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One of the thrusts of President Benigno
Simeon C. Aquino III in his administration
is the improvement of the quality of
Philippine education, particularly basic
education, as reflected in his policy
statement and ten-point Agenda, as
follows :
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POLICY STATEMENT
“We need to add two more years to our
basic education. Those who can afford pay
up to fourteen years of schooling before
university. Thus, their children are getting
into the best universities and the best jobs
after graduation. I want at least 12 years for
our public school children to give them an
even chance at succeeding.”
-Pres. Benigno Simeon C. Aquino, III
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 12-year Basic Education Cycle
I will expand the basic education cycle, from a 10year cycle to a globally-comparable 12 years, for
our public school children. At present, those who
can afford basic education get into the best
universities and the best jobs after graduation.
 Universal pre-schooling for all
All public school children will have preschool as
their introduction to formal schooling by 2016, and
we will make this available to all children regardless
of income.
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 Madaris education as a sub-system within the
education system .
I want a full basic education for all Muslim Filipino
children. This is to give proper respect to their culture
while providing a sound curriculum in English, Filipino,
science, and math. Madaris education, with subjects
in Arabic language and Islamic values education,
can be integrated in our public school curriculum as
additional subjects.
 Technical vocational education as an alternative
stream in senior high school.
I will reintroduce technical-vocational education in
our public high schools to better link schooling to
local industry needs and employment. We need to
provide an educational alternative to better prepare
the students for the world of work.
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“Every child a reader” by Grade 1.
By the end of the next administration, every
child must be a reader by Grade 1.
 Science and Math proficiency
I will rebuild the science and math infrastructure
in schools so that we can produce more
scientists, engineers, technicians, technologists
and teachers in our universities so that this
country can be more globally competitive in
industry and manufacturing.
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

Assistance to private schools as
essential partners in basic education.
I will expand government assistance to
private education.
Medium of instruction rationalized
We should become a trilingual nation:
Learn English well and connect to the
world. Learn Filipino well and connect to
our country. Retain your dialect and
connect with your heritage.
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 Quality textbooks
Textbooks should have quality, better quality,
and more quality. Poor quality textbooks
have no place in our schools.
 Covenant with the local governments to
build more schools
I will build more schools in areas where there are
no public or private schools in partnership with local
governments, as well as address our persistent
classroom and teacher shortages.
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Need for Enabling Laws

Some of the items in the 10-point Agenda
need enabling legislations to implement and
provide them with necessary appropriations.
Others simply need executive or
administrative action by the appropriate
government agencies.

Developmental laws rather than regulatory
laws should be preferred to promote rather
than restrict the growth and development of
educational institutions and their programs.
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
RA No. 10157 – An Act Institutionalizing the
Kindergarten Education into the Basic
Education System and Appropriating Funds
Therefor. Also known as the “Kindergarten
Education Act.” (Introduced by Reps. Thelma Z.
Almario, Salvador H. Escudero III, Juan Edgardo M. Angara,
Mariano U. Piamonte Jr., et.al.)

After being passed by both Houses of
Congress, the Act was signed into law by
the President on January 20, 2012.
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The Mandates of the Kindergarten Education
Act are as follows:
1. To institutionalize kindergarten education
as part of basic education and make it
mandatory and compulsory for entrance
to Grade 1.
2. To use the mother tongue of the learner as
the primary medium of instruction for
teaching and learning.
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3. To provide necessary appropriations
for the implementation of the Act
4. To direct the DepEd to serve as the
implementing agency, and to issue
the implementing rules and
regulations, in consultation with the
DBM, within 90 days after the
effectivity of the Act.
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
HR No.12, Resolution Directing the Committee
on Basic Education and Culture to Conduct
an Inquiry, in Aid of Legislation, on the
Propriety of Adopting a Twelve(12)- Year
Education Cycle in Elementary and High
School (Basic Education). Introduced by Rep.
Marcelino R. Teodoro

HB No. 2182, An Act Prescribing a Twelve (12)-Year
Basic Education Curriculum for all Public and Private
School Children Nationwide, Providing Guidelines
and Mechanism for Its Implementation,
Appropriating Funds Therefor and For other Purposes.
Introduced by Rep. Eulogio R. Magsaysay
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 HB
No. 4199, An Act Enhancing the
Curriculum and Increasing the Number
of Years for Basic Education,
Appropriating Funds Therefor and for
other Purposes. (Also known as
“Enhanced Basic Education Act of
2011”). Introduced by Reps. Salvador H.
Escudero III, Juan Edgardo M. Angara, Mariano U.
Piamonte, Jr., Maria Isabelle G. Climaco,
Bernadette R. Herrera-Dy and Fatima Aliah Q.
Dimaporo
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 HB
No. 4219, An Act Enhancing the
Curriculum and Increasing the
Number of Years for Basic Education,
Appropriating Funds Therefor and for
other Purposes (also known as
“Enhanced Basic Education Act of
2011”). Introduced by Reps. Feliciano R.
Belmonte Jr., Salvador Escudero III, Juan Edgardo
M. Angara, Mariano U.Piamonte,Jr.,Julieta R.
Cortuna, Joseph Emilio A. Abaya, Thelma Z.
Almario, Bernadette Herrera-Dy, Maria Isabelle G.
Climaco
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STATUS OF THE HOUSE BILLS ON K-12
1. The House Bills are still pending in the Lower House
of Congress and are being subjected to regional
public hearings conducted by the Joint
Committees on Basic Education and Higher and
Technical Education. Public hearings have been
conducted in all regions in Mindanao and
Visayas, including Region 4B. Public hearings are
yet to be conducted in NCR and Luzon regions.
2. After the hearings, the bills will be consolidated
into a single bill to be known as Enhanced Basic
Education Act.
3. The President has already signified to consider the
Enhanced Basic Education Act as a priority bill.
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MANDATES OF THE ENHANCED BASIC
EDUCATION ACT
1. Basic Education shall include kindergarten and
twelve (12) years of elementary and secondary
education.
2. The DepEd shall formulate the curriculum and
determine the actual number of years for the
elementary and secondary education programs,
in coordination with CHED, TESDA, DTI, DOLE,
DOST and NEDA, and in consultation with all
stakeholders, including but not limited to public
and private educational institutions, schools
associations, teachers organizations, PTAs and
Chambers of Commerce.
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3. The DepEd, in coordination with CHED and
TESDA, shall issue rules and regulations that
may be necessary and consistent with the
declared principles and policies of the State.
4. The amount necessary to carry out the
implementation of this Act shall be charged to the
appropriations for the Department of Education
under the current General Appropriations Act.
Thereafter, such amounts as may be necessary
for its continued implementation shall be
included in the annual General Appropriations
Act.
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
Enhancing the quality of basic education
is urgent & critical.

The poor quality of basic education is
reflected in the low achievement scores
of Filipino students in both national &
international tests. One reason is that
students do not get adequate
instructional time or time on task.
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
The congested curriculum partly explains
the present state of education. The current
basic education is designed to teach a 12year curriculum, yet it is delivered in just 10
years.
The Philippines is the only country in Asia
and among the three remaining countries in
the world with a 10-year basic education
cycle. The two other countries are Djibouti
and Angola in Africa.
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Comparative Data on the Pre-University
Education in Asia
Country
Basic Education Cycle
Brunei
12
Cambodia
12
Indonesia
12
Lao PDR
12
Malaysia
12
Myanmar
11
Philippines
10
Singapore
12-14
Thailand
12
Timor-Leste
12
Vietnam
12
Mongolia recently added grades to make basic education 12 years
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
At present, our high school graduates are
not adequately prepared for either the
world of work, entrepreneurship or higher
education. They are not emotionally
developed and competent to live a
meaningful life.

While there is misperception that basic
education is merely a preparatory phase
for higher education, high school graduates
still usually have to undergo remedial and
high school level classes in colleges and
universities.
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
Our graduates are not recognized as
professionals abroad. The Washington
Accord prescribes 12 years of basic
education as an entry to recognition of
engineering professionals. The Bologna
Accord requires 12 years of education for
university admission and practice of
profession in European countries.

Hence, the need to adopt a K-12 program
that provides quality education and is
internationally recognized and comparable.
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
The K to 12 Program is not new. As early as
1925, studies have observed the
inadequacy of the basic education
curriculum. Numerous recommendations of
either adding or restoring 7th grade or
adding an extra year to basic education
have been put forward, from the Monroe
Survey (1925) to the Presidential Task Force
on Education (2008).

President Aquino is the only president who
has taken the political will to implement the
K-12 Program in our country
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K-12 Model
After
numerous consultations and
reviews, DepEd is adopting the K-6-42 model which involves:
Kindergarten,
 Six (6) years of Elementary Education,
(Grades 1-6)
 Four (4) years of Junior High School (Grades
7 to 10) and
 Two (2) years of Senior High School (Grades
11-12).

Senior High School
Grades 11-12 (16-17 years old)
Junior High School
Grades 7-10 (12-15 years old)
Elementary School
Grades 1-6 (6-11 years old)
Kindergaten (5 years old)
K-12 CURRICULUM MODEL
Grades 11-12
(New HS Years 5-6)
Grades 9-10
• Science, Math, English,
Contemporary issues and
Specialization
TechnicalVocational
Specialization
(New HS Years 3-4)
• Core Learning Areas plus TLE
of the student’s choice
Grades 7-8
• Core Learning Areas and TLE
(New HS Years 1-2)
Grades 1-6
Kindergarten
Academic
Specialization
• Core Learning Areas plus
Mother Tongue until Grade 3;
Science starting Grade 3; EPP
starting Grade 4
Sports and Arts
Specialization
Offers tracks that lead
to Specialization in
Academics, Tech-Voc,
And Sports & Arts
• Learning Domains
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PHASES OF IMPLEMENTATION OF K-12
 Universal
kindergarten will be offered
starting SY 2011-2012.
 The enhanced curriculum will be
offered to incoming Grade 1 as well as
to incoming Junior High School students
starting SY 2012-2013,
 The target of DepEd is to put in place
the necessary infrastructure and other
necessary arrangements needed to
provide Senior High School (SHS)
education by 2016-2017.
Kindergarten and 12 years of quality basic
education is a right of every Filipino, therefore
these should be provided by the government
for free in public schools and subsidized in
participating private schools under GASTPE
Students who complete the 12-year
Program will receive the following:
 elementary diploma (after 6 years),
 a junior high school diploma (after 4 years),
 a senior high school diploma (after 2 years).
A full 12 years of basic education will
eventually be required for entry into tertiary
level education (entering college freshmen
by 2018-2019 or seven years from now).
SOME FEATURES OF K-12

Kindergarten
curriculum
will
have
a
standardized

Elementary and Junior high school curricula
will be basically similar to the current
Elementary and High school curricula with
some modifications in some subject titles,
contents, objectives, desired minimum
learning competencies, methodologies,
time allotment, etc. Electives may also be
provided to allow schools to offer additional
subjects relevant to the needs of students.

Senior High School Curriculum will include
basic subjects brought down from 1st and 2nd
year general education curriculum in college.
These subjects are English 1 & 2, Filipino 1 &
2, Science 1 & 2, Math 1 & 2 and others. Thus,
college courses will be reduced by one (1) year

Senior High School Curriculum will also include
specializations
in
academics,
technicalvocational, and sports & arts. Students will have
to choose specializations based on their NCAE
results. NCAE will be administered much earlier
before Grades 11 and 12 to allow sufficient time
for career counseling of students.
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
Specialized technical-vocational courses
in Senior High School will enable students
to prepare for work, either as employees
or entrepreneurs, even before entering
college.

Specialized Technical-vocational courses
in Senior High School will be designed
according to TESDA specifications. Upon
completion of tech-voc courses in
Grades 11 & 12, certificates of
competencies will be issued to the
students after evaluation.
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
Since not all Senior High Schools are capable of
offering several tech-voc courses, consortia
and cross enrollment with other schools maybe
arranged. Allowing students to take tech-voc
courses in TESDA training centers may also be
considered.

Tech-voc teachers will be trained and certified
by TESDA, and will undergo seminars on
pedagogy. Exemption of tech-voc teachers
from the LET requirement is being considered in
view of the expected shortage of such teachers
in Senior High School.






Through the Enhanced K-12 Basic Education
Program, it is envisioned that our graduates
will:
Possess sufficient mastery of basic
competencies (literacy, numeracy, problem
solving, etc.)
Be emotionally developed and competent
to live a meaningful life.
Be socially aware, pro-active and involved in
public and civic affairs.
Be adequately prepared for the world of
work or entrepreneurship or higher
education.
Be legally employable.
Be globally competitive.
K-12 GOALS
 To
give every student an opportunity
to receive quality education based on
an enhanced and decongested
curriculum that is internationally
recognized and comparable.
 To
change public perception that high
school education is just a preparation
for college. It is also a preparation for
the world of work.
To Individuals and Families, an enhanced
curriculum :
 will decongest academic workload,
 give students more time to master
competencies and time for extracurricular activities, thus,
 allow for a more holistic development.
 Graduates will possess competencies
and skills relevant to job market
 Graduates
will be better prepared for
higher education.
 Graduates will be able to earn higher
wages and/or better prepared to start
their own business. Studies in the
Philippines have shown that the
additional year of schooling increases
earning by 7.5%.
 Graduates could now be recognized
abroad
To Society and Economy
 K-12 will contribute to economic growth.
Several studies have shown that the
improvements
in
the
quality
of
education will increase GDP growth by
as much as 2%.
 K-12 will facilitate mutual recognition of
Filipino Graduates and professionals in
other countries.
 A better educated society provides a
sound foundation for long term socio
economic development.

Enhancement of the basic education
curriculum is the central focus of K-12.
Enhancement is both quantitative and
qualitative. Quantitative refers to additional
years in Basic Education and additional
infrastructures. Qualitative refers to
improved quality of instruction, facilities,
textbooks, instructional materials,
equipment and other inputs
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 The
enhanced curriculum will offer
areas of specialization or electives
such as science and technology,
music and arts, agriculture and
fisheries, sports, business and
entrepreneurship, etc., and subjects
for advanced placement
 Entrepreneurship
will be integrated in
Technical and Vocational courses.
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
As part of the bigger basic education reform,
the enhanced K-12 education is undertaken
hand in hand with the vigorous efforts to
ensure adequacy of inputs.

Change is two-fold: curriculum enhancement
and transition management.

An open and consultative process has been
adopted in the development and implementation of K to 12.
 K-12
is work in progress, hence, its
gradual year to year implementation.
As a massive program, it will undergo
birthing pains and growth problems.

The openness, commitment, involvement
and cooperation of stakeholders will
help ensure the success of the program.
Thank you!

HB 4078, Creating the Bureau of Technology Education Under
the Dept of Education

HB 3430, Establishing/Insitutionalizing the Open High School
System in the Phils.

HB 3637, Institutionalizing the Bureau of Alternative Learning
System (BALS)

HB 66/HB 93, Strengthening & Enhancing the Use of English as
the Medium of Instruction Act

HB 162, The Multi-lingual Education & Literacy Act of 2010

HB 1753, Creating a National Career Assessment Examination
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to Institutionalize a Career Direction Program...