The Challenges of K-12 Program

It's quite a while since I posted my last article in this blog. There are many challenges that I faced during the School Year 2015-2016. Challenges that strengthened further my professional career and outlook in life. Still, it's a school year that is full of blissful memories. As years of teaching passed by, I'd become more and more mature. Every difficulty serves as my inspiration to be more. Serving the public sector brought a lot of promises that I want to fulfill before I leave the profession. Through this opportunity, I was able to see the reality of basic education in the country and how to make your own way of sharing in finding solutions to its never-ending problem. One of the basic things that I learn is that we need the acceptance of the problem. Keeping hiding the truth and always saying that there is no problem at all seems to accumulate the problem even more. The first step to finding a solution to the problem is recognizing that there is a problem existing and it should be addressed diligently and responsibly.

With lots of paper works and reports to do, it is amazing how public teachers are able to sustain their teaching career. But of course, if you really love the profession, sacrifices are the testaments of our passion and love for it. Even some think that they are under-compensated; their service to Philippine society is more than enough to make their life decent. As you witnessed the various problems in the system, you are becoming more eager to plan for solutions and strategize what needed to be undertaken first. There are plenty of options, but picking the best solution is not quite easy. Picking the wrong resolution can devastate the whole process.

Thus, teachers undertake rigorous training and seminars to practice decision-making and leadership in the profession. On the onset of the K-12 program in the country, the pursuance of quality and standard teaching practices that suit the 21st-century education has been promoted. Teachers are trained on how to efficiently find solutions to the problems of the school through "Continuous Improvement Program" and action research, thus, addressing the pivotal issues and concerns of basic education without relying upon too much on the subsidy coming from the National Government to augment the perennial problems of education.

This year is the piloting of the K-11 curriculum. K-12 program has introduced promising improvement in our educational system. It does not only make the curriculum more relevant to the needs of the learners, but it makes the learners empower, globally and locally (glocal) competitive, and self-reliant. Preparing the graduates for the world of work and the bigger society is one of the greatest tasks of education, thus, the more equipped the learners with skills they will need in the future, the more chances they will be productive, active, and responsive citizens of the world.

Being one of the K-11 and K-12 aspirant-teachers, witnessing and becoming a part of this milestone in the Philippine education posits the need to become more competent in the profession because every start of the program is the crucial part. Though there are still many things that needed to put into order to assure the success of its implementation, what important is how to start it and sustain its implementation the best way possible. For sure, there will be challenges may come along the way, but with preparation and planning for contingency measures, nothing is impossible to resolve.

Education is a continuous process of improvement and no improvement will happen if there is no gut to find the root causes of the problem and the best solution for it. Gone are the days where some of us has been impulsive in the call of duty! It's time to make a collective effort in making great learning opportunities to happen. Blaming others does not seem to help a thing. It is more irresponsible if we know that we can do something to help learners and the deteriorating state of our education and we do not extend a hand.