a project whose phased implementation is to be completed by 2018.

Aquino, Education Secretary Armin Luistro, Higher Education Chairperson Patricia Licuanan and Technical-Vocational Education Director General Joel Villanueva will lead the April 24 launch in Malacañang, the Department of Education said.

The occasion also marks the launch of the new K-12 curriculum for Grade 1 and First Year high school (Grade 7), which would debut in public schools in June.

K-12 is the flagship education program of the Aquino administration that aims to improve the quality of Filipino high school graduates through the addition of two years of senior high school.

During the additional years, students may choose to specialize on vocational training, music and the arts, sports or agriculture to give them more options after high school, that is, whether to proceed to college or already start working with a high school diploma.

Incoming first year high school students in June will be the first batch of public school students to enter the additional senior high school level by 2016.

This month, Luistro also issued guidelines for the implementation of the new curriculum through Department Order No. 31.

“K to 12 will be implemented starting with the roll out of Grades 1 and 7 in all public elementary and secondary schools. Private schools are enjoined to do the same. They may further enhance the curriculum to suit their school vision/ mission,” Luistro said.

Describing the new curriculum, DepEd said the new 12-year basic education content is designed as a spiral which “builds on the same concepts developed in increasing complexity and sophistication starting from grade school.”

The first batch of senior high school graduates are expected in March 2018.