Weighing the Pros and Cons: MANDATORY KINDERGARTEN PROGRAM

Mrs. Magnarelli's Kindergarten logo (Google Photos)

“The Philippines is the only remaining country in Asia with a ten-year pre-university program, resulting to an insufficient mastery of basic competencies due to congested curriculum.” This is a statement by CEO VI Director III of Department of Education - Cordillera (DepEd-CAR) Teresita Velasco who proves that our country needs to change the year of our educational system from ten to twelve years.

Last year, the K+12 program was approved by President Benigno Aquino III. It composed of kindergarten and twelve years of elementary and secondary education which adds two years in high school. Recently, the mandatory implementation of universal kindergarten will be effective this coming school year. It requires five year old children to enter kindergarten before they enroll to first grade in elementary school. Velasco explained that the universal kindergarten education aims to ensure readiness of the children to enhance their social skills and creativity at an early age which will help them to cope with their new environment when they enter grade school.₁ In addition, Aurora Rep. Jose Edgardo Angara said the introduction of pre-school education should improve the quality of education in the public school system.₂

In order to meet the expectations in this program, most public schools are adding classrooms for upcoming kindergarten pupils. Besides, they also made the classrooms child-friendly and conducive to learning from the environment, instructional materials, facilities, and even the teachers were giving free educational materials and toys for the enrollees.

Many people agree on this program but there are others who are not favor on it. The reasons include lack of financial support for education, lack of academic preparedness in part of teachers and the idea that pre-school education should not be mandatory. There is a columnist believed that mandatory kindergarten program is not the solution to problems in education, but it relies on the improvement of teaching quality in secondary schools.

The question here is are we ready for the K+12 program especially the universal kindergarten? In fact, we should be prepared in the change of our educational system in order to meet the educational needs of our citizens and to improve the educational competencies of our country. As a matter of fact, it all started in home where parents teach their children on basics such as writing, reading, counting and socialization and they should guide and motivate them to have their interest in studying. Then, if the children are prepared enough to study, they can enroll in formal schooling which starts in pre-school where the basic knowledge, skills and values learned from home will enhance with the help of teachers, classmates and the subject matter taught in the class. In addition, pre-school education is different from first grade of elementary schooling. In the previous years, there are cases where a pupil didn’t go to pre-school and they enrolled directly to grade one. Although they have similarities in terms of learning the basic concepts, there are still few differences in terms of level of the subject matter and competencies.

For the pre-school teachers, they should choose the appropriate teaching strategies and classroom discipline for the learners and show their expertise in teaching the pupils for the better educational system of our country. Besides, the government and non-government sectors should invest on education for the salary of teachers, educational materials, and facilities in order to gain improvement in quality of education.

Therefore, the universal kindergarten program is a big help for improving the quality of education in our country, as well as the learners in public school. Being in kindergarten is the first step in having their basic education in terms of learning the basic concepts, skills and values in this level.

Sources:

₁ Kindergarten officially mandatory this year – Baguio News

(http://www.baguionews.net/news/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=6730:kindergarten-officially-mandatory-this-year&catid=1:baguio-news&Itemid=9)

₂ House Okays kindergarten bill – Jess Diaz, Philippine Star

(http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=653034&publicationSubCategoryId=63)

Related Articles: Weighing the Pros and Cons: 12 Years of Basic Education

Weighing the Pros and Cons: 12 YEARS OF BASIC EDUCATION

Source: http:///www.pinoyexchange.com

Recently, the Department of Education proposed a program that improves the quality of our educational system. It is called the K+12 Basic Education Program. It comprises of kindergarten, six years of elementary education, four years in junior high school and two years of senior high school. This program will implement starting the school year 2012 – 2013.

In connection with this program, one of the plans of President Noynoy Aquino in his administration is to move our basic education system from the current ten years system to twelve years. This agenda will be a major change to our educational system, but there are many people reacted to this issue, some were agreed while others disagree. In addition, there are pros and cons to be considered in implementing the said program.

There is an advantage of this program for those students who are going to work after pursuing their secondary education. According to Education Secretary Armin Luistro, high school graduates can be productively employed even without a college degree. If the student is a graduate of senior high school and at the legal age to work, it means that he or she can land a job. If the student is not able to take this degree, technical vocational education is the alternative. This senior high school is an addition to the basic education system which is fundamental and essential for learners in order to have an opportunity towards a better life.

The curriculum of this K+12 basic education program will also allow specialization in science and technology, music and arts, agriculture and fisheries, sports, business and entrepreneurship. These fields are relevant for the learners in order to prepare for their desired careers in the future. Hopefully, the curriculum will also focus on subjects that enhance their academic competency, develop their skills and values, and recognize multiple intelligences.

Regarding with the curriculum of the twelve-year basic education system, it should be expanded through adding new subjects and dividing fields of interest which is integrated in major subjects. Based on the experiences of other students, there are topics in the textbooks that are not tackled due to lack of time (one year is not enough to finish the lessons for other subjects – sometimes those lessons are appearing in diagnostic examinations and achievement tests). That is why we need to add subjects which can consume for the twelve years basic education. It would be possible that if the program will implement and establish in the coming years, there will be additional subjects that are advanced and relevant to the learners’ competencies in order to become globally competitive.

Lastly, this twelve-year system will also address the problem in the earlier years in schooling. In United States, there is a law called No Child Left Behind which sets the high standards and establishing measurable goals that can improve individual outcomes in education through assessment in the basic skills which suit to their age. The result of this program was successful where some of the learners made progress in Reading, Writing, Science and Math at their very young age. In the Philippines, educational programs like English Proficiency program, Science and Math proficiency and “Every Child a Reader” by Grade 1 are already planning to implement in order to improve the problems in the earlier years of schooling such as poor reading and writing skills. Hopefully, the outcomes of this program in our country will also the same in the United States and other countries with high literacy rate.

But there are problems to be encountered why there are number of Filipinos are not favor with this twelve years system. There is a comment from a news website said that parents can hardly afford to pay for four years of high school, they are going to add another two years which is true among the students who came from the masses. It is not the number of years or the financial status that matters in this program. The disadvantages to be considered are the lack of textbooks and educational materials for the students, lack of teachers, lack of classrooms and facilities, large number of students in a crowded classroom, incentives and performance measures and teaching quality. In relation with the short basic education cycle, the low quality of education is also transparent by high dropping out rates of students and failing in national achievement tests and diagnostic examinations. These problems are interconnected with each other which results into low quality of education in our country.

In order to comply with these problems, currently the government has a budget for education in order to create additional classrooms and schools, facilities, and textbooks. In addition, the teachers should strengthen their knowledge and skills in order to bring better instruction to the students. Perhaps, the teachers should be given proper motivation to work responsibly through proper salary, incentives and performance measures. In terms of educational materials, the textbooks and pamphlets should be less errors and accurate in terms of content and grammatical context and there will be better instructional materials to be used in the class. This system will help the teachers to teach better.

Therefore, the 12-year basic education program is one of the solutions in improving the low quality of our education system. There are cases that ten years of basic education did not recognize in foreign universities and colleges, where they have the twelve years system. That is why; we need to establish the twelve years of basic education system in order to make our educational quality to go with the global standards and it is a major breakthrough in our educational system which leads to change towards progress of our citizens in terms of their academic competency.

In the end of this note, the 12-year basic education program is not all about quantity versus quality. It is not all about adding of classrooms, expenses and number of years. It is all about the quality of education that is needed to improve and enhance because it is the one that helps us to become globally competitive and responsible citizens of our country.

Related Articles: Weighing the Pros and Cons: Mandatory Kindergarten Program

Street Children and Education

A rovingcart with educational materials.
Source: Google Photos

Street children are exposed in living on the cities, working heavy jobs and navigating the streets just to provide the daily needs of their family. They are still young to accomplish these duties. The only thing they have to do is to play and study their homeworks in school just as the typical pastime of ordinary children. But the only problem is they have to work hard for the money to help their family and themselves for daily needs.

Street children have the rights to a better education in order to achieve a bright future. The factors that serve as hindrance are lack of financial and moral support. There are street children who want to finish their studies and achieve their dream like to become a doctor, a teacher, or a lawyer someday. Recently, the problem of providing better education for the street children is being solve with the help of non-government sectors such as social welfare institutions, religious associations, and foreign volunteers. They provide regular classes and services for the street children for free. These classes are composed of academic literacy lessons or basic education, values education, sports and recreation, free school supplies and expenses, livelihood programs and spiritual lessons in order to attain high literacy and morality. There are persons who also volunteer to help street children or out-of-school youth in other places aside from streets such as graveyards, ruined buildings or dumpsites where some poor people lived in these areas.

Every child has the right to gain quality education without any equivalent of money and expenses. Even the child suffers from poverty, they still have the right to learn and acquire knowledge. The parents should continue to encourage their children to study and develop their potential skills. The government should also give more priority for education of street children or out-of-school youth and continue to improve the system of education and support the non-government sectors in educating the poor. For the non-government sectors, continue the good job of helping the street children through education. Always remember that money and poverty are not hindrances for children to study and acquire knowledge, skills and values in school in order for them to learn and have a better future.

The Legal and Personal Impacts of Online Abuse

Source: Google Photos

The Internet is considered as an open and digital world by getting closer to the world with just one click away. By simply sitting in the front of our computer, we can search the stuff that we want and we can communicate with people through long distance, just to feel that they are just here.

We are fond of surfing the Net as our pastime through research, online games, forums, discussions and social networking. We can meet new friends, join in forums and discussions, sharing personal insights and opinions, and post journals, photos, and videos. In addition, it makes our communication and research easier through Internet.

Some young Filipinos are spending their time on surfing the net and they take advantage on the freedom of using the Internet. On the contrary, some of them want to harm others through Internet which leads to abuse. Some examples of these cases are online pornography, threats, gossips, hacking, online scams, hate letters, and cyberbullying that results into negative impact to other people.

In some social networking sites, we can report these cases but we need to wait for the approval of the website for the official sanction like canceling the message, photo, video or blog reported and suspension of the personal account of the user who created and spread the abusive stuff. However, these abusive stuff that considered as crimes like cyberbullying, pornography, hacking, gossips, and others are still spreading in the online world. Like what is mentioned before, there are sanctions for these cases but most of us are unaware and ignoring these things that we have the right to report the abuse of Internet that harm others.

Therefore, we can say that there is an absolute freedom in using the Internet. But the outcome is too bad for those who abuse it that results into defamation and conflict. As a matter of fact, Internet users that be careful in meeting people online, use our limitations and be responsible in using the Net and do not use it for abuse and harm. Don't be afraid to report cases of online abuse, we have the right to use it to defend ourselves. For the website administrators, operators, analysts and upcoming Internet professionals and workers, be strict and aware to that negative stuff spreading online. For the government, start making laws on proper use of Internet for the Filipinos because we are in the contemporary world and technology is dominating in our society. To all lawmakers and government officials, give priority on the proper use of Internet as one of the major issues in our society. Finally to all Filipinos and to people in different countries, open our minds for awareness on online abuse and crimes. We can start it in ourselves to stop the abuse on using the Internet for harm and damage of other people online. Use the Internet for good and friendly purposes towards harmonious communication online.

Hopefully, there will be an online profession which is similar to detectives, inspectors, or patrollers that block the abusive online habits, as well as the people who spread the abusive stuff in the Internet and give the appropriate penalty.

Weighing the Pros and Cons: REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH BILL

Source: www.newsaroundus.com

The reproductive health bill is one of the controversial issues in the country nowadays due to its urgent signing of the government which is not supported by the religious sector. Since then, the RH Bill has been a contentious social issue because it opposes two powerful sectors with each other – the Church and the development non-government sector supported by government technocrats.

Why these two sectors are opposing with each other about the RH Bill? First, the Catholic Church pits this bill because it promotes the use of artificial birth control methods such as birth-control pills and condoms, saying these could lead to promiscuity and a rise in abortion cases. They advocate natural family planning methods such as ecological breastfeeding and systematic natural family planning. On the contrary, the development nongovernment sector supported the RH Bill because it gives clear content on population commission, ideal family size, reproductive health education in schools and the freedom to use natural or artificial family planning methods.

The reproductive health bill is relevant in terms of assisting family planning programs to the people. It gives significant information on the methods of birth control, the appropriate number of children for every family, gender equality and reproductive health education. Also it includes the Commission on Population will serve as the government agency that complies with the issues on overpopulation and disseminating the information on family planning to local government sectors.

But there are parts in the RH bill that needs improvement in terms of content because other sectors will not conform on it. First, they encourage having two children as an ideal family size and there is no punitive action for those families having more than two children. In the contrary, overpopulation is one of the major problems in our country. There are ideas that there will be a law for ideal family size which the number of children is not more than eight and above. Hopefully, responsible parenting is the solution for this problem in a way that the parents should grow their children depends on their family size and capacity in terms of budget and spacing.

Second, the mandatory age-appropriate reproductive health education where it can be taught to the students by adequately-trained teachers starting Grade five to fourth year high school. There is nothing new about it because it is already common in schools nationwide. However, we need to look forward on the possibilities that the family, especially the parents, will guide their children appropriately through proper teaching of reproductive health education. It is for the reason that children learn these things in school, neighbors and peers; sometimes, it can be learned through improper way which leads to indecent idea towards reproductive health.

Lastly, the bill promotes the freedom to choose between natural or artificial methods of family planning. But there are parts in the bill that advocates more on the use of artificial birth control methods such as surgical methods in public hospitals and the contraceptives such as condoms and pills are essential medicines. These methods are scientifically effective but the Church opposes the use of artificial birth control methods.

Therefore, the Church, the development nongovernment sector, and the government technocrats express their side in this social issue. It also reflects the pros and cons to be encountered if the bill will implement in the future. Hopefully, other people from different sectors of society will become aware in this issue and express their side if they agree or disagree in the RH Bill.

Source: "Belmonte to ask PNoy to certify RH Bill as urgent" by Amita Legaspi

http://www.gmanews.tv/story/202312/belmonte-to-ask-pnoy-to-certify-rh-bill-as-urgent