What are the issues on the implementation of K-12
in the Philippines?
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4 Answers
Liam Arquero, lives in The Philippines
Answered Oct 1 2018
First issue would be the cost of additional two years of primary education. Not all public
schools can accommodate the different strands of the K-12 so the government gave
“discount coupons” to public school students to cover part of the costs that private schools
set for Grades 11 and 12. Even if it were free, the cost that two additional years entail is still a
serious issue for several parents.
Second, I’m not sure if the Education Department spread out the lessons for the primary
school years to lengthen the program or added new lessons t, but the load of my grade 2
daughter has certainly not gotten any lighter compared to my grade 12 son when he was
grade 2. I expected it to ease up. Maybe strengthened the important ones and lightened up
other subjects. Subject to debate as to which subjects of course. Take Math for example.
Some or many say that our students are lagging behind other Asian countries like
Singapore. So what do regular schools do or what does the curriculum say? They accelerate
the program by giving multiplication and fraction problems early into the primary years. My
daughter’s lessons confirm that. My daughter has also competed in a massive math quiz
game sponsored by a company that espouses Singaporean math. So why did they compete
when they were not given Singaporean methods of learning math which is apparently or
reportedly more effective. Why does the Education Department continue on with an
accelerated traditional math than just adopting Singaporean math (they allowed the
contests anyway)? Is there a business side to it - let’s keep your kids dumb so we can
promote alternative (better) maths that are obviously better than ours which costs extra of
course(?)
Third, graduating grade 12 students who decide to skip college and find a job would be
swimming right smack into the unemployment pool; I’m almost certain they wouldn’t
drown cause the pool’s all filled up most likely. They’re gonna be in there with the all the
other job-hunting undergrads and graduates.
My point is that the program, which was hastily started, brings about more
difficulties/questions than solutions. I’m not against it but I’m against how it is being
implemented. The first glaring defect is that not even all public high schools offer the
program and those that do, don’t have complete strands of grades 11 to 12. State college
education is now free, so why shouldn’t all strands of K-12 be available and given free?
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Instead of answering the question on Philippine K-12 education directly, let me post an
article written by Nick Diaz on an aspect of education and learning that seems to be
overlooked or sidetracked by various modern theories of learning. I suggest that any teacher
trying to teach teenagers should start with the basic skills and that means memorization
first, before trying to tackle higher-level application skills. Do that successfully and the
students who go through this process can learn any subject they're interested in!
This article explains why every student must go through the basic steps of learning facts,
formulae, rules, and processes by means of rote memorization so that they can then move
on to the next higher levels of applying what they learned through practice and then creating
something completely new. This explains why talented but undisciplined students who
never went through the memorization and repeated drilling process still don't know how to
write or speak a coherent sentence or paragraph: it's because they didn't memorize and
practice correct vocabulary, punctuation, grammar, and syntax and therefor can't apply
them properly to express their ideas. Without mental discipline, even the smartest person
will appear dumb and stupid, because he can't be lucky all the time.
The Road to Successful Learning
by Nick Diaz
Having inhabited the teaching trenches for 41 years and thousands of students, I’ve grown
tired of educationists telling teachers not to use the “drill and kill” method for fear of boring
our students.
At the beginning of the school year, I’ve often used a way to explain to my students how
every person must learn, breaking the learning process into three levels.
I would draw a picture of a pyramid and struck two lines parallel to the base, to indicate
three levels. Then I’d show arrows pointing from the bottom of the pyramid, the middle, and
the top, signifying that learners must go from the bottom of the pyramid to the top in order
to gain academic mastery.
First, at the base of the pyramid is memorization. Every student must memorize in order to
have a firm foundation. The base of the pyramid has the widest expanse which indicates the
importance of memorization.
The second level is teacher application, where the teacher (and/or textbooks, worksheets,
study guides) present examples to the students based upon the memorized material in the
first level. It is on this second level that students must practice, practice, practice, each time
applying what they have memorized to a myriad of different examples until their responses
become quick and automatic.
The third level is the student application level. The students must memorize the facts (1st
level), practice them in many examples until students gain quickness and confidence (2nd
level), and then they will be able to implement what they have learned into examples they
make up themselves (3rd level). Unless a student sequentially reaches the third level, he has
not really gained academic achievement.
THE LOWEST FORM OF LEARNING IS MEMORIZATION, AND LEAVING A STUDENT
AT THAT LEVEL DOOMS HIM TO LIVE WITH USELESS INFORMATION. HE MUST
LEARN TO IMPLEMENT THE MEMORIZED MATERIAL BY PRACTICING AT THE
SECOND LEVEL, AND THEN TO ORIGINATE AT THE THIRD LEVEL BEFORE IT CAN
BE SAID HE HAS ATTAINED TRUE ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT.
Every student must pass through the first and second levels to get to the third level, even the
most gifted and talented person in the world. The differences among students are
determined by the time it takes a person to go through the three levels. A truly “Gifted and
Talented” student with great intelligence can memorize faster than a less intelligent person,
and he can apply the memorized material to examples faster, then move to the third level
just as fast.
Based upon my many years of teaching experience, I’ve concluded that all students must
pass through the same learning process; it is the speed of acquisition, however, that is
determined by individual student differences.
Stoked by well-meaning but sometimes wrong-headed parents and teachers around them,
Gifted and Talented students soon get the idea that they do not have to memorize;
unfortunately, intellectual snobbery often sets in.
These students have been told that they should go right into higher-level thinking and
innovative group projects which seem much more intellectually stimulating than do
memorization and drill.
Because Gifted and Talented students have high intelligence levels, they normally can get
through elementary school without having to develop much self-discipline. All they have to
do is to listen in class, and because of their high intellect, they can generally make passing
grades – not fabulous grades, perhaps, but passing grades.
When they get to the secondary level, however, where the curriculum becomes more
sophisticated, many Gifted and Talented students cannot perform at the third level and,
consequently, hit the “brick wall.”
Because I teach at the middle school level, I’ve often seen what happens to many of these
students when they don’t have the prerequisite skills and self-discipline needed to be
successful students. They will not write a correct, complete, sophisticated sentence, often
struggling when assigned compositions. They’re generally articulate and have high intellect,
but are “handicapped” when it comes to writing their thoughts down on paper.
Of course, many of these Gifted and Talented students love doing creative projects where
they can excel; however, when it comes to writing a cogent and organized paper and
working through a well-sequenced and well-planned organizational writing project, they
falter. These students have not mastered all three levels.
Many of these same students do not want to read a classic piece of literature because the
reading level is too difficult. Because they have not learned to read with automaticity in
elementary school, they do not have the self-discipline to push themselves to read at a
higher reading level.
Typically these students are also poor spellers because they have not mastered levels one
and two. They do not gain proficiency in foreign language classes because they refuse to
memorize the sound systems and rules of syntax.
Gifted and Talented students often rebel when required to memorize grammar rules, charts,
and principal parts of various elements. These students generally choose to write the way
they “felt,” wording their compositions and punctuating according to their feelings, with
little regard for established rules of communication.
In math, I insist that my students memorize the perfect squares, powers of two, basic
fraction-decimal-percent equivalences, and the primes. For those who signed up for
Mathcounts competition, I expanded the list of memorized facts contained in the
Mathcounts Bible According to Mr. Diaz. Mathematical problem-solving becomes a more
efficient and rewarding activity when the basic formulae and relationships are previously
mastered, so that higher-level processes can take place.
Whether Mathcounts competitors or not, those students who make the decision to discipline
themselves to move through the three levels invariably develop a strong work ethic and
become high achievers. I have seen countless numbers of “strugglers” go on to establish
successful careers and strong relationships, becoming contributing members of their
communities.
I believe in this simplified version of Bloom’s Taxonomy and have seen the principles lived
out in countless students through the years. Good teachers make sure that the majority of
their students reach the highest level. Good teachers are not satisfied with their students
getting stuck at the memorization level. Good teachers do everything possible to motivate
their students to attain the highest level of thinking skills, and good administrators support
those good teachers’ efforts.
Now, two more years had been added to the Philippine high school education system. This
addition gives parents a burden to sustain their kids in school. Even before K-12 education
emerges, many parents experience difficulty in enrolling their kids to high school. With this,
the challenge doubled. Instead of going to school everyday, these children stopped schooling
and just entered the labor force.
However, investing in our kid's education is beneficial to their future. This is an example of
their salary once they finished senior high school:
Are Senior High School graduates Really Job-Ready?
Inquirer.net cited how George Vincent Pagalilauan, a graduating senior high school student
back in 2016, was able to get a job even before he graduates. This means that most of the
K12 finishers are capable to further their education to college or land a job without a college
degree. More importantly when most of the senior high schools, who improved their
educational system, equipped the students with the essential skills and knowledge to join
the workforce.
Not really an issue but...
We students don't know what lies in store for us. Our older peers, parents, and relatives
can't share to us about their old experiences because of the new system. It may not be new
to the world, but in the Philippines it is. It's like trying to breed penguins in an entire
different place, will it thrive, or will it not?
We don't know how will it affect the economy, if we can really work after graduating, and
college is somewhat a confusing thing for my family as well. I don't know if I should be
happy or sad about it, the fact that I should be college by now but I'm still in grade 11.
It's like placing a bet. I myself, am putting my trust on the government, school staff and
DepEd to lay out the pieces for us, the pioneering batch, hoping that it would all turn out
well.
(And hope that this transition would be a smooth one for us)
Well, I guess there is one issue that I've heard off. About the college teachers? Since there
would be 2 years of no first years in college... (because we'll be in grade 11 and 12!)
Other than that, I just hope the new president this coming May would continue supporting
this, because our future is in the nation's hands. :)
