K to 12 (also K-12) is an education system under the Department of Education that aims

to enhance learners’ basic skills, produce more competent citizens, and prepare
graduates for lifelong learning and employment. “K” stands for Kindergarten
and “12” refers to the succeeding 12 years of basic education (6 years of elementary
education, 4 years of junior high school, and 2 years of senior high school).
At present, the Philippines is the last country in Asia and one of only three countries in
the world with a 10-year pre-university program.
Why Push for K-12 Basic Education Program?

K-12 EDUCATION SYSTEM

 The K-12 program offers a decongested 12-year program that gives students
sufficient time to master skills and absorb basic competencies.

 Students of the new system will graduate at the age of 18 and will be ready for
employment, entrepreneurship, middle level skills development, and higher
education upon graduation.

 The K-12 program accelerates mutual recognition of Filipino graduates and

professionals in other countries.

 Kindergarten is mandatory for five-year-old children, a pre-requisite for admission to

Grade 1.

 The new curriculum gives students the chance to choose among three tracks (i.e.
Academic; Technical-Vocational-Livelihood; and Sports and Arts) and undergo
immersion, which provides relevant exposure and actual experience in their chosen
track.

In 2011, the Department of Education (DepEd) administered a shift to a fresh learning

scheme — the K to 12 basic education program. Many people were resistant to the new
education system. Despite this, the government is keen on revolutionizing the Philippine
education. Here’s an update on how the government prepared in implementing the new
education curriculum. A downloadable copy of this infographic is available here.

THE K-12 PROGRAM OF THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

The Department of Education has in the past years been working towards the
implementation of the K-12 program that is designed 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.” The extension of the basic education to 12 years seeks to
boost the quality of Philippine education to make it at par with that of other
countries. The K-12 program is described to have six salient features: 1)
strengthening early childhood education through universal Kindergarten, 2)
making the curriculum relevant to learners, 3) ensuring integrated and seamless
learning, 4) building proficiency through use of mother tongue based multi-
lingual education, 5) provision of career tracks and 6) nurturing holistically
developed Filipino. [1]

 The goal of the K-12 program that every graduate is equipped

with information, media and technology skills, learning and innovation skills,
effective communication skills, and life and career skills. However, these
competencies require time to develop and attention needs to be given to the
design of a curriculum that will develop these.

 Part of the success of the K-12 curriculum hinges on the ability of students to
discern their career goals and to obtain the necessary training to prepare them
for this.

 In the K-12 program, classes that are typically given to college freshmen and
sophomores will be offered in grades 11 and 12. The most recent curriculum
shows that courses on Math, English, History, etc will now being offered in
grades 11 and 12. However, Introduction to Psychology, a course that used to
be required for all college freshmen, is no longer a requirement in the K-12
program.

The K to 12 curriculum is designed to provide a holistic education for all Filipino

students.
The K to 12 curriculum is designed to enable graduates to join the workforce 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.
Graduates of the K to 12 curriculum will be equipped to join the workforce right away.
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 Education’s
(CHED) guidelines.
The government also encourages parents to think of the K to 12 curriculum guide not as
having two extra years of high school, but as two years less of higher education.

Areas of specialization

Graduates of the new educational system will already be equipped to join the workforce
right away. This is through the help of the electives to be offered during grades 11 to 12.
The electives, or areas of specialization, will include the following:

 Academics for those who wish to pursue higher studies

 Technical-vocational for those who want to acquire employable skills after high
school
 Sports and Arts for those who are inclined in the two fields.

Below is an outline of the K to 12 basic curriculum

photo: deped.gov.ph
Change is never easy. Especially when it is a big undertaking such as the
implementation of the new K-12 curriculum guide in the Philippines. It is high time,
however, that improve the quality of our basic education and our students.

The K to12 is Already a Law. REPUBLIC ACT 10533 “Enhanced Basic Education Act
of 2013”