A Party-list lawmaker on Tuesday supported the House of Representatives’ plan to review the K to 12 basic education program conceived during the administration of Benigno S. Aquino III.
ACT Teachers Rep. France Castro said the review was long overdue and that legislators must be able to look into the roots of the issues, including the chronic underfunding for the requirements of basic education, and immediately address them.
“We support the House leadership in their move to review the K to 12 program and its effectiveness. This overhaul of the country’s basic education system brought with it a myriad of issues as reported from the field by teachers and other school personnel, parents, and students,” Castro said.
“We have already filed and refiled House Resolution 20 since the 17th Congress for the House to look into the issues that emerged due to the implementation of RA 10533 or the Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013,” Castro added.
She said the additional two years in the four years of high school would be an additional burden for parents.
“The law mandated basic education to encompass one year of kindergarten education, six years of elementary education, and six years of secondary education, which includes four years of junior high school and two years of senior high school without addressing perennial problems already being faced by teachers and students before the enhanced basic education program,” Castro said.
Castro lamented that the budget for the K to 12 program has been increasing every year without addressing perennial problems of shortages in classrooms, learning materials, teachers, education support personnel, among others.
“These shortages are endured everyday by teachers, other school personnel, parents and students who are forced to shell out from their own money to make school facilities and equipment available,” said Castro.
“We urge the House leadership to thoroughly review and investigate the K to 12 program and the myriad of issues it came with and realize that the program does not serve the interest of the Filipino youth and the people for decent jobs with decent wages and national industrialization,” Castro pointed out.