K+12 The Department of Education this year is launching the so-called K+12 programkindergarten, six years of elementary education,

and six years high school - four years of junior high school and two years of senior high. Kindergarten refers to the 5-year old cohort that takes a standardized kinder curriculum. Elementary education refers to primary schooling that involves six or seven years of education; meanwhile secondary education refers to high school. Under the K+12, the intention is not just to add two years of schooling but more importantly to enhance the basic education curriculum. Amongst South East Asian countries, the Philippines is the only nation with a 10-year basic education cycle. The current basic education is designed to teach a 12-year curriculum, yet it is delivered in just 10 years. This quality of education is reflected in the inadequate preparation of high school graduates for the world of work or entrepreneurship or higher education. High school graduates also do not possess the basic competencies or emotional maturity essential for the world of work. About 70.9% of the unemployed are at least high school graduates and 80% of the unemployed are 15-34 years old. While the availability of economic opportunities contributes to this, it also illustrates the mismatch in the labor and education markets. The World Bank Philippines Skills Report in 2009 based on a survey of employers, serious gaps in critical skills of graduates such as problem-solving, initiative and creativity, and, to a lesser extent, gaps in job-specific technical skills. Global employers tended to look at the overall background of job applicants. Missing two years of basic education could spell doom for those who want to live as a professional abroad. In some countries Filipino engineers were classified as technicians in spite of their college diplomas because they lacked two years of basic education. The poor quality of basic education is reflected in the low achievement scores of Filipino students. Many students who finish basic education do not possess sufficient mastery of basic competencies. One reason is that students do not get adequate instructional time or time on task. The National Achievement Test (NAT) for grade 6 in SY 2009-2010 passing rate is only 69.21%. Although this is already a 24% improvement over the SY 2005-2006 passing rate, further reforms are needed to achieve substantial improvement. The NAT for high school is 46.38% in SY 2009-2010, a slight decrease from 47.40% in SY 2008-2009. 3 International tests results like 2003 TIMSS (Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study) rank the Philippines 34th out of 38 countries in HS II Math and 43rd out of 46 countries in HS II Science; for grade 4, the Philippines ranked 23rd out of 25 participating countries in both Math and Science. In 2008, even with only the science high schools participating in the Advanced Mathematics category, the Philippines was ranked lowest. Moreover, the short basic education program affects the human development of the Filipino children. A Filipino is legally a child before he or she turns 18 years old. Psychologists and educators say that children under 18 are generally not emotionally prepared for entrepreneurship or employment or higher education disciplines like deciding which course should best to take in college. Pros The goal of the K+12 Basic Education Program is to create a functional basic education system that will produce productive and responsible citizens equipped with the essential competencies and skills for both life-long learning and employment.

To the individual, an enhanced curriculum will decongest academic workload. Graduates will possess competencies and skills relevant to the job market. They will be prepared for higher education, and they could now be recognized abroad. The economy will experience accelerated growth in the long run. The objective of the K+12 program is to improve quality of basic education. Several studies have shown that the improvements in the quality of education will increase GDP growth by as much as 2%. Studies in the UK, India and US show that additional years of schooling also have positive overall impact on society. Cons Sectors question the wisdom of the program given the current resource gapslack of classrooms, lack of trained teachers, lack of funding, among many othersand the failure so far to raise the quality of education in general, specifically in science, math and English. Others say the program might be flawed as it is pushed upon legislation on a hurry and might not carefully plan well. As of the parents of students covered by the program, this will definitely another outlays on their pockets considering the expenses of the additional two year schooling,
As far as the curriculum is concerned, DepEd should fix the current subjects instead of adding new ones. The problem is the content, not the length, of basic education. As an editorial put it, we need to have better education, not more education, said The Philippine Star columnist Isagani Cruz. Assessment

The Enhanced K+12 Basic Education Program will be instrumental in achieving the nations vision of a high school graduate. The benefits of the program far outweigh the cons. Employing this program does not mean an additional years of education. When you look at total number of years, its not going to add two years because you include less years in the university and more in basic education. When basic education is weak, the foundation is weak. With the present system of learning here in the Philippines, we have to start with good basic education. Without solid basic education then you are not addressing the problem of unemployment. Graduates of the 10-year basic education system, whose average age is 16, are mostly unemployable. Employment age is 18. Parents, as well as critics should view the two more years of basic education as a worthy investment, because technically, they dont have to shell out extra money for tuition since the government would appropriate funds for that. We should be thankful that the government is putting attention upon the education, although they should first fill in the resource gaps in the country. Its not about just producing graduates but producing quality graduates competitive enough to work alongside the globalized economy.