'Real revolution' in education seen
The Department of Education (DepEd) said Tuesday the “real revolution” in Philippine education is set to unfold this coming school year 2012 to 2013 with the introduction of the new curricula for Grade 1 and first year high school students.
Education Secretary Armin Luistro said a more “learner-centered” curriculum for elementary and a “more interactive” curriculum for high school aim to change the mindset of the students when it comes to going to school and learning, in general.
The DepEd chief explained that the new curriculum will pave the way for the real revolution in education. “With the implementation of a fresh, dynamic, and learner-centered curriculum, this will make the curriculum more attractive and enjoyable for students,” he said.
Luistro also noted that the new curriculum to be introduced is designed to veer away from the traditional learning content. “With the help of our top officials and academic experts, the new curriculum is not so much on critical thinking and heavy memorization,” he said.
He also added that the new curriculum is not only designed to be “student-friendly” but “teacher-centered” as well. Based on the design of the new curriculum, the DepEd chief is hopeful that that students’ mindset on learning will be changed. “We want them to instill in them the love for studying even they are not inside their classrooms,” he added.
The most notable feature of the new curriculum to date, Luistro said, is the institutionalization of mother tongue-based teaching. “Here, students from Grades 1 to 3 will be taught in their native language which we feel is a proven method to be more effective in the field of teaching,” he said.
Luistro also revealed that DepEd is also “developing learning materials in the country’s major regional languages” so as to make it more interesting for students in general.
He added that the introduction of the new curriculum is expected to make critical changes in the country’s basic education system. “We are planning to require first graders to spend four hours of basic learning or for half a day only.”
As an educator himself, Luistro strongly believes that education or going to school per se should not be a “burden” especially to first graders. “It is very important for young learners to enjoy going to school so as to instill in them the love for learning,” he said.
In the secondary level, Luistro said a “more interactive” first year curriculum is in the works. “What we want to do is to ensure that the curriculum will be responsive to what the industry needs and of course, to make it enjoyable for the students,” he added.
K to 12’s phased implementation started this current school year with the offering of the Universal Kindergarten Program. With this, all children are required to finish kindergarten first before they get accepted to Grade 1.
Luistro said pre-school education is very crucial to ensure that five-year-old children are “better prepared for basic education.” The full implementation of the K to 12 Program—with the additional two years of senior high school—is expected by the year 2018.
Meanwhile, DepEd’s program to change the 10-year basic curriculum to 12 years has gained support from the country’s “future” leaders.
Student delegates from the Philippines to the 11th Hitachi Young Leaders Initiative (HYLI), which is ongoing in Hanoi, Vietnam until Jan. 13, expressed support to the K to 12 Program saying that this would help uplift the country’s current situation.
Kurt Gerard See, a PhD Economics student from De La Salle University, said the good thing about the K to 12 is that it “prioritizes primary education.” He added that college education in the Philippines serves as an “impediment” for a lot of people because it gives “lesser opportunities to labor market” and encourages “labor exports.”
Mark Andrew Copuyoc, a Management Engineering student from Ateneo de Manila University, also stressed the importance of having quality education—through the K to 12 Program—to help in eradicating poverty which he considers as one of the biggest problems of the country. “Education should be a solution to poverty through empowering the people to get a job and attain long-term stability,” he explained.
By INA HERNANDO-MALIPOT
mb.com.ph
mb.com.ph
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