The K to 12 Basic Education Program

• Universal Kindergarten began in SY 2011–2012.
• The enhanced curriculum for Grade 1 and Grade 7 (1st Year Junior High School) was rolled out this SY 2012–2013, and will be progressively introduced in the other grade levels in succeeding school years.
• Grade 11 will be introduced in SY 2016–2017 and Grade 12 in SY 2017–2018.
• The first batch of high school students to go through K to 12 will graduate in March 2018.

The two years will be added after the four-year high school program. This will be called Senior High School.

• A 12-year program is found to be the adequate period for learning under basic education. It is also a standard for recognition of students and/or professionals abroad (i.e., the Bologna Process for the European Union and the Washington Accord for the United States).
• Other countries like Singapore have 11 years of compulsory education, but have 12 to 14 years of pre-university education, depending on the track.
• The Philippines is the last country in Asia and one of only three countries worldwide (the other two being Angola and Djibouti) with a 10-year pre-university cycle.

• The K to 12 Basic Education Curriculum will be sufficient to prepare students for work.
• The curriculum will enable students to acquire Certificates of Competency (COCs) and National Certifications (NCs). This will be in accordance with TESDA Training Regulations. This will allow graduates to have middle-level skills and will offer them better opportunities to be gainfully employed or become entrepreneurs.
• There will be a school–industry partnership for technical–vocational courses to allow students to gain work experience while studying and offer the opportunity to be absorbed by the companies.

• DepEd has entered into an agreement with business organizations, local and foreign chambers of commerce, and industries to ensure that graduates of K to 12 will be considered for employment.
• There will be a matching of competency requirements and standards so that 12-year basic education graduates will have the necessary skills needed to join the workforce and to match the College Readiness Standards for further education and future employment.
• Entrepreneurship will also be fostered in the enhanced curriculum, ensuring graduates can venture into other opportunities beyond employment.

• DepEd is in collaboration with the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) to provide more opportunities for working students to attend classes.
• DepEd is working with the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to ensure that jobs will be available to K to 12 graduates and that consideration will be given to working students.

The K to 12 Basic Education Curriculum is in accordance with the College Readiness Standards of CHED, which sets the skills and competencies required of K to 12 graduates who intend to pursue higher education.

To manage the initial implementation of the K to 12 Program and mitigate the expected multi-year low enrolment turnout for colleges, universities, and Technical-Vocational Institutions (TVI) starting SY 2016-2017, DepEd shall engage in partnerships with them to use their existing facilities and teaching staff. This ensures that during the transition period, the reduction in enrollment in these colleges and universities may be offset.

Existing public schools may implement Senior High School. DepEd will be in partnerships with CHED, TESDA, and private schools to use their facilities, especially for the transition years. In addition, new standalone Senior High Schools will be built.

• With the continuous increase of the DepEd budget, more teachers are being hired to fill all necessary gaps in schools.
• To aid transition, hiring of (1) graduates of Science, Mathematics, Statistics, Engineering, and other specialists in subjects with a shortage of qualified Licensure Examination for Teachers (LET) applicants, (2) graduates of Technical-Vocational courses, (3) Higher Education Institution faculty, and (4) Practitioners will be allowed.

• These graduates will be permitted to teach in their specialized subjects in elementary and secondary education. They must pass the LET within five years after their date of hiring to remain employed full-time.
• They will no longer be required to pass the LET if these graduates are willing to teach on a part-time basis.

• Graduates of technical-vocational courses must have necessary certification issued by TESDA and undergo training to be administered by DepEd or a Higher Education Institutions (HEI).
• Faculty of colleges and universities must be full-time professors and be holders of a relevant Bachelor’s degree.
• Faculty of TVIs and HEIs will be given priority in hiring for the transition period.
• DepEd and Private Education Institutions may also hire practitioners with expertise in the specialized learning areas offered by the K to 12 Program as part-time teachers.

The college General Education Curriculum is being revised. It will have fewer units with the removal of unnecessary remediation as K to 12 graduates adhere to the College Readiness Standards. With K to 12, the college curriculum will comprise of a year’s worth of General Education subjects and at least two years of major subjects.

No. TESDA will continue to offer TVET programs. Students may also be eligible for NC I and NC II through Junior High School and Senior High School, respectively.

• Be informed. Education shapes our future as Filipinos, it is our duty to be aware of reforms in basic education that will move our country forward.
• Spread awareness. Tell your family, friends, and networks about the K to12 Program and help them stay informed.

• There is a continuum from Kindergarten to Grade 12, and to technical-vocational and higher education.
• The current curriculum has been enhanced and has been given more focus to allow mastery of learning.
• In Grades 11 and 12, core subjects like Math, Science, and Languages will be strengthened. Specializations in students’ areas of interest will also be offered.

• Students will undergo several assessments to determine their interests and strengths. These will include an aptitude test, a career assessment exam, and an occupational interest inventory for high schools, and should help students decide on their specialization.
• To help guide students in choosing career tracks they intend to pursue, career advocacy activities will be regularly conducted, which will be supported by career and employment guidance counselors.

• This is an extreme situation.
• The areas of specialization will be offered according to the resources available in a locality and the needs of students.

These schools will remain special schools with an enriched curriculum for Grades 7 to 12.

Multi-grade teaching will continue, and will use the K to 12 curriculum.

The ALS is based on the existing 10-year basic education curriculum. When the new 12-year curriculum will be in place, ALS will likewise be revised.

Yes, the K to 12 curriculum was designed to address diverse learner needs, and may be adapted to fit specific learner groups.

Yes. Republic Act No. 10157, or the Kindergarten Education Act, institutionalizes Kindergarten as part of the basic education system and is a pre-requisite for admission to Grade 1. Public schools will continue to admit children who have not taken Kindergarten into Grade 1 until SY 2013-2014.

There is no overlap. Daycare centers of the LGUs take care of children aged 4 and below, whereas the DepEd Kindergarten program is for five-year-old children.

Yes. Although the assessment of readiness skills of students in Kindergarten is not academically driven, a good measure of the child’s ability to cope with formal schooling is needed for future learning interventions.

• DepEd is the main agency that employs and pays Kindergarten teachers.
• There are LGUs that assist the Kindergarten program and provide honoraria for Kindergarten teachers.

For SY 2012-2013, 12 Mother Tongue languages are being used for MTB-MLE. More languages, such as Ivatan, will be added in succeeding years.

• The common language in the area, or lingua franca, shall be used as the medium of instruction.
• The principle of MTB-MLE is to use the language that learners are most comfortable and familiar with.

There will be no additional workload due to the K to 12 Program. The Magna Carta for Public School Teachers provides that teachers should only teach up to six hours a day.

• The K to 12 Program will not result in a teacher salary increase because there will be no additional teaching load or additional teaching hours.
• Salary increases for other reasons, such as the Salary Standardization Law, inflation, promotion, and Performance-Based Bonuses (PBB), may apply.

• Teachers will be given sufficient in-service training on content and pedagogy to implement this program. Current DepEd teachers shall be retrained to meet the content and performance standards of the enhanced K to 12 curriculum. The pre-service education training for aspiring teachers will also be modified to conform to the requirements of the program. DepEd, in coordination with CHED, shall ensure that the Teacher Education curriculum offered in Teacher Education Institutions will meet the necessary quality standards for new teachers.
• Training of teachers will follow the phased-in introduction of the enhanced curriculum.

• With the broader reform agenda, DepEd is ensuring the preparedness of the organization by introducing organizational development interventions to continuously improve its service delivery to the Filipino people.
• School Leadership and DepEd officials shall undergo workshops and training to enhance skills on their role as academic, administrative, and community leaders.

• All input shortages will be wiped out before the end of 2013. A 1:1 ratio for student-to-textbook and student-to-seat will be achieved within SY 2012-2013. Shortages in classrooms, teachers, and toilets will be fully addressed next year.
• The DepEd budget received a 23% increase in 2013 and budgetary requirements for K to 12 will be included in succeeding appropriations for full implementation.
• We also have the support of local government units and private partners to build the needed infrastructure.

• Private partners can donate through our Adopt-A-School program, which provides them a 150 percent tax rebate for their contribution.
• Individuals and institutions can take part in the TEN Moves! Campaign to build 10,000 classrooms by donating P10 per day for ten months.
• LGUs can follow the front-loading scheme using their Special Education Fund as collateral and the allocation as amortization.
• For teacher items, LGUs also help by hiring qualified teachers for our public schools and paying honoraria for them.
• We have enough time to provide the additional classrooms, teachers, and instructional materials since they will be needed beginning SY 2016–2017.

• Kindergarten and 12 years of basic education is offered for free in public schools.
• There are additional indirect costs, but government agencies are collaborating to provide programs that will enable everyone access to quality education, especially to those with lesser means.
• Proposals such as the expansion of the Education Service Contracting (ESC) scheme under the Government Assistance to Students and Teachers in Private Education (GASTPE) and other cost-sharing arrangements are being developed by DepEd.
• K to 12 graduates should have higher earning potential as they will be more competent and skilled.
• As a result of the K to 12 Program, particularly the more specialized education in Senior High School, CHED is exploring the possibility of decreasing the number of years of certain degree programs in college.
• K to 12 graduates can obtain national certification from TESDA, which will enable them to have more employment opportunities.

• DepEd prefers the term “school leavers” rather than “dropout,” recognizing that most students who discontinue schooling were pushed out of the system due to factors beyond their and their parents’ control.
• Keeping students in school is a responsibility of the entire community. To respond to this, DepEd and other government agencies are collaborating to make sure that all children stay in school through programs like the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).
• The curriculum will be learner-centered, enriched, and responsive to local needs. It will also allow students to choose electives and specializations that suit their interest. This should partly address those who stop attending school because of the perceived lack of relevance of the curriculum.
• DepEd will also continue to offer programs such as home schooling for elementary students and the school leavers reduction program for high schools. These programs address the learning needs of marginalized students and learners at risk of leaving the school system.

• DepEd fully supports the Aquino administration’s drive against corruption.
• We will regularly package and disseminate information on agency budgets, bidding and procurement documents, and SALNs (Statements of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth) of senior government officials, to ensure transparency and accountability.
• It is also in our best interest to ensure that funds and resources are not lost to corruption.