MANILA – Several parents expressed their disapproval and sought for suspension of the Department of Education’s (DepEd) K to 12 program, believing that their children will only become ‘experiments’ of the education reform program.
The government’s K to 12 program added two years of high school to the previous 10-year basic education program of the country. In partnership with women’s rights groups Gabriela, some parents formed the Parents’ Movement Against K-12.
During the group’s launch in Manila, spokesperson Jovita Montes noted that their groups believed that the DepEd was ‘ill-prepared’ for the implementation of such education reform.
“As a parent, is it okay with you that your child’s education is subject to experimentation?” Montes said, adding that the new program may not guarantee quality education.
“Our fear is the quality of education. Yes, it’s guaranteed that after two years your child may be able to land a job, but what kind of job would that be?” she continued, fearing that the program may only result in the production of ‘cheap labor.’
Montes also raised the issue on the reform program’s four track options. She said that the incomplete offers of academic, technical-vocational livelihood, sports, and arts and designs choices in some schools were a problem for several parents.