K TO 12 GENERAL INFORMATION

What is the K to 12 Program?
The K to 12 Program covers 13 years of basic education:
1 year of Kindergarten
6 years of primary education
4 years of Junior High School
2 years of Senior High School

Why are we now implementing 12 years of basic education?
The Philippines is the last country in Asia and one of only three countries worldwide with a 10-year pre-university cycle (Angola and Djibouti are the other two).
A 12-year program is found to be the best period for learning under basic education. It is also the recognized standard for students and professionals globally.

How will K to 12 affect the college curriculum?
The College General Education curriculum will have fewer units. Subjects that have been taken up in Basic Education will be removed from the College General Education curriculum.
Details of the new GE Curriculum may be found in CHED Memorandum Order No. 20, series of 2013.

What has been done to get ready for K to 12? Are we really ready for K to 12?
SY 2011-2012: Universal Kindergarten implementation begins
SY 2012-2013: Enhanced curriculum for Grades 1-7 implemented
2013: K to 12 enacted into Law
2014: Curriculum for Grades 11-12 finished

This 2015, we are getting ready for the implementation of Senior High School (SHS) in SY 2016-2017.
We are on the fifth year of the implementation of the K to 12 Program. Our last mile is the Senior High School. All 220 divisions of the Department of Education (DepEd) have finished planning and have figures on enrolment a year in advance. These plans were reviewed by a separate team and finalized upon consultation with other stakeholders.
Classrooms: DepEd has built 66,813 classrooms from 2010 to 2013. There are 33,608 classrooms completed and undergoing construction in 2014. As of March 11, 2015 DepEd is planning to establish at least 5,216 Senior High Schools nationwide. On March 31, 2015, DepEd has issued provisional permits to 1,122 private schools set to offer Senior High School in 2016.
Teachers: From 2010-2014, DepEd has filled 128,055 new teacher items. DepEd is targeting two kinds of teachers: those who will teach the core subjects, and those who will teach the specialized subjects per track. DepEd will hire 30,000 teachers for Senior High School for 2016 alone.
Textbooks: Learning materials are being produced for elementary to junior high while textbooks for Senior High School (which has specialized subjects) are being bid out.
Curriculum: The K to 12 curriculum is standards- and competence-based. It is inclusive and built around the needs of the learners and the community. The curriculum is done and is available on the DepEd website. It is the first time in history that the entire curriculum is digitized and made accessible to the public.

I’ve been hearing that a lot of people have not been consulted regarding K to 12. Is this true?
DepEd has always been transparent in the planning and implementation of K to 12. There have been regular consultations with various sectors since 2010, before the law was passed, during the crafting of the IRR, and during implementations. DepEd representatives have also attended various fora and conferences, including legislative inquiries, regarding K to 12. We are open to criticisms and suggestions regarding this.

How can I help improve basic education?
Private partners can donate through the Adopt-A-School program. A 150% tax incentive will be provided for every contribution.
Help spread awareness and information on the K to 12 Program. # Adapted, DepED-Ilocos Sur