K-12 stresses work readiness over global competitiveness – educator

The founder of a Philippines-based international school said that the Department of Education's K-12 program puts more emphasis on preparing students for work rather than making them globally competitive.

"We kept the 10 [years]; 'yung dati nating six years [of grade school] plus four [years of high school], they kept it. Then they added two years [in which students] can choose a track, either vocational or academic junior college, which does not lengthen the opportunity for kids to learn," said Multiple Intelligence International School (MIIS) founding directress Mary Joy Canon-Abaquin in a roundtable discussion with some members of the media.

The additional two years of Senior High School requires a student to choose a specific track among four options: academic, sports, arts and design, and technical vocational livelihood.

"I think that the DepEd K-12 program will also prepare students be competitive globally, but it has an emphasis on work readiness for those who choose not to go to college," she told GMA News Online.

"My dream kasi is that we don't just send workers abroad, but leaders. Kasi ang laki-laki ng bilib ko sa Pinoy, tapos ang ambisyon lang natin maging worker? Bakit?" Abaquin added.

Abaquin said that the DepEd K-12 program's addition to the senior high school curriculum mirrors junior college programs in other countries, while many international K-12 models treat 12 years as part of the basic education cycle.

More focus on pre-school education

For her part, former University of the Philippines College of Education dean and current Philippine Center for Gifted Education president Dr. Leticia Peñano-Ho called on the DepEd to give attention to early childhood education.

"While K-12 is always on the news and talked about by DepEd, we should also consider the fact that there are preparatory activities and programs," she said.

Ho urged the Education department to strengthen its Day Care program for pre-schoolers.

In the same event, both Abaquin and Ho emphasized the importance of early childhood education in helping children prepare for the future. — BM, GMA News