Lack of materials, facilities

still hound K to 12
implementation
Published June 2, 2014 10:41am
By AMITA LEGASPI, GMA News

(Updated 11:14 a.m.) In the last three years, Grade 7 students of

Caloocan High School had to buy workbooks for their Filipino subject as
there were no learning materials issued by the Department of Education
delivered to their school.

During the school year 2013-2014, on the other hand, the workbooks for
Lakan Dula High School in Tondo, Manila, arrived during the 3rd and 4th
quarters. Before these arrived, teachers had to photocopy materials and
distribute these to their students.

The unavailability of learning materials is just one of the problems still

hounding the country’s new basic education program, K to 12, in the
three years of its implementation.

Yen Paunan, a Grade 7 Filipino teacher at Caloocan High School, said

they are utilizing “Kayumanggi,” a textbook used in the previous
curriculum, in their classes due to the absence of reference materials
from DepEd.

“Mga three years na ang K to 12 this school year pero kulang pa rin sa
mga need ng mga bata like books na akma sa curriculum. Sa Filipino,
ang nagiging reference namin ay workbook,” the teacher for 11 years
told GMA News Online.
“Ngayong pasukan, 'di ko pa sure (kung merong librong darating) pero
last year wala pa. Kung meron man, hindi lahat ay angkop para sa K to
12. So basically 'yung mga textbook talaga ang kulang para sa
implementation ng K to 12,” Paunan added.

Conrado Contreras, head of Lakan Dula High School’s Music, Arts,

Physical Education and Health (MAPEH) department, said the lack of
learning materials, facilities and manpower were among the problems
teachers are facing in the implementation of K to 12.

“OK naman 'yung K to 12 pero ang problema hindi on time ang

pagbibigay ng materials, kulang pa, kaya nanggagaling na sa sariling
bulsa ng mga teachers 'yung pampuno, 'yung pang-photocopy. 'Yung iba
ngang teachers nagdadala ng sarili nilang overhead projectors. E saan
naman kukunin ng mga teachers ang pera kundi sa sarili nilang bulsa?”
he said in a phone interview.

Contreras, who took part in the DepEd seminar dubbed “Consultative

Workshops for the Validation of the K to 12 Curriculum Framework and
Standards” for Physical Education in 2011 and one of the trainers of the
teachers, has been teaching for the past 25 years.

“Maganda ang programa sana pero hindi plantsado e. Hindi planadong

maigi kaya kulang 'yung mga gamit at libro. Paanong makakapag-aral
mabuti ang mga estudyante kung wala silang nagagamit?” Contreras
further said.

DepEd admits delay in delivery of materials

Under the K to 12 program, universal kindergarten began in school year

2011-2012 while the enhanced curriculum for Grade 1 and Grade 7 or
First Year Junior High School was implemented in school year 2012-
2013. Grade 11 will be rolled out in school year 2016-2017. The first
batch of students who will go through the full K to 12 system will
graduate in 2014.

Elvin Uy, K to 12 program coordinator of the Department of Education,

admitted that there have been delays in the past in the delivery of
learning materials such as activity sheets and modules for the students.
For this year, they are targeting to deliver them during the first week of
classes.

“Meron talagang sitwasyon na hindi nakakarating o hindi natatanggap.

'Yun inaayos ngayon,” he said.

“Tapos na ma-develop 'yung mga materials pero hindi ko lang sigurado

kung nakarating na sa mga schools. Ang target niyan unang linggo pero
kung may delay sa delivery, ang ginagamit naman ay 'yung textbook sa
dating curriculum,” he added.

He added that the entire curriculum for K to 12 is posted on the DepEd

website.

DepEd earlier said all the shortages in resources such as classrooms,

teacher items, textbooks and chairs will be addressed by the end of
2013.

Contreras and Paunan, however, believe otherwise.

“Sinasabi nila wala nang kakulangan sa classrooms pero in reality hindi

ganun. 'Yung MAPEH e hindi naman nila binibilang na kailangan ng
room dahil sa grounds naman daw ang PE. Pero sinasabi ko nga paano
naman 'yung Music, Arts at Health e theory-based 'yung pagtuturo nun?
Kailangan ng kwarto. Kaya ngayon sa corridor ginagawa ang MAPEH
subjects dahil walang in-allot na rooms,” Contreras said.

Teachers’ sacrifice

He lamented that teachers have to shoulder the shortcomings of the

government, which has yet to recognize their sacrifice as they have not
responded to their appeal for salary increase.

“Kung walang materials, sino ang magpo-provide? Ang teacher kukuha

sa sarili niyang bulsa. E wala na rin naman siyang pera tapos bawal pa
maningil sa mga estudyante para sa mga materials. Kung walang
classrooms, ang teacher mapipilitan na magturo sa mas maraming
estudyante o magturo nang mas maraming klase,” he said.

Paunan said in the K to 12 program, teachers need to ensure that the

level of competency of their students match those prescribed in the
curriculum.

“Dapat i-assess muna namin kung ano ang kakayahan ng bata. Sa

allotted one month namin, allowed kami turuan 'yung mga bata. Kung
kinakailangang turuan magbasa, 'yun muna ang uunahin namin. Mahirap
kasi ipaunawa sa mga bata ang lesson kung sa umpisa pa lang ay hirap
na ang bata kaya back to basic kami,” she said.

She added that to do this, the teachers can visit the student at home and
talk with the parents.

“Challenge para sa amin kasi kailangan pang kausapin talaga 'yung

magulang para lang masigurong walang magda-drop out,” she said.
She said the good thing with the program is teachers are given a free
hand to implement out-of-the-box strategies to convey the lessons to
their students.

“Mas malaya ang mga teachers sa pagtuturo. Nasa stratehiya ng guro

kung paano matututo ang mga bata. Ang mahalaga sa amin ay
nakakasunod kami sa aming budget of work,” said Paunan.

Contreras said because of the zero fail or dropout policy under the K to
12 program, teachers need to work doubly hard to give problematic
students a remedial program.

“Hindi na pwedeng iwan ang bata. Kailangang turuang maigi dahil

kailangang iwasang mag-drop out,” he said.

He said to help the teachers follow the K to 12 program, they are given a
five-day in-service training on how to implement it.

Unfortunately, during this year’s training, two teachers died due to

severe heat at the venue, said Contreras. He said one was a Social
Studies teacher while the other was a Home Economics teacher.

He said the training is the easier part of the program and implementation
is the harder part especially with the lack of materials.

“Sinabi sa curriculum na dapat may technology skills pero wala ka

namang gamit, walang computer. So ang teacher magdadala ng sarili
niyang overhead projector para makita ng mga estudyante 'yung
Powerpoint presentation,” added Contreras.
Under the K to 12 program, every graduate is expected to be equipped
with information, media and technology skill; learning and innovation
skills; effective communication skills; and life and career skills.

Concerns on senior high school

Contreras further said that DepEd has yet to respond to queries

regarding the salary of teachers who will teach in senior high school.

“Hindi pa nila masagot kung sino ang magpapasweldo. 'Pag tinatanong

namin, ang sinasabi ng mga opisyal ay ''Wag muna 'yan. Curriculum
muna ang pag-usapan.' Dapat planado 'yan, 'di ba?” he said.

Contreras added that school facilities pose another problem.

“Saang lugar naman ilalagay 'yung mga senior high school kung ngayon
pa lang e puno na ang paaralan? Siyempre may mga bagong
estudyante na papasok sa Grade 7 at andyan pa rin 'yung mga dating
estudyante,” he said.

Senior High School is a two-year specialized upper secondary education

aimed at preparing the graduates for higher education, entrepreneurship,
further middle skills development, or joining the workforce immediately
after high school.

Students may choose a specialization based on aptitude, interests, and

school capacity. Their choice of career track will define the content of the
subjects they will take in Grades 11 and 12.

Lakan Dula High School, which at present has 5,000 students, was
chosen to offer the track on Technical-Vocational-Livelihood particularly
on information technology and culinary skills. The other tracks are
Academic, and Sports and Arts.

Those who will take the Academic track can choose Business,
Accountancy, Management (BAM); Humanities, Education, Social
Sciences (HESS); and Science, Technology, Engineering, and
Mathematics (STEM).

On the part of DepEd, Uy said they are still in the process of getting the
recommendations and proposals of their regional directors on which
schools will be tapped to offer the senior high school program and what
specialization they will offer.

“Kailangan namin 'yun para sa strategic planning namin, para sa budget

season masabi na namin sa Kongreso kung magkano ang kailangan ng
DepEd para dito. Kahit na sa 2016 pa magsisimulang i-implement 'yung
senior high school, dapat nasa budget na 'yun ng 2015 para malaman
'yung paglalaanang facilities, at anong klaseng teachers ang dapat
kunin,” he said.

Contreras and Paunan both agree that K to 12 is a good program as it

provides direction for the students but its end will not be realized if the
concerns will not be addressed soon.

“Kung wala kang kwarto, kung wala kang teachers, kung wala kang
reference materials, paano mo mai-implement nang maayos ang
programa?” said Contreras. —KG, GMA News
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