A FOUR-word slogan newly created by the Department of Education that hit the mark for a revolutionary reform in the humungous systems of people, structure, culture, practices, ideologies, norms and traditions.
The slogan has four distinct collocations of phonemes whose first word may be strongly accented or otherwise. It is ideally meant to spell out the desire of all for one in moving forward to better the system or may also literally mean to stand together for education. One may consider the first premise of putting one’s best foot forward to reforms, or may want to consider literally standing all together for education, both may express the same idea of creating change, innovations, movements, growth or defying the status quo or mere traditions.
The system has been in existence for years. People come and go. Old ones are replaced, new beginnings have taken over. Physical structures have fallen down and renovated, or totally exterminated where new ones have risen and mediocrity made better. Why reform? Why change? Why do we need to renew and let go of what has been and try something new or even better? Myriads of questions are clouting over the heads of many trying to answer these questions and looking for possible and even the best solutions to queries whose answers may not be given immediate responses or healing alternatives for now.
When the K to 12 Curriculum has just started, resistance creates a blob, a small drop or lump which speedily gets bigger and wider making matters controversial and complicated. There had been protests, petitions for its existence which have gotten worse when some sectors or group of individuals started to destroy people’s lives and reputation. K to 12 has made waves in the Philippine educational system after decades of years from fear, doubt and complacency.
Change is painful. It is painful because it alters the status quo – the comfort zone of Juan Tamad, Pepe and Pilar, Bantay, and those fossilized characters Juan was used to identify himself with. Change defies movement which tips to growth, maturity, development, progress, innovation, and global competition. When the tipping point is hindered, opportunities, positivity, avenues to success, time and money are lost which Juan cannot simply allow to happen. When money is lost, the economy is totally devastated whose undesirable consequences will absolutely affect millions of lives and damage billions of natural and man-made resources. When all these things transpire, Philippines will be in doom! We cannot allow these to happen.
And doing so is now or never. Education gets in to rescue what was lost and renew what has been left behind, The time has come to moments of reflection contemplating on the possible solutions to the phenomenal problems on graft and corruption, crime, violence, moral degradation, natural extinction, territorial conflicts, issues and plights, and the weakening systems of academic, instructional and institutional destinations. Education will provide avenues of reforms when students, teachers, and administrators’ closed minds are open to opportunities to life, growth, living, public service, and quality service to people, environment and God.
We are all in this together. We are the vanguards of action against graft and corruption and all forms of moral, socio-cultural, economic, political, environmental and territorial ills this country has been confronted with for decades of years now. Alterative healing or immediate solutions may not be within arm reach for now, but when two, three, or more come forward, be heard, move and act to rebirth and renewal, nothing is impossible. It only takes a village to hurdle things through the rest of the town follows communing bright, alive, creative, innovative and ingenious ideas to performance and results. We wish to declare and embrace the present moment of firmly standing together for education. Forward K to 12!
Mabuhay and Pilipinas!