1M signatures vs K to 12 eyed

Activist youth groups against the government’s K to 12 program hope to get at least a million signatures nationwide supporting the abolition of the education reform program, which they said will “increase joblessness in the country.”

Youth groups such as the League of Filipino Students (LFS), National Union of Students in the Philippines and the College Editors Guild of the Philippines spearheaded the launch of the signature campaign on Friday in front of Ramon Magsaysay National High School in Manila.

LFS deputy secretary general Aries Gupit said the signatures that they would be able to collect throughout the country would be sent to the Department of Education and Commission on Higher Education, among others.

“With the signatures, we will be able to show to the government the number of Filipinos against the K to 12,” Gupit said. He added that they are also looking into the possibility of using the signatures as a supporting document in future legal actions against the K to 12.

The education reform program makes kindergarten compulsory and adds two years of senior high school to the country’s current 10-year basic education program. Students entering senior high school in 2016 have four tracks to choose from: academic, technical-vocational livelihood, sports, and arts and design.

According to the DepEd primer introducing the K to 12 program, the Philippines is the last country in Asia and one of only three countries worldwide with a 10-year pre-university cycle (Angola and Djibouti are the other two). A 12-year program is also the recognized standard for students and professionals globally.