Guv, DepED, partners in K-12 discuss pilot status

EDUCATION stakeholders met recently to discuss the status of the implementation as well as the progress of the K to 12 pilot basic education system.

Foremost in the discussion were the problems encountered in the implementation at the Palo National High School (PNHS) and the Merida Vocational School (MVS).

Among which is the provision of materials and equipment for the skills training chosen for the pilot school.

For PNHS, skills training in commercial cooking are adapted to the new senior high school, and the course needs cooking equipment as well as a regular supply of ingredients for the cooking classes.

Meanwhile, availability and transportation of professional trainers, coming from universities, were also considered.

“This is good that we have these problems to consider and to address now so that when this gets rolled out, it would be a lot easier and smoother to implement,” Leyte Governor Jericho Petilla disclosed during the meeting.

The two pilot schools are considered to be a “work in progress”, until the program is fully implemented in 2016.

Meanwhile, the governor said the Provincial Government extends its whole support to DepEd program for the pilot implementation to succeed and to become the model and basis for the nationwide implementation later on.

The K to 12 reform program focuses on two vital factors: curriculum and innovation. The enhanced framework integrates science and technology, music and arts, agriculture and fisheries, business and entrepreneurship, and subjects for advanced placement.

It was learned that the Philippines is the only country in Asia, among the three remaining countries in the world, with a ten-year basic education cycle.

Data from the National Statistical Coordinating Board (NSCB) cited that fewer students graduate from courses related to field to the country’s growth industries: education, science, engineering, and technology. (Leyte Samar Daily Express)