Filipinos are known to be competitive in the international community but our education system hinders us from becoming even more competitive. The Senior High School program offers a solution to that problem.

The implementation of Senior High School program is the key to national development. Though the government faces many problems as it implements the program over the course of several years, it is a necessary improvement since increasing the quality of education is critical to nation’s success.

According to newly designated DepEd Secretary Leonor Magtolis Briones, the opposition is understandable especially from parents who would have to shoulder the increased costs of education due to the two additional years in secondary education.

She added that the program is beneficial in the long-term to make the country’s education system at par with the rest of the world, which has 12 years of primary and secondary education. Filipinos abroad face discrimination in the workplace and get lower ranks because they lack two years of secondary education without the K to 12 in place.

Briones said the K to 12 also offers technical vocation courses for students who wish to seek employment immediately after senior high school.

Isagani Cruz (2010) in one of his columns in a local newspaper, mentioned the following ways that the K-12 particularly the Senior High School program will be beneficial for the Filipinos:

a) Sufficient Instructional Time- Students will have sufficient instructional time for subject-related tasks, making them more prepared in every subject area. In 2008, for instance, international test results revealed that Filipinos were behind compared to other countries when we finished dead last in math.

b) More Skilled and Competent Labor Force- The graduates of this program will be more prepared to enter the labor force. High school graduates of the 10-year curriculum were not yet employable since they were not competent or well–equipped enough for the workplace.

c) Recognition as Professionals Abroad – Filipino graduates will be automatically recognized as professionals abroad because we are following the international education standard as practiced by all other nations.

d) Help Filipinos Gain a Competitive Edge – Our students have trailed behind students around the world in the areas of Mathematics, Languages and Science. The new curriculum is aims to fix that problem.

Therefore, we must support the Senior High School program to help improve national educational system and economy.

Remember that CHANGE in our society starts with education.

by:   ROSALIO P. ARANGCO

        Senior Education Program Specialist

        Planning & Research Section