Special report K to 12: The longer journey begins (Mixed reactions greet enforcement)

(SECOND OF TWO PARTS)

Nobody is ready for K-12. This, according to Cebu City Vice Mayor Joy Augustus Young who heads the City Council Committee on Education.

 “We will not be ready and we will not be ready for it for probably the next 50 years or even more mainly because we do not have the money to build more classrooms and hire more teachers,” said Young.

 Young told the Department of Education (DepEd) to address the issue on the shortage of classrooms and teachers last year during the Cebu Educators Forum (CEF).

 He advised the DepEd to address the shortage of classrooms and teachers first before implementing the K-12 program which started June of last year with the universal kindergarten education in all public schools.

 The shortage of classrooms and teachers was already a problem then, but according to DepEd Regional Director Dr. Carmelita Dulangon, the kindergarten phase was still implemented despite the shortage.

 Last year, the province had a shortage of 1,994 teachers for kindergarten; 651 teachers for elementary; 772 teachers for secondary education. There was also a lack of classrooms and school furniture.

 Young said that the problem would worsen in certain areas of Cebu,

 “Mu-exacerbate ang problema in the bent- up areas granting that the DepEd will not have enough money to build the classrooms. Asa man nya ibutang diri’s Cebu City nga gahuot naman ta? Asa man nila ibutang ang classrooms? (Where will they put classrooms here in Cebu City when we are already so congested?)” said Young.

 The same problem will be meeting the province of Cebu this year where there is a lack of about 1,000 elementary teachers and 1,750 high school teachers at present. 

“It’s going to get worse before it gets better if it gets better, which I don’t think so,” Young said.

 But for Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama, being in favor or not in favor of the program would not make a difference in the implementation of the program.

 “Might as well let it be implemented and if it is for a good intention, let us support it. Let’s not be coming out with a crab mentality again.  If it’s a project of the national government, we’ll try to make it work. We’ll give all our best to support it,” Rama said.

 Rama is planning a Mayor’s Caravan which would go to different schools in order for both students and teachers to voice out their concerns and added that this would bring the City Hall closer to the people.

Meanwhile, the Cebu Provincial School Board (PSB) is expected to address problems like the shortage of teachers and classrooms with the approved total annual budget of P207.705 million.

 Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia, who chairs the PSB, said she is planning to hire 500 teachers to decrease the shortage and that she will find a way to implement the 1:40 teacher-student ratio.

 Provincial Board Member Wilfredo Caminero, Chairman of the Committee on Education, said that the board could not come up with a common sentiment regarding the implementation of the K-12 program.

 He said that different sectors have different opinions but personally, he is in favor of it as he pointed out that students today lack focus and the additional years would help them get back on track.

 “Daghang distractions sa focus sa students because of environmental factors like modern technology, (There are a lot of distractions that affect the students’ focus, including modern technology.)” said Caminero.

 Although he is in favor of the program, Caminero says he still needs to be convinced in terms of readiness.

 “We had a need for additional teachers sa normal program how much more sa 2 years? (We needed additional teachers under the normal program, how much more with the additional 2 years?)” said Caminero.

 Caminero said he will be convinced of Cebu’s readiness for K-12 when all the basic academic requirements are all in place.

 “It’s very easy to say we are ready but how ready?,” Caminero asked.

Parents’ Speak

While government officials have mixed reactions and are concerned regarding the readiness to implement the K-12 program, parents are worried too about how this will affect their income.

For a minimum wage earner like Marrieta G. Deada, who earns a living as a utility worker, she sees K-12 as an additional expense for the family.

She gives a P5 allowance to her younger daughter who goes to kinder and P10 for the other one in the elementary. The allowance is exclusive of the daily fare and lunch.

Now she’s wondering how she would manage and deal with the additional expenses, not to mention the school supplies and uniforms.

However, as promised by a teacher whom she talked to regarding the K-12 program, Deada was convinced with the assurance that her children, if able to finish senior high, can already be employed even if they will not proceed to college.

Deada said that she just needs to strive hard, together with her husband who works as a maintenance officer, in order for them to sustain their family’s needs.

Cherry Kaye Rebaya, the parent of a Grade-1 student, disclosed that the new program gained negative reactions from most of the parents at first with most of them thinking that the government is putting additional expenses on their part.

She said teachers must introduce the K-12 program properly in order for them to fully understand the pros and cons of its implementation.

Rebaya pointed out that after hearing the teachers’ explanation she and the other parents understood the purpose of K-12. She then said that teachers must disseminate the information well so that parents will not be confused and can understand its objectives.

“Pagkahibalo namo nga dungagan ug duha ka tuig ang high school, dugang gasto napud na para namo, peru pagkahibalo namo nga pwede na diay sila mu-work after high school, good news kaayo na para sa amoa nga mga inahan. (When we learned that there is an additional two years after high school, we were concerned over the additional expenses but upon knowing that they will be able to work after high school, it is also good news for us mothers.)” Rebaya added.

Elenita S. Pediño, a parent of an incoming Grade VII student of a private university, said she is really not in favor of K-12.

Pediño said that aside from the additional burden for them, the government cannot do anything if a student is not competent saying it is up to a person’s technique on how they will land a job after graduation.

She even questioned the government’s pledge on enhancing the student’s literacy and intelligence through K-12.

Pediño is unconvinced that the K-12 program will solve the problem of unemployment.

For her, the use of the mother tongue in teaching is ineffective since students must learn how to speak English well even at an early age because English is an international language.

“Dili jud ko gusto ani sukad pa pagkahibalo nako. Dugang na sa gasto, kalas pajud sa panahon. (I never was in favor of this from the start. It’s additional expenses and a waste of time.)” Pediño said.

Educators on K-12

Even Cebu City’s educators have different reactions to the Department of Education’s implementation of K-12 program.

Tejero Elementary School Grade I Teacher Remal L. Dotillos said she is changing all her visual aids in preparation for the implementation of K-12.

Dotillos said the rest of the grade 1 teachers in their school are going back to phase one since the use of the Mother Tongue Based (MTB) teaching will now be integrated in their methods.

For Dotillos, the use of MTB is beneficial because of the positive results as attested by the Lahug Elementary School which piloted the use of MTB just last year. She believed that the Department of Education will not implement something that they can’t sustain.

However, Dotillos said that the implementation of the K-12 for this school year 2012-2013 will serve as a litmus paper for everyone and that the improvement is yet to be seen in the coming years.

 “DepEd is hopeful that teachers will be a catalyst in making this imperfect program to be perfect,” Dotillos said.

She shared that for a teacher to become effective, they have to fully accept the program so that they will have the motivation to teach.

With the Mother Tongue Based teaching, Dotillos is hopeful that it would be easier for the children to fully understand the concept.

“With the Philippines’ adoption of a 12-year standard of education, I believe that our students will be globally competitive and equipped,” Dotillos said.

Tejero Elementary School Principal III Nicomedes S. Tijap said that their school is 100 percent ready for K-12.

“As part of our preparation, we conducted a summer class for kindergarten in which teachers voluntarily rendered their services. Teachers who will handle grade 1 were also trained for five days,” Tijap said.

For him, this is very beneficial since Filipino college graduates will never be called unprofessional abroad after completing 12 years of elementary and secondary education.

He is confident that DepEd will not implement a program without basing it on other improving countries that adapted the 12 years of preparation before going to college.

Tijap shared that parents were just surprised of the implementation but assured that through their general assembly, parents will be enlightened and will fully understand the goal of this program.

However, he said that limited classrooms are still among the problems of most schools in Cebu City.

“Mu-follow nalang jud mi, wala naman mi mahimo kay gi-implement naman na,(We have to follow. We cannot do anything about it because this is implemented already,)” said City Central Grade I Teacher Rosalita Pepino when asked on her stand regarding the K-12 program.

She revealed that they are prepared since seminars and orientations were held.

Pepino added that even before, the values of a student-centered education is already embedded by most of the teachers despite the issues on student- teacher ratio.

The only difference is that now, the MTB integration will be carried out. For her, it is beneficial and students can easily understand the topic since they will be taught in their own vernacular.

However, she clarified that English and Filipino subjects will still be introduced in the second semester in Grade I so the literacy of the students in both subjects is not compromised.

When asked if the K-12 program is realistic considering the student-teacher ratio, she said that this depends on the initiative and strategies of the teacher who should be passionate in teaching. She said parents should support their children in order for the K-12 program to sustain.

City Central Principal Bernadita S. Ynclino said that their school is 100 percent ready for K-12. Part of their preparations included making sure that information and objectives of the program were accurately disseminated for the parents to fully understand.

Teachers were also trained through seminars in order for them to be acquainted with the strategies of the program. She added that they have no problems when it comes to books, materials, and the instruction as a whole because the school is well provided by DepEd.

For Ynclino, this program is good for the country just like other countries who adopted the 12-year standard of education. However, she said that problems during the implementation are unavoidable.

Ynclino said it just has to be implemented thoroughly for the national betterment.

“Student-teacher problem is a very old problem, and it is expected to have problems every year, that is why we have to adjust,” Ynclino added.

Through the K-12 program, she said there will no longer be excuses for low-budgeted parents not to educate their children.

“Aside from the scholarships and free education in elementary and high school, there are lots of government programs that address poverty such as the 4ps and more. That is why parents must be committed in their profession and parents must be supportive. Together, let us do our share,” Ynclino added.

Pilot School Testifies

Regardless of whether we are really ready for the K-12 program, the main concern for parents is on whether or not the program is effective. Is it really worth the additional expenses and two more years in school?

Lahug Elementary School Grade I Teacher Maria Juvy R. Lugsanay said since they adapted the Mother Tongue Based (MTB) system for a year now as a medium of instruction in some subject areas, students can really understand and participate well by relating their own experiences.

She said their students got high Mean Percentage Scores (MPS) in last year’s achievement tests through the integration of MTB.

Lugsanay added that the English language will never be compromised since they integrated it as soon as the students understand the concept of the lesson.

“Based on our experience, great effects had been brought to the students by using the mother tongue because they can relate and respond well during the discussions. Their mental activity and art of questioning were also developed,” Lugsanay said.

She believed that through this program, Filipino lives will be uplifted and the problem on unemployment will be addressed.

Lugsanay shared that the sustainability of this program depends on the performance of the teachers in their respective classrooms and the support of the parents.

She also said that if teachers are diligent in their work, there is no reason that they cannot address the problems that will come along.

University of Cebu (UC) Grade VII Teacher Virginia M. Ponsio said that UC is ready for the implementation of K-12 since they have undergone trainings on how to handle this new curriculum.

For Ponsio, this program is beneficial since students can easily understand the lessons and will have an overview of what they wish to pursue after high school graduation.

With this program, she said Filipinos can already compete with the other countries since we are now adapting the international standards on education.

Even before when the K-12 program was not implemented yet, they had remedial classes for slow learners to cope up with the lessons. With them being a private school, they have no problems in terms of student-teacher ratio, classrooms and books.

“Ni-excel naman gani ta nga 10 years ra ta sa una, musamot jud tag excel ani ug ma 12 years na, (We even excelled before when we just had 10 years, we will surely excel even more with 12 years of education.)” Ponsio said.

A High School Principal from a university, who requested not to be named, said they are not certain if they will adapt the K-12 program since according to her, the implementation is optional for private schools.

She is still waiting for the decision of the administration. However, they are preparing if the program will pursue. She said that their teachers already went through seminars from DepEd.

When asked regarding her stand on the K-12 program, the high school principal said that the program is beneficial and workable and that this is one way of training the students for them to relate in real life situations since the two years that has been added in high school are preparatory for college.

With this program, she believes that students will become competitive since we are now adapting the international standards. She thinks that the effectiveness of the program depends on the teacher.

She said this year is still a transitory period when it comes to facilities and experimentation if this will sustain.

“I am now who I am even without K to 12. That’s all,” she pointed out. — /MIT

(The writers are MassComm Interns from Bicol University, Negros Oriental State University and Silliman University) (FREEMAN)