ORIENTATION Students of Barangka National High School in Marikina City attend an orientation meeting on the entry of Grade 11 students under the K-12 program. Classes open today in public elementary and high schools nationwide. NIÑO JESUSORBETA
Except for some “minor” problems, outgoing Education Secretary Armin Luistro said the first day of the implementation of the senior high school (SHS) program made the opening of this school year “one of the best.”
Despite the full implementation of the K to 12 program being met by protests, Luistro said that based on the Department of Education (DepEd)’s monitoring, they have not seen any glitches that are difficult to address.
Luistro said this during his inspection at Commonwealth High School in Quezon City with the incoming Education Secretary and former National Treasurer Leonor Briones on Monday.
“Sa akin lang ha, ito ang one of the best openings ng school year. Wala akong masyadong narinig, kahit sa mga media reports, na malakihan at malawakang problema,” Luistro said in a press conference.
(For me, this is one of the best openings of a school year. I didn’t hear reports, even from the media, about big or widespread problems.)
“(The problems) really are very, very solvable. Ang minomonitor kasi namin ay kung merong insurmountable na problem na talagang systemic; so far, wala (What we’re monitoring are indurmountable problems that are systemic; so far, there have been none),” he said.
READ: Glitches mar senior high program
Both Luistro and Briones, an appointee of President-elect Rodrigo Duterte, urged the public to cooperate with them and to give the new education system a chance.
In different areas, protests were held early Monday to oppose the K to 12 implementation. Youth for Nationalism and Democracy (YND) held a protest in front of the DepEd office slamming the government for commercializing education.
In Quezon City, League of Filipino Students (LFS) members holding placards gathered in front of Batasan Hills National High School demanding the suspension of K to 12.
Meanwhile in Pasig City, teachers of Rizal High School held a “silent protest” against the school principal for pushing through with the K to 12 implementation despite the lack of facilities, teachers and books for senior high school students. JE
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