MANILA, Philippines — Parents, students and teachers of the Manila Science High School on Tuesday urged the Supreme Court to reverse its ruling on the constitutionality of the government’s K-12 education program.
The group, through laywer Severo Brillantes, filed its seven-page motion for reconsideration before the SC. The petitioners asked the high tribunal anew to junk the K-12 basic education program for being unconstitutional.
On October 12, the SC voted unanimously that Republic Act 10533, or the Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013, is constitutional.
But the petitioners argued: “Not all Filipinos however need a globally competitive education or one at par with international standards (meaning a 12-year basic education cycle).”
They raised that the K-12 basic education program is violative of due process due to the additional two years of education that they said would only benefit those who aim to work abroad.
Working abroad not a dream for all Filipinos
The petitioners pointed out that the government defended the program by saying that the Philippines is the last country in the world to adopt a 12-year basic program, and that it aligns our education system with national development priorities and international standards.
In their appeal, the petitioners reiterated what they said in their previously filed memorandum: “But why burden each and every Filipino student with two additional years of senior high school, when it is not the dream of everyone to either to study or work abroad and thus with the need to meet with international standards?”
“It should be asked in the very first place what is our dream for our people, ‘to be perennial [Overseas Filipino Workers]?’”
They stressed that this proves that the law “served only the interests of only a select few.”
The school also argued that the addition of two years of senior high school “is not reasonably necessary to achieve the governmental purpose of improving the quality of education.”
This is the second appeal filed on the SC's recent ruling on the government program on education.
On Monday, Tanggol Wika, Filipino language advocacy group, asked the tribunal to reconsider its decision and “render CHED Memorandum Circular 20, series of 2013 [as] unconstitutional.”
The ChEd memorandum removed the mandatory Filipino subjects from college curricula.