DepEd K to 12: Blogging

Alvin Murcia of Journal online wrote:

"....Domingo Alidon (president of National Employees Union of Department of Education) expressed surprise upon learning that some of them are bloggers, a job that can be done by the personnel of the communications unit of DepEd. 

“Mayroon na tayong communications unit, hindi na natin kailangan ang mga blogger,” said Alidon.

Instead of paying the salaries of these “bloggers/consultants” the money should be used as chalk allowance of teachers in public schools...."


Does DepEd really hire and pay bloggers? I do not know.

But here is an example of a blog that is in favor of DepEd K to 12 and it does illustrate a pattern seen in others that support the new curriculum (My comments are in red)


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What is K to 12?


K to 12 simply means Kindergarten to Grade 12. Before the K to 12 program, the Philippines is implementing a 10-year basic education system with six years of elementary education and four years of high school education. In the new K to 12 program of the Department of Education, there will be a mandatory Kindergarten, six years of elementary education, four years of junior high school, and two years of senior high school.

This is a standard description of DepEd K to 12. It correctly uses the phrase "K to 12".

In a nutshell, the K to 12 basic education program is a decongested education system with a learner-centered curriculum producing globally competitive graduates.
This sentence carries DepEd's buzzwords "decongested", "learner-centered", and "globally competitive"


Five Key Benefits of the K to 12 Basic Education Program


The following are the standard selling points of the new curriculum.

1. It will produce globally competitive graduates


The K to 12 program answers the need for a 12-year education system which is at par with international standards such as the Washington Accord and the Bologna Accord. Graduates of the K to 12 program will be perceived with increased competency and have better global opportunities.

I am not really sure what the Washington and Bologna Accord have to do with basic education. These are agreement between countries on higher education. The Washington Accord is for engineering:


"The Washington Accord signed in 1989 was the first - it recognises substantial equivalence in the accreditation of qualifications in professional engineering, normally of four years duration."

For the Bologna Accord CNN writes:

"Forty European countries have committed to simplifying and standardizing their graduate and post-graduate education systems under an agreement called the Bologna Accord.

The voluntary agreement is designed to synchronize the structure and standards of courses, making it easier for participants to move easily between European universities and business schools."



There is no international standard for basic education. K to 12 has nothing to do with the standards set by both Washington and Bologna agreements. These are for higher education.


2. Students will learn more easily


The improved basic education curriculum is decongested and focused. Students will have more time learning core academic areas thus ensuring better comprehension. Also, pupils from Grade 3 and below will be thought in their mother tongue to ensure better understanding of basic concepts.

Merely changing the curriculum does not guarantee that students will learn more easily. The new curriculum carries shorter instructional hours and now includes mother tongue instruction in addition to Filipino and English. At the heart of curriculum reform is the teacher, which this new program has ignored. Kindergarten teaching has been delegated to volunteers who are paid 3000 pesos a month.

3. Students will be free to pursue their passion


The new curriculum will be learner-centered. Students will be allowed to choose elective subjects and specializations which they really want. The students will love learning more and will grow to their full potential. Whether the students want to be professionals, businessmen, artists or athletes, theirs skills and talents will be honed and nurtured.

Basic education, elementary and high school, is expected for all. In fact, it is compulsory in other countries. Basic means essential and it is not a matter of choice. Pursuing one's passion is already a matter of either vocational or higher education.

4. There will be savings on college tuition fees


Grade 11 and 12 takes the form of a two-year college education. In a public school, this is tuition-free. In effect, the number of year of college courses will decrease because of redundancies. Those who will pursue college will have fewer years to pay for. Graduates will also receive training certifications, which reduces the need to study a vocational course.

College education is very different from education in high school. There may be a repetition in subjects but the environment and pace are not the same as in high school. If there is indeed an equivalence then higher education institutions in the Philippines are not doing their job properly.

5. It will reduce unemployment rate and improve the economy


With the increased competence and workmanship due to TESDA-like trainingand college-like education included in the new curriculum, the graduates will become highly employable, reducing the rate of unemployment in the Philippines. Those who are passionate about starting businesses will be enabled to open more job opportunities.

One must look at the reasons behind unemployment. Unemployment is not solely decided by the labor market. And the same is true for the economy. Starting businesses require not only a passion but more importantly, capital.

The K to 12 basic education program aims not only to produce better graduates but also to improve the quality of life of the country as a whole. What is asked from us as Filipino citizens is that we support the program in whatever ways we can, share the information to others and, most of all, believe in the success of this program.
 

The government must be the first one to show its full support for the program by first funding appropriately and adequately the kindergarten portion of the new curriculum. 

Comments

  1. the comment of the blogger is not convincing...
    evidences should be stated as Means of verification in every statement

    ReplyDelete
  2. the comment of the blogger is not convincing...
    evidences should be stated as Means of verification in every statement

    ReplyDelete
  3. If you cannot see that hiring volunteers and paying them 3000 pesos a month is a very lame implementation of the program, no evidence will convince you. If you do not see that the problems lie in higher education (where faculty lack degrees beyond the bachelors) such that high school subjects like algebra are taught, no data will convince you. If you read the articles on this blog and still not see any problems with DepEd's K to 12, then there is nothing that can convince you.

    ReplyDelete

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