The K-12 education system is the public education system that most people are familiar with today. Comprised of 13 grades, kindergarten through 12th, it refers to the public school system in all of the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and parts of Europe as well. It is difficult to pinpoint the exact history of education, as it has been occurring in some form for centuries in all parts of the world.
Kindergarten was actually developed prior to compulsory education. Though it is not compulsory in all states, children are required to start school in most states at the age of six. If the child is too young to start kindergarten the year he turns five, kindergarten may technically be required since he will be turning six that school year. The word kindergarten is of German origin and means “children’s garden.” The concept was the brainchild of Friedrich Froebel, a self-educated philosophical teacher, who sought to develop a place of guided play for children to “bloom.”
The first kindergarten established in England was in 1852, and the United States followed by establishing its first in 1856. Though education was required of all children in Massachusetts by that time and many other states were following suit, not all schools provided, nor required, kindergarten. Similarly, not all schools required a student to stay in school beyond a certain grade, as compulsory education initially applied only to elementary aged children. Many children were also permitted to miss portions of the school year, especially farmers’ children who were needed at home for harvesting crops and preparing for the winter.
The Education Act of 1918, or the Fisher Act, was an act of British Parliament that implemented changes in progressive education and helped form many aspects of the K-12 education system used today. The Fisher Act raised the age at which children could leave school to 14 and addressed education needs, such as health inspections and accommodations for special needs children. This act also led to the development of a committee that reported to and made recommendations to policy makers regarding education.
-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, middle-level skills development, employment, and entrepreneurship.
Advantage and Disadvantages of the program called K-12 Advantages:
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.
Disadvantages :
Parents have to shell out more money (for transportation and food) for the education of their children. The government does not have the money to pay for two more years of free education, since it does not even have the money to fully support today’s ten years. DepEd must first solve the lack of classrooms, furniture and equipment, qualified teachers, and error-free textbooks. A high school diploma will not get anybody anywhere, because business firms will not hire fresh high school graduates.
Every family dreams of having a child graduate from college.
While students are stuck in Grades 11 and 12, colleges and universities will have no freshmen for two years. This will spell financial disaster for many private Higher Education Institutions (HEIs).
The drop-out rate will increase because of the two extra years.
Conclusion:
We, Filipino citizens, especially us, college students, should be aware in the happenings in our society. We should have knowledge to it and be responsible enough to have the care to know something about it. Maybe, these things like the K+12 education program is not our interest to talk about but, it is our need to know even just the basics about it, for we, the future professionals, needs to be knowledgeable in all aspects of the society. And the speeches like what we’ll do will offer each of us a better understanding of different things that are happening around us.
If the K-12 Education Plan becomes successful, then the Philippine education system can become more competitive among other countries around the world. Though there are still some problems that the government needs to solve before they can successfully implement the plan. The proposed program is good but it still won't work if the needed elements to make it work isn’t present. Such elements includes the number of public school classrooms plus the adequate supply of classroom chairs, books, etc. If the government could allot a bigger budget to educational needs, then we could be one-step ahead towards the success of the K-12 program. Furthermore, parents (especially those who belongs in the poor sector) should be properly informed and motivated of the advantages of the K-12 Education Plan. This is very important since parents plays a major role in providing the child's school allowances, supplies, and fees for other school projects and activities. Add to that the support of parents towards their children in terms of guidance and teaching.
Recommendation;
Help students identify their God-given gifts and then help them build up their own learning ecosystems to support the development of those gifts. Hook them up with resources that will develop students' abilities and passions. The only thing we can do is to study hard for us to be more effective person. This program will help the student to have an advance knowledge about some technical activities so let us just follow our presidents program because this is also for our sake.
Sources: www.gov.ph. Wisegeek.org.
Personal Message: All I can say is Thank you for teaching and reminding us to be a responsible person even though sometimes I am not listening to your advices, I really appreciate it. I know you’re doing your best for us to be more mature person and I also know that sometimes I am the source of your headache. Thanks a lot mom and we love you. Keep safe always and godbless.
