BACOLOD CITY, Negros Occidental, Philippines –Will it or will it not?
Or better yet, should it or should it not?
The debate on whether the K-12 curriculum should be continued has been raging since the Department of Education implemented the program in 2012.
Issues were raised against it, most of which are from parents who think that the added two years also mean added expense. People supporting the program on the other hand said it is a good opportunity for students to learn only what is essential especially during their tertiary years when professional subjects are offered. Mentors also noted how products of the K12 curriculum seem more mature, more skilled and generally better adjusted than their non-K12 counterparts. The added two years, it appears, had an impact on the way they receive learnings.
K-12, when it was implemented in 2012, had been met with quite a bit of resistance, some from parents, others from students, and some from the education sector. There was some transition, in certain parts rough, from old to new.
But what really is the K-12 curriculum?
The DepEd in its official website said that the K12 was geared towards preparing learners to become equipped with the demands of the 21st century.
K-12 refers to the education program plus12 years of basic education (six years of primary education, four years of Junior High School, and two years of Senior High School.
The addition of two years of Senior High School has caused a polarized discussion among stakeholders.
The following are the subjects in the basic K-12 curriculum, from Grades 1 through 10: Mother Tongue, Filipino, English, Mathematics, Science, Araling Panlipunan, Edukasyon sa Pagpapakatao, Music, Arts, Physical Education, Health, and Edukasyong Pantahanan at Pangkabuhayan.
Students from Grades 9 to 12 may also take the Technology and Livelihood Education, with the following specializations: Agri-Fishery Arts, Home Economics, Information and Communications Technology, and Industrial Arts.
By the time they get to Senior High School, the learners are allowed to choose from four academic specialized strands: Humanities and Social Sciences (HUMSS) Strand, Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Strand, and Accountancy, Business and Management (ABM); and General Academic Strand.
There are seven Learning Areas under the Core Curriculum: Languages, Literature, Communication, Mathematics, Philosophy, Natural Sciences, and Social Sciences.
The core curriculum subjects are Oral Communication, Reading and Writing, Komunikasyon at Pananaliksik sa Wika at Kulturang Pilipino, Pagbasa at Pagsusuri ng Iba’t-Ibang Teksto Tungo sa Pananaliksik, 21st Century Literature from the Philippines and the World, Contemporary Philippine Arts from the Regions, Media and Information Literacy, General Math, Statistics and Probability, Earth and Life Science, Physical Science, Introduction to the, Philosophy of the Human Person, Physical Education and Health, Personal Development, Understanding Culture, Society and Politics, Earth Science (taken instead of Earth and Life Science for those in the STEM Strand); and Disaster Readiness and Risk Reduction (taken instead of Physical Science for those in the STEM Strand).
Applied Track Subjects are English for academic and Professional Purposes, Practical Research 1, Practical Research 2, Filipino sa Piling Larangan, Akademik, Isports, SiningTech-voc, Empowerment Technologies (for the strand), Entrepreneurship, Inquiries, Investigatories, and Immersion.
Specialized subjects are also offered for each strand.
