The K-12 curriculum will give students time to master basic academic skills as well as to

participate in co-curricular and community activities.

A recent change in the Philippines educational system was implemented starting in
2011. President Aquino signed the K-12 education into law in 2013, adding three years
to the countrys basic education curriculum.
The new K-12 curriculum guide requires all Filipino students to have one year of
kindergarten, six years of elementary schooling (grades 1 to 6), four years of junior high
school (grades 7 to 10), and two years of senior high school (grades 11 to 12).
The rationale
Prior to the implementation of the K-12 curriculum guide, the Philippines was one of
only three countries in the world and the only one in Asia that still had only 10 years in
basic education.
This has always been seen as a disadvantage for our students who are competing in an
increasingly global job market.
The longer educational cycle of the K-12 curriculum is seen as critical in giving Filipino
students a higher quality of education.
The Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization Innotech (SEAMEOInnotech) found the previous 10-year educational cycle to be congested, with a 12-year
curriculum squished into 10 years.
As a result, Filipino students have trailed behind students around the world in the areas
of math, languages and science. The new curriculum is aimed to fix that.
The K-12 curriculum is designed to enable graduates to join the work force right after
high school, and suitably prepare those who want to go on to higher education.
The new curriculum will also support college graduates seeking work abroad.
Developed countries, according to the Department of Educations (DepEd) briefer, view
the 10-year education cycle as insufficient.
All in all, the enhanced K-12 curriculum is designed to provide a holistic education for
all. Now decongested, it will give students ample time to master basic academic skills
as well as to participate in co-curricular and community activities.
What it means for students
The transition began in 2011, when the universal kindergarten was introduced. Starting
in 2012, schools already implemented the curriculum decongestion mentioned in the
DepEd briefer.
Public schools began having half-day classes for grade one students, with the mother
tongue as the medium of instruction. Private schools also made adjustments in their
own DepEd accredited curricula.
The adaptation of the K-12 curriculum guide means that students will graduate a bit
older compared to those who graduated under the 10-year education cycle.
Far from being disadvantageous, however, DepEd states that young adults graduating
at age 18 or so will be more prepared to take on their tertiary education.
Remedial classes during the first year of college will no longer be needed, as the high
school curriculum will already be aligned with the Commission on Higher Educations
(CHED) guidelines.
The government also encourages parents to think of the K-12 curriculum guide not as
having two extra years of high school, but as two years less of higher education.

Graduates of the new educational system will already be equipped to join the workforce
right away with the help of the electives to be offered during grades 11 to 12.
The electives, or areas of specialization, will include academics for those who wish to
pursue higher studies, technical-vocational for those who want to acquire employable
skills after high school, and sports and arts for those who are inclined in the two fields.
Change is never easy, especially when it is about a big undertaking such as the
implementation of the new K-12 curriculum guide in the Philippines. It is high time,
however, that we join the rest of the world and improve the quality of our basic
education system and our graduates.

WHAT IS THE K TO 12 PROGRAM?

The K to 12 Program covers Kindergarten and 12 years of basic education (six
years of primary education, four years of Junior High School, and two years of
Senior High School [SHS]) to provide sufficient time for mastery of concepts and
skills, develop lifelong learners, and prepare graduates for tertiary education, middlelevel skills development, employment, and entrepreneurship.

sang sanaysay sa Filipino

Ang Kahalagahan ng Edukasyon (Tagalog na Sanaysay)
Ang pagkakaroon ng isang mataas at matibay na edukasyon ay isang saligan upang mabago
ang takbo ng isang lipunan tungo sa pagkakaroon ng isang masaganang ekonomiya. Mataas
na edukasyon na hindi lamang binubuhay ng mga aklat o mga bagay na natutunan sa ating
mga university at paaralan. Bagaman, kasama ito sa mga pangunahing elemento upang
magkaroon ng sapat na edukasyon, ang praktikal na edukasyon na nakabase sa ating arawaraw na pamumuhay ang siya pa ring dapat na piliting maabot. Matibay ang isang
edukasyon kung ito ay pinagsamang katalinuhan bunga ng mga pormal na pag-aaral
tungkol sa Mathematics, Science, English at mga bagay na tungkol naman sa buhay at kung
paano mabuhay ng maayos.
Ang edukasyon ang nagiging daan tungo sa isang matagumpay na hinaharap ng isang
bansa. Kung wala nito, at kung ang mga mamamayan ng isang lipunan ay hindi
magkakaroon ng isang matibay at matatag na pundasyon ng edukasyon, magiging mahirap

para sa kanila na abutin ang pag-unlad. Marapat lamang na maintindihan na ang edukasyon
ay siyang magdadala sa kanila sa kanilang mga inaasam na mga mithiin.
Ang unang layunin ng edukasyon ay upang magkaroon ng kaalaman sa mga bagay-bagay at
impormasyon sa kasalukuyan, sa hinaharap at sa kinabukasan. Ito ang nagsisilbing
mekanismo na humuhubog sa isipan, damdamin at pakikisalamuha sa kapwa ng isang tao.
Ito rin ang dahilan ng mga mabubuti at magagandang pangyayari sa ating mundo at
ginagalawang kapaligiran.
Ang edukasyon ay kailangan ng ating mga kabataan sapagkat ito ang kanilang magiging
sandata sa buhay sa kanilang kinabukasan. Ang kanilang kabataan ang siyang estado kung
saan nila hinahasa ang kanilang mga kaisipan at damdamin sa mga bagay na kailangan nila
sa kanilang pagtanda. Ang edukasyon ay mahalaga sapagkat ito ang nagiging daan sa isang
tao upang magkaroon ng mga kaalaman tungkol sa kanyang buhay, pagkatao at komunidad
na ginagalawan. Ito ang naghuhubog ng mga kaisipan tungo sa isang matagumpay na
mundo na kailangan ng bawat isa upang lubusang mapakinabangan ang daigdig at
malaman ang mga layunin nito.
Ang kabataan ay nararapat lamang na magkaroon ng sapat na edukasyon sa pamamagitan
ng kanilang karanasan at pormal na programa na nakukuha sa mga paaralan. Ito ang
kanilang magiging armas upang maharap nila ang mga bagay na kaakibat ng kanilang
magiging kinabukasan. At dahil sila ang ating pag-asa, nararapat lamang na ibigay natin sa
kanila ang lahat ng edukasyon na kailangan nila upang maabot nila ang mga pangarap na
nais nilang matupad. 2011 Mga Sanaysay sa Filipino.
The crafting of the ASEAN 2015 Action Plan for Philippine Higher Education is underway.
Its developmentonly one in a set of tasks to be undertaken by the agencyis in preparation for the
establishment of an ASEAN Community by 2015.
ASEAN 2015, as it is more commonly known, rose from ASEAN Vision 2020 proposed during the summit in
1997. This vision of the region as a concert of Southeast Asian nations, outward looking, living in peace,
stability and prosperity, bonded together in partnership in dynamic development and in a community of caring
societies formed the concept of a regional community.
It was not until six years later, however, that the idea was given form through the signing of Bali Concord II.
Four more years passed before the Cebu Declaration on the Acceleration of the Establishment of an ASEAN
Community by 2015 was signed during the organizations 12th summit.
In a CHED briefing paper released by its International Affairs Service (IAS) in March 2014, Chairperson Patricia
Licuanan admitted that the country needs to catch up with the much earlier preparations of its ASEAN
partners.
Apart from the action plan, Licuanan said the following need to be accomplished: (1) a policy framework for the
Internationalization of Higher Education, (2) the inclusion of more Philippine universities in the ASEAN
University Network (AUN), (3) participation in the ASEAN International Mobility of Students (AIMS) Program,
and (4) the development of a better credit transfer system and Diploma Supplement which will enable the
comparability of Philippine higher education with those of other countries.
ASEAN 2015 is based on three pillar communities: political and security, economic, and socio-cultural. CHED,
along with the Department of Education and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, fall
under the third pillar. The lead Philippine agency in the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community (ASCC) is the
Department of Social Welfare and Development.
Two key elements in the ASCC Blueprint, adopted in 2009, guide CHEDs efforts toward ASEAN 2015
promoting human development and building the ASEAN identity. The IAS document, The Role of Philippine
Higher Education in ASEAN Community Building 2015, enumerates CHED initiatives as of 10 March 2014:

Development of ASEAN 2015 Roadmap for Higher Education

Inclusion of Mindanao State University-Iligan Institute of Technology in the AUN-Southeast Asia

Engineering Education Development Network

Hosting of AUN regional conferences

Adoption of the University Mobility in Asia and the Pacific Credit Transfer Scheme

Hosting the 7th AIMS Review Meeting

Participation in ASEAN Qualifications Reference Framework (AQRF) meetings and ASEAN-AustraliaNew Zealand Free Trade Area-Economic Cooperation Work Programme workshops

Conduct of AQRF workshop

Participation in ASEAN Quality Assurance Network meetings

Inclusion in the ASEAN Citation Index

Publication of Enhanced Policies and Guidelines on Student Affairs ad Services

Distribution of electronic copies of the Guidelines for Accommodating PWDs in Post-Secondary and
Tertiary Institutions

Co-hosting the 6th International Conference on Humanoid, Nanotechnology, Information Technology,

Communication and Control, Environment, and Management with De La Salle University

Co-hosting the 1st ASEAN Future Teachers Camp with the Philippine Normal University (PNU)

Preparation of the Revised Policies, Standards, and Guidelines (PSGs) on the Student Internship
Abroad Program

Signing of memoranda with the Republic of Singapore, the Ministry of University Affairs of Thailand,
and the Ministry of Education and Training of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam

Negotiating memoranda with Indonesia and the Lao Peoples Democratic Republic

Framework for a typology-based quality assurance system for PH higher education

Reformulated PSGs into an outcomes-based education

Implementation of the Philippine Higher Education Research Network

A program for the adoption of a school or college offering BS degree in Chemistry

2010 CHED-UPLB Summer School and Camp in Mathematics

Campaign for the implementation of the Special Program for Employment of Students

Sustaining excellence in biology instruction, research, and extension at the Institute of Biological
Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences, UP ..Los Baos

The CHED-IMSP Research Program for Excellence in Mathematics

Preparation and issuance of policies and guidelines on student internship in local and international
companies

Faculty Development Program

Gender and sensitivity training

Gender and development planning and budgeting

Women Empowerment and Development towards Gender and Equality training

Harmonized Gender and Development Guidelines

APEC Diploma Supplement Workshop

PSGs for Bachelor of Science in Business Administration Prescribing Additional Electives on Service
Management for Business Outsourcing

Agreement between CHED and IBM on the offering of the Smart Analytics program

Celebration of the ASEAN Day in partnership with De La Salle University

PNU held a commemorative ASEAN flag raising ceremony during its Foundation Day (the International
Affairs Service office of CHED will recommend that the same activity be practiced in all SUCs)
Apart from these, CHED also carries out the Higher Education Reform Agenda 2011-2016, components of
which contribute to preparing the Philippines for ASEAN 2015.
These initiatives include, among others, the establishment of a quality assurance system for the Philippine
Qualifications Framework; the shift to learning competency-based standards or learner outcomes-based
qualifications in the disciplines; revision of the general education curriculum with the implementation of K to 12;
review of graduate education and transnational programs; close collaboration with industry in specifying
competencies and training of teachers in industry-oriented disciplines; and embarking on the Philippine
California Advanced Research Institutes.
ASEAN member states recognize the crucial role of higher education in regional development. As the lead
Philippine agency, CHED continues to work toward achieving a harmonized higher education environment in
the region, which will ultimately contribute to the realization of an ASEAN Community by 2015.