K to where? An analysis of the implications of the K-12 program on public high schools in the Fifth District of Manila

Abstract

For the past five years since its implementation in 2011, the Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013, or more commonly known as the K-12 Program, has stirred debate regarding its feasibility, effectivity, and relevance to the Philippine education system among scholars and lay people alike. Despite protests from students and teachers themselves, the government has decided to push through with the first batch of Senior High School students for the School Year 2016-2017. This study analyzes the nature of the K-12 Program, the problems arising from its implementation, and its implications on the public high school system, specifically in the fifth District of Manila. In the same way, it discusses the implications of the program on the basic education system of the country, and why the government should reevaluate its goals and strategies, and strive for a nationalist, scientific, and mass-oriented education for the benefit of the country, instead of blindly undertaking a program designed to meet international standards that encourages the export of labor at the expense of the country's domestic industries.