A group of concerned parents on Tuesday called on lawmakers to revisit some provisions as well as the implementation of Republic Act 10533 or the Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013, commonly referred as the K to 12 Law.
In a seven-page position paper, the group Parents for Children’s Education (PACE) said it found some provisions of the RA 10533 inconsistent with how K to 12 was being implemented by some schools.
“Given all the current circumstances such as offsetting, hurrying in infrastructure and facilities, teacher and personnel retraining, re-labeling of programs, calls for deferment or suspension, and confusion among parents and schools in the K to 12 curriculum, the provision pushes urgency and priority to revisit the law, this time involving more sectors including the parents and those who have had an actual and hands on experience,” the group’s position paper said.
No consultation?
The group said that contrary to what was required under the law, no proper consultation with parents was conducted prior to the implementation of the K to 12 program.
The group further claimed that until now, majority of the parents remain clueless about the K to 12 program and its implementation.
“The manner on how consultation was conducted appeared to be doubtful. All encounters are closed to consultation, particularly if the intentions of the parties are already expressed,” the group said.
The PACE also argued that while some Parent-Teacher Associations (PTAs) may have been consulted, they did not represent the “real pulse” of the parents.
“The issue in the procedure is the representation. Many may have been consulted, but do they legitimately represent the real concerns of parents?” the group said.
“In most instances, schools lack the initiative to explain to parents the K to 12 program. Majority of K to 12 updates to parents are initiated by the parents themselves. While DepEd and school administrators are too occupied preparing the K to 12 curriculum, parents remain puzzled on the details of K to 12,” the group further said.
Ill-prepared?
The group also contended that the government was ill-prepared for the implementation of the K to 12 program, which the group said actually began in 2012, one year ahead of RA 10533’s signing into law on May 15, 2013.
Aside from the mandatory implementation of kindergarten, K to 12 added two more years in high school. Thus, a student will be required to undergo kindergarten, six years of elementary (Grades 1-6), four years of junior high school (Grades 7-10) and two years of senior high school (Grades 11-12).
The DepEd began the K to 12 implementation by launching universal kindergarten in school year 2011-2012, followed by a new curriculum for Grade 7 in school year 2012-2013. School year 2016-2017 will mark the formal implementation of the Grade 11 curriculum, to be followed by the Grade 12 curriculum in school year 2017-2018.
“Worse, with the lacking in preparation, the 2018 batch can never be a bragging accomplishment by the government because it lacks all the merits and preparations as prescribed in the law, thus, illegitimate,” the group said.
The PACE said old problems in the country’s educational systems such as shortage in classrooms and textbook, law salary of teachers as well as limited number of teachers skilled to teach the K to 12 curriculum must first be addressed before the implementation of the program.
“Prior to its signing, there have been resistance coming from different sectors. The point of contention was the government’s lack of preparation in terms of infrastructure, which includes classroom shortages. The issue on appropriate teacher student ratio has not been properly addressed. Morning and afternoon shifts are still in schedules,” the group said.
“Training of teachers still requires mastery into the proposed program. Most faculty members are finding hard time to adopt the new curriculum,” the group added.
The group also argued that the K to 12 program did not also meet one of its goals which was to decongest some of the subjects in the old curriculum.
“The two years added in the course do not provide the needed time. Students still spend more time in school as required in their current schedules. The greater amount of school works remain which is not anymore in proportion to the needed home time and recreation. School requirements are becoming too stressful to children,” the group said.
Parent representation in K to 12 assessment
Under Section 13 of RA 10533, a Joint Congressional Oversight Committee, composed of five members each from the Senate and the House of Representatives, is tasked “to oversee, monitor and evaluate the implementation of the Act.”
The PACE, however, said that the legislators “who pushed and rushed K to 12” would most likely be the same ones who would sit in the Joint Congressional Oversight Committee.
