K to 12 seen to contribute to productive employment

By Ninfa Iluminda B. Quirante

Friday 8th of June 2012

CATBALOGAN CITY, SAMAR, June 08, (PIA) --Department of Education's K to 12 program will not only place the Philippine educational system at par with international standard, but it will also contribute to the development of a better educated society capable of pursuing productive employment, entrepreneurship, or higher education disciplines, an official of DepEd said.

DepEd Division of Samar Information Officer and Balik Ekswela Chairman Rustom Geonzon who guested on radio at PIA’s Huruhimangraw radio program on June 7 also said that the new curriculum is not a burden for the students and parents because they can choose what training they want to undergo in the two-year skills training in senior high to be assisted by TESDA.

The students will get from TESDA a “National Certificate 1” (NC1) on the first year and “National Certificate 2” (NC2) on the second year of the training, which they can use as skills certificate in finding jobs in the future.

For those who still want to pursue college, the program also gives academic preparation for college.

He also said that students in high school will now be called in Grade 7 for first year, Grade 8 for second year, Grade 9 for third year, and Grade 10 for fourth year.

They will also enter as Grade 11 and 12 in senior high.

“In Grade 11 and 12 they will undergo skills training,” Geonzon said, and added that “this is to prepare the students for college and get skills for the high school graduates.”

In Samar schools, the mother tongue is used as a medium of instruction in the kindergarten and will continue to be used until Grade three.

The medium of instruction to be used starting Grade 4 will be English and Filipino.

Some 90 percent of the population uses Waray language while 10 percent is Cebuano--these are found in the islands of Almagro, Sto. Nino, and Tagapul-an. (EPT/NBQ/PIA 8-Samar with Avha Ebalde)