No child can be Grade 1 without passing Kinder

Sunday, January 29, 2012

NO CHILD will be accepted in first grade in school year 2013-2014 without having passed kindergarten, an education official said.

Jenielito Atillo, Department of Education (DepEd) Davao Region spokesperson, said that in terms of logistics and physical capabilities, majority, if not all schools in the region, is now ready to implement the Kinder to 12 Years Basic Education Program (K-12) of the DepEd, which started in school year 2011-2012.

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Atillo said, however, that there is still no specific memorandum instructing them on the full implementation of the policy next school year. Minimum age for kindergarten eligibility is five-years-old.

He said this is yet the focus and there is still no specific order on the additional years for primary and secondary school levels.

But Atillo clarified that parents should not be alarmed on the possible effects of the policy since years in elementary level will not be prolonged.

Should the K+12 order be implemented, both in private and public schools, secondary school level will be divided into two levels junior and senior high.

Junior high school level comprises of the usual four years where all the traditional academic loads will be taught while in the two-year senior high level, practical and technical skills will be taught to pupils.

Meaning, it’s still up to sixth grade for elementary education as the seventh grade is already part of the junior high school curriculum.

In terms of the full implementation of the program, DepEd has prepared a transmission team, which will act as an over sighting committee.

The team, which will be composed of representatives from the DepEd, Commission on Higher Education (Ched) and Technical Education and Skills Development Administration (Tesda) will look into the facility, resources, as well as the manpower needed for the full implementation of the program.

To ensure that the K+12 will achieve its main purpose, the policy will be implemented part by part per year until the government’s resources will meet the policy's demands.

One of the main reasons why the government has come up with the measure, Atillo said, is to address some other issues in the education sector.