all those who are passoinate about education
The road to world-class Philippine education
by Janimah Baunto Ambassador, SFI Executive Affliate
Janimah Baunto 
Ambassador, SFI Executive...
The Philippines is the ONLY country in the whole of Southeast Asia with only ten years of basic education and pre-university education. The other countries with their corresponding duration of basic education and pre-university education are Cambodia (12 years of primary and secondary and 1 year pre-university or a total of 13 years); Laos (11 years primary and secondary and 1 year of pre-university or a total of 13 years); Myanmar (11 years of primary and secondary and 1 year of pre-university or a total of 12 years); Timor-Leste (12 years of primary and secondary); Indonesia (12 years of primary and secondary and 1 year of pre-university or a total of 13 years).
The two advanced economies in SE Asia are Singapore (11 years of primary and secondary with 2-3 years of pre-university or a total of 13-14 years) and Malaysia (11 years of primary and secondary and 2 years of pre-university or a total of 13 years).
Whenever I hear people say that extending the number of years of basic education in our schools from 10 to 12 years is premature, I find this a tragic viewpoint. It means we have Filipinos who believe that we cannot even be capable of giving our young people the same duration of education as even countries poorer than ours such as Myanmar, Timor, Laos and Cambodia.
The principal victims of this obviously inadequate duration are primarily the children of the poor and the middle class. The so-called “exclusive” schools like La Salle and Xavier have been historically offering 12 years starting with Prep to Grade 7 in elementary and 4 years in high school. The very rich send their children to foreign schools in the USA or Britain where 12 years is the basic duration.
The idea of extending the duration of basic education is not new. As far back as July 28, 1949, a UNESCO Educational Commission to the Philippines released a report that included a conclusion that 6 years of elementary school and 4 years in the secondary is not adequate. The group proposed eventually this should be increased to 12 years.
After almost 64 years, the 2-year extension, as proposed, finally became law. On May 15, 2013 President Benigno Aquino III signed into law Republic Act No. 10533 entitled “An Act Enhancing the Philippine Basic Education System by Strengthening the Curriculum and Increasing the Number of Years for Basic Education, Appropriating Funds Therefore and for Other Purposes.”
The improvement of the education program, through K to 12 will benefit not only the student but also their families. The additional 2 years has allowed the curriculum to be revised and decongested. In the old curriculum too much knowledge, skills and values were expected to be learned by students within a limited period of time.
Under the new program, graduates will also be better prepared for higher studies. We have students who are entering college at the age of 15 to 16 years. In most countries, the normal age for entering college is 18 years.
Under the new program, high school graduates will be better equipped to work and will, therefore, be more employable. Under the present situation, two years of college or even a college degree is required even for semi-skilled jobs.
Dec 28th 2013 00:39
Ambassador, SFI Executive...The Philippines is the ONLY country in the whole of Southeast Asia with only ten years of basic education and pre-university education. The other countries with their corresponding duration of basic education and pre-university education are Cambodia (12 years of primary and secondary and 1 year pre-university or a total of 13 years); Laos (11 years primary and secondary and 1 year of pre-university or a total of 13 years); Myanmar (11 years of primary and secondary and 1 year of pre-university or a total of 12 years); Timor-Leste (12 years of primary and secondary); Indonesia (12 years of primary and secondary and 1 year of pre-university or a total of 13 years).
The two advanced economies in SE Asia are Singapore (11 years of primary and secondary with 2-3 years of pre-university or a total of 13-14 years) and Malaysia (11 years of primary and secondary and 2 years of pre-university or a total of 13 years).
Whenever I hear people say that extending the number of years of basic education in our schools from 10 to 12 years is premature, I find this a tragic viewpoint. It means we have Filipinos who believe that we cannot even be capable of giving our young people the same duration of education as even countries poorer than ours such as Myanmar, Timor, Laos and Cambodia.
The principal victims of this obviously inadequate duration are primarily the children of the poor and the middle class. The so-called “exclusive” schools like La Salle and Xavier have been historically offering 12 years starting with Prep to Grade 7 in elementary and 4 years in high school. The very rich send their children to foreign schools in the USA or Britain where 12 years is the basic duration.
The idea of extending the duration of basic education is not new. As far back as July 28, 1949, a UNESCO Educational Commission to the Philippines released a report that included a conclusion that 6 years of elementary school and 4 years in the secondary is not adequate. The group proposed eventually this should be increased to 12 years.
After almost 64 years, the 2-year extension, as proposed, finally became law. On May 15, 2013 President Benigno Aquino III signed into law Republic Act No. 10533 entitled “An Act Enhancing the Philippine Basic Education System by Strengthening the Curriculum and Increasing the Number of Years for Basic Education, Appropriating Funds Therefore and for Other Purposes.”
The improvement of the education program, through K to 12 will benefit not only the student but also their families. The additional 2 years has allowed the curriculum to be revised and decongested. In the old curriculum too much knowledge, skills and values were expected to be learned by students within a limited period of time.
Under the new program, graduates will also be better prepared for higher studies. We have students who are entering college at the age of 15 to 16 years. In most countries, the normal age for entering college is 18 years.
Under the new program, high school graduates will be better equipped to work and will, therefore, be more employable. Under the present situation, two years of college or even a college degree is required even for semi-skilled jobs.
Dec 28th 2013 00:39
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