By Peter Alagos
The Principal of the Philippine School Doha (PSD) said the ‘Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013’, which carries out the ‘K to 12 Programme’, will help guarantee the employability of its graduates in Qatar and other countries. The Department of Education (DepEd) in the Philippines said the new curriculum covers Kindergarten and 12 years of basic education: six years of primary education, four years of Junior High School, and two years of Senior High School.
According to DepEd, K to12 aims to “provide sufficient time for mastery of concepts and skills, develop lifelong learners, and prepare graduates for tertiary education, middle-level skills development, employment, and entrepreneurship.”
Prior to its implementation, PSD Principal Alex Acosta lamented that their graduates had difficulty enrolling in universities in Qatar since the old curriculum lacks two extra years, grades 11 and 12.
“It pains me so much when our students apply for college admission in Qatar they are denied because they lack the required two extra years.
“They are forced to look for schools that offer grades 11 and 12. Even though these schools are very expensive, parents have no other choice but to enrol their children there,” Acosta told Gulf Times.
The DepEd said, “A 12-year programme is found to be the adequate period for learning under basic education.”
Citing the Bologna Process for the European Union and the Washington Accord for the US, DepEd stressed that K to 12 “is also a standard for recognition of students and/or professionals abroad.”
“The Philippines is the last country in Asia and one of only three countries worldwide (the other two being Angola and Djibouti) with a 10-year pre-university cycle. Other countries like Singapore have 11 years of compulsory education, but have 12 to 14 years of pre-university education, depending on the track,” the DepEd noted.
Acosta said his confidence on K to 12 is grounded on the previous achievements of PSD graduates under the old curriculum.
“When our students enrol for grades 11 and 12 in other schools in Qatar they excel; we have a PSD graduate who was sent for a college scholarship in Australia while two others are now with the Texas A&M University and the University of Calgary. If we had the K to 12 programme earlier, I believe our graduates could have achieved more,” Acosta said.
Acosta said he is confident that PSD’s first batch of grade 12 graduates in 2018 will not encounter any difficulties enrolling for college courses in Qatar as well as being gainfully employed in companies here or elsewhere once they graduate.
UPBEAT: PSD Principal Alex Acosta.
