Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines

Home
About
Briefing Room
Programs & Policies
Resources
Feedback

o

I. The K to 12 Program
The K to 12 Program 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 [SHS]) 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.
The adoption of the program is in response to the need to improve the competitiveness of our
countrys graduates as the ten-year basic education cycle is seen as inadequate for work and
higher education. In fact, overseas Filipino workers are not automatically recognized as
professional in other countries that view the ten-year education program as insufficient. The
Philippines is the only country in Asia and is one of only three countries in the world with a ten-
year basic education cycle.
A. Salient Features
1. Universal Kindergarten Education. Kindergarten has now been integrated into the basic
education system to ensure that all grade 1 students are ready for academic learning.[3]
Universal kindergarten started in SY 20112012 with a budget of P2.3 billion and was made
mandatory starting SY 20122013 through the signing of Republic Act No. 10157 entitled An
Act Institutionalizing the Kindergarten Education into the Basic Education System and
Appropriating Funds Therefor on January 20, 2012.[4]
In SY 20122013, an estimated 2.3 million five-year-old children will enter kindergarten, of
which 1.7 million (74 percent) will be served by public schools.[5]
2. Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education. The mother tongue will be the medium of
instruction from kindergarten to grade 3. This includes the following: Tagalog, Kapampangan,
Pangasinense, Iloko, Bikol, Cebuano, Hiligaynon, Waray, Tausug, Maguindanaoan, Maranao,
and Chabacano. Medium of instruction will be English and Filipino starting grade 4.[6]
3. Core Academic Areas.[7] The core academic areas include Math; Filipino; English; Araling
Panlipunan; Edukasyon sa Pagpapakatao; and Music, Arts, Physical Education, and Health
(MAPEH). These are based on the College Readiness Standards of the Commission on Higher
Education and are equivalent to the courses offered under the General Education Curriculum of
Higher Education Institutions.
Science will be taught in grade 3, but its concepts will be integrated in other subjects like Health
(under MAPEH), Math, and Languages in grades 1 and 2. Edukasyong Pangtahanan at
Pangkabuhayan will be taught starting in grade 4. Technology and Livelihood Education and
technicalvocational specializations, consistent with the Technical Education and Skills
Development Authority training regulations, will start in grade 7.
4. Specializations. The additional two years (grades 11 and 12) or SHS will allow students to
choose among academic, technicalvocational, or sports and arts tracks depending on their
interest, the community needs, and the results of their skills assessment. The SHS will allow
mastery of core competencies for lifelong learning and preparedness for work, higher education,
middle-level skills development, or entrepreneurship.[8]
B. Implementation and Transition Management
Program implementation will be in phases starting this June for SY 20122013. Grade 1 entrants
in SY 20122013 will be the first batch to fully undergo the program, and incoming first-year
high school students (or grade 7) in SY 20122013 will be the first to undergo the junior high
school curriculum.[9] To prepare teachers for the new curriculum, a nationwide summer training
program for about 140,000 grades 1 and 7 public school teachers will be held in May. The
Department of Education (DepEd) is also working with various private school associations to
cover teachers in private schools.[10] To facilitate the transition from the existing ten-year basic
education to 12 years, the DepEd will also implement the SHS Readiness Assessment[11] and K
to 12 Modeling.[12]

C. Social Benefits of the Program[13]
The perceived benefits of the program include: i) placing the Philippine education system at par
with international standards, following the Washington Accord and the Bologna Accord; and ii)
contributing to the development of a better educated society capable of pursuing productive
employment, entrepreneurship, or higher education disciplines.
D. Ensuring Sustainability of the Program[14]
Enhancing the basic education curriculum and increasing the number of years for basic education
was adopted as a Common Legislative Agenda during the February 28, 2011 Legislative
Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) meeting. The administration-supported
bills that aim to increase the number of years for basic education are Senate Bill 2713 (Recto),
House Bill (HB) 4219 (Belmonte), and HB 4199 (Escudero). These bills are pending at the
Committee Level.
E. Curriculum
Click on the following links to access the curriculum guides (PDF files):
Kindergarten
Science: Grades 3 to 1o
Physical Education: Grades 1 to 10
Music and Arts: Grades 1 to 10
Araling Panlipunan: Grades 1 to 7
Edukasyon sa Pagpapakatao: Unang Baitang at Ika-10 Baitang
Health: Grades 1 to 10
Mathematics: Grades 1 to 10
II. Government Interventions to Address Basic Education
Input Gaps
The DepEd budget was increased by 15 percent from P207 billion in 2011 to P238.8 billion in
2012, which is being utilized to address the basic education input gaps, among others.
A. Classrooms
As of January 27, 2012, the following are the governments accomplishments on classroom
construction:
2010 GAA 2011 GAA
Target Classroom construction Percentage Target Classroom construction Percentage
2,472 2,383
(2,218 complete; 165
ongoing)
96.40 8,133 7,089
(4,447 complete; 2,642
ongoing)
87.16
B. Teachers

As of February 29, 2012, 94.86 percent of the 10,000 CY 2011 new teaching positions[
approved by the Department of Budget and Management has been filled. To fast-track the
construction of classrooms, the Public-Private Partnership for School Infrastructure Project will
be implemented from July 2012 to July 2013 with a project cost of P9.8 billion. A total of 9,332
classrooms will be constructed in 2,262 elementary and secondary schools in three pre-identified
regions (I, III, and IV-A) with the highest classroom shortages.
C. Toilets
Between 2010 and 2011, 978 of the targeted 1,396 toilets have been repaired.
D. Textbooks
With the CY 2010 and 2011 procurement, the DepEd will be able to achieve a 1:1 student to
textbook ratio in SY 20122013. By SY 20122013, the DepEd will have a zero backlog on
textbooks.
E. Seats
Between 2010 and 2011, 1,301,506 of the targeted 1,461,963 school seats have been procured.
III. Frequently Asked Questions on the following:
A. K to 12 Concerns
When will the K to 12 program be implemented?
Universal kindergarten started in SY 20112012.
The new curriculum for grade 1 and grade 7 (high school year 1) will be implemented in
SY 20122013 and will progress in the succeeding school years.
Grade 11 (HS year 5) will be introduced in SY 20162017 and grade 12 (HS year 6) in
SY 20172018.
The first batch of students to go through K to 12 will graduate in March 2018.
Where will the additional two years be added?
The two years will be added after the four-year high school program. This will be called
senior high school.
Why are we implementing 12 years of basic education and not 11 years?
A 12-year program is found to be the adequate period for learning under basic education
and is a requirement for recognition of professionals abroad (i.e., the Bologna and
Washington Accords).
Other countries like Singapore have 11 years of compulsory education, but have 12 to 14
years of preuniversity education depending on the track.
Will this address the dropout problem?

The decongested curriculum will allow mastery of competencies and enable students to
better cope with the lessons. This should partly address those who drop out because they
cannot cope with schoolwork.
The curriculum will be learner-centered, enriched, and responsive to local needs. It will
also allow students to choose electives/specializations that suit their interest. This should
partly address those who drop out because of lack of personal interest in the curriculum
offered.
DepEd will also continue to offer programs such as home schooling for elementary
students and the dropout reduction program for high schools. These programs address the
learning needs of marginalized students and learners at risk of dropping out.
Why is the K to 12 program better than the current program?
K to 12 offers a more balanced approach to learning that will enable children to acquire
and master lifelong learning skills (as against a congested curriculum) for the 21
st

century.
The current program crams a 12-year curriculum into ten years, making it difficult for
students to master the competencies.
It will help in freeing parents of the burden of having to spend for college just to make
their children employable.
A student who completes K to 12 will be equipped with skills, competencies, and
recognized certificates equivalent to a two-year college degree.
What would be the assurance that K to 12 graduates will be employed?
DepEd has entered into an agreement with business organizations and local and foreign
chambers of commerce and industries that graduates of K to 12 will be considered for
employment.
There will be a matching of competency requirements and standards so that 12-year basic
education graduates will have the necessary skills needed by the labor market.
How will K to 12 help in ensuring employment for our graduates?
The K to 12 basic education curriculum will be sufficient to prepare students for work.
The curriculum will enable students to acquire Certificates of Competency (COCs) and
National Certifications (NCs). This will be in accordance to TESDA training regulations.
This will allow graduates to have middle-level skills and will offer them better
opportunities to be gainfully employed or become entrepreneurs.
There will be a schoolindustry partnership for technicalvocational tracks to allow
students to gain work experience while studying and offer the opportunity to be absorbed
by the companies.
How will the K to 12 program help working students (college level)?
DepEd is in collaboration with
CHED to provide more opportunities for working students to attend classes.
DepEd is working with the Department of Labor and Employment to ensure that jobs will
be available to K to 12 graduates and that consideration will be given to working
students.
How will the K to 12 program help students intending to pursue higher education?
The K to 12 basic education curriculum will be in accordance with the College Readiness
Standards from CHED, which sets the skills and competencies needed of K to 12
graduates who wish to pursue higher education.
CHED will download its general education subjects to K to 12, ensuring mastery of core
competencies for K to 12 graduates. This may lead to a reduction in the number of years
of college courses, resulting to a decrease in educational expenses of households.
B. Transition Management and Private Schools
What will happen to colleges and universities during the two-year transition period (SY 2016
2017 and SY 20172018)?
DepEd is in the process of formulating a transition management plan, which involves the
active participation of officials of educational institutions and organizations/associations
of colleges and universities (public and private) for this two-year gap. The arrangements
may include using private school facilities and teachers for senior high school.
DepEd is working closely with private educational institutions to address these transition
management issues.
Will senior high schools be implemented in existing high schools or will new schools be built?
Existing schools will be used for the additional two-year program. DepEd is likewise in
discussions with CHED, TESDA, and private schools to use their existing facilities
during the transition period and beyond.
Is K to 12 required for private schools as well? Will the same implementation timeline apply to
private schools?
Since private schools follow the DepEd curriculum, they will also be implementing the
12-year basic education program, but the implementation plan will differ. This will be
discussed with the representatives of the private schools.
Private schools are active participants in developing the K to 12 Program.
Note that a number of private schools offer at least 12 years of basic education: two years
of kindergarten, six or seven years of elementary, and four years of high school.
How will the college and technicalvocational courses be adjusted due to the K to 12
curriculum? Will adjustments be made in time for the first graduates of K to 12?
TESDA will download some of its basic technical competencies, and CHED will transfer
the general education subjects to basic education.
CHED will be releasing its updated College Readiness Standards, which will be the basis
for the competencies in grades 11 and 12 (HS years 5 and 6).
These activities will be completed before SY 20162017.
What is the role of the (a) barangays and (b) NGOs in K to 12?
They will help in information dissemination about the program; and
Take part in the K to 12 consultations to provide input on the implementation of the
program.
C. Curriculum
What will happen to the curriculum? What subjects will be added and removed?
There will be a continuum from kinder to grade 12 (HS year 6), and to technical and
higher education.
The current curriculum will be decongested to allow mastery of learning.
In grades 11 and 12 (HS years 5 and 6), core subjects like Math, Science, and English
will be strengthened. Specializations in students areas of interest will also be offered.
Right now, a technical working group has formulated the new curriculum framework,
standards, and competencies for K to 12. Experts from CHED, TESDA, and other
stakeholders are part of this working group. After this, the changes in terms of subjects
added, removed, and enhanced will be clearer.


What specializations will be offered in senior high school?
The specializations to be offered include academics, middle-level skills development,
sports and arts, and entrepreneurship. In general, specializations will either be college
preparatory, immediate work/career readiness, or a combination of both.
Specializations will also be guided by local needs and conditions. For example, schools
serving farming or fishing communities will offer agriculture- or fishery-related
specializations. Schools located in manufacturing zones will have technical courses
relevant to the sector, and so will schools in the vicinity of the business process
outsourcing (BPO) industry. Science high schools will continue to provide higher degrees
of science competencies, as well as the arts.
Will students choose specializations or will this be determined by assessment?
Students will undergo several assessments to determine their interests and strengths.
These will include an aptitude test, a career assessment exam, and an occupational
interest inventory for high schools, and should help students decide on their
specialization.
For senior high school, what will happen if majority of our students want to specialize in
agriculture and only one is interested to take math or academics? How will this be
accommodated?
This is an extreme situation.
The areas of specialization will be offered according to the resources available in a
locality and the needs of students.
What will happen to special schools such as science high schools, high schools for the arts, trade
schools, etc.?
These schools will remain special schools with enriched curriculum for grades 7 to 12
(HS years 1 to 6).
What will happen to multigrade teaching?
Multigrade teaching will continue using the K to 12 curriculum.
ALS age requirement is only 16 years old for the HS equivalency test. Will this change to 18?
Students might want to turn to ALS if they can save two years of formal school education costs.
The ALS is based on the existing ten-year basic education curriculum. When the new 12-
year curriculum will be in place, ALS will likewise be revised.
D. Kindergarten
Is kindergarten a prerequisite for entering grade 1?
Yes. Republic Act No. 1057, or the Kindergarten Education Act, institutionalizes
kindergarten as part of the basic education system and is compulsory for admission to
grade 1.
Is there an overlap between the day care program of the LGUs and DepEd kindergarten?
There is no overlap. Day care centers of the LGUs take care of children aged 4 and
below, whereas the DepEd kindergarten program is for five-year-old children.
Should schools now prepare permanent records for kindergarten students?
Yes. Although the assessment on readiness skills of students in kindergarten is not
academically driven, a good measure of the childs ability to cope with formal schooling
is needed for future learning interventions.
Who is in charge of kindergarten teacher compensation? The LGU o DepEd?
DepEd is the main agency that employs and pays kindergarten teachers.
There are LGUs that help in the kindergarten program and provide honoraria for
kindergarten teachers.
When will the Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education (MTB-MLE) be implemented?
The MTB-MLE program will be implemented nationwide this coming June, in SY 2012
2013.
Nine hundred twenty-one schools, including those for children of indigenous people,
have piloted the MTB-MLE. The implementation of MTB-MLE will benefit from the
experience of these 921 schools.
Twelve mother tongue languages shall be offered as a learning area and utilized as a
language of instruction starting SY 20122013. These are Tagalog, Kapampangan,
Pangasinense, Iloko, Bikol, Cebuano, Hiligaynon, Waray, Tausug, Maguindanaoan,
Maranao, and Chabacano.
Which mother tongue will be used in multicultural areas?
The lingua franca in the area shall be used as the medium of instruction.
The principle of MTB-MLE is to use the language that learners are most comfortable and
familiar with.
E. Teachers
Will teachers be burdened by additional teaching load due to the K to 12 Program?
There will be no additional
workload due to the K to 12 Program. The Magna Carta for Public School Teachers
provides that teachers should only teach up to six hours a day.
The decongested K to 12 curriculum will allow teachers to master the contents and
competencies that they will develop among the students, and will enable them to focus on
their areas of expertise.
Will teacher salary increase as a result of the K to 12 Program?
The K to 12 Program will not result in teacher salary increase because there will be no
additional teaching load or additional teaching hours.
Salary increases for other reasons, such as the Salary Standardization Law, inflation, and
promotion, may apply.
How will teachers be prepared for the K to 12 Program?
Teachers will be given sufficient in-service training to implement this program. The
preservice training for aspiring teachers will also be modified to conform to the
requirements of the program.
Training of national trainers for grades 1 to 7 will be on April 2329, 2012.
Training of grades 1 and 7 teachers will be conducted at the regional and division levels
for the whole month of May 2012.
Who will be the teachers for senior high school? What will be their qualifications?
Additional special teachers will be hired and existing teachers will be trained to teach
core academic subjects and electives that will be offered in grades 11 and 12 (HS years 5
and 6).
DepEd is exploring the possibility of utilizing existing technical and higher education
teachers to teach grades 11 and 12 (HS year 5 and 6), especially during the transition
period.
Teacher education institutions will also adjust its preservice programs to align it with the
needs of the education sector.
F. Budget
How close is DepEd in addressing the resource gaps (i.e., classroom, teachers)?
By this SY, 20122013, we will close two of the five resource gaps: seats and textbooks.
We have targeted to close the other resource gaps in the next few years.
Aside from increasing the budget of DepEd, we are also enjoying support from local
governments, private partners, and donor agencies.
DepEd lacks resources to address its current input shortages. With K to 12 and its added
resource needs, how will this be addressed?
One scheme is to front-load all needed capital investments, take a grant or loan from
government and private banks based on annual budget, and pay the amortization yearly.
We also have the support of local government units and private partners in terms of
infrastructure.
Private partners can donate through our Adopt-a-School program that
provides them a 150 percent tax rebate for their contribution.
Individuals and institutions can take part in the TEN Moves! Campaign to
build 10,000 classrooms by donating P10 per day for ten months.
LGUs can follow the front-loading scheme using their Special Education
Fund as collateral and the allocation as amortization.
For teacher items, LGUs also help by hiring qualified teachers for our
public schools and paying honoraria for them.
We have enough time to provide the additional classrooms, teachers, and instructional
materials since they will be needed beginning in SY 20162017.

How about the additional cost to parents?
Grades 11 and 12 (HS years 5 and 6) will be offered for free in public schools.
K to 12 graduates will have higher earning potential as they will be more competent and
skilled.
As a result in the K to 12 Program, CHED is exploring the possibility of decreasing the
number of years of certain courses in college.
K to 12 graduates will have national certification from TESDA, which will enable them
to have higher employment opportunities.
How much will the K to 12 Program cost the government?
The House-approved budget for 2012 is P238.8 billion, including P2.4 billion for kinder.
For 2016, the introduction of grade 11 (HS year 5) has a preliminary estimated cost of
P38 billion, assuming all costs are borne by the government (Medium-Term Spending
Plan for Basic Education, 2011).
DepEd is targeting to involve other stakeholders to generate additional financial
resources.
Wont this be another avenue for corruption? How can you ensure that funds will be released
and used properly?
DepEd fully supports the Aquino administrations drive against corruption.
We will regularly package and disseminate information on agency budgets, bidding and
procurement documents, and SALNs of senior government officials, to ensure
transparency and accountability.
It is also in our best interest to ensure that funds and resources are not lost to corruption.
G. ARMM Concerns
Will the K to 12 Program be applicable in ARMM? What will happen to the Madrasah
curriculum in ARMM?
The K to 12 curriculum will be flexible enough to accommodate local conditions and culture in
Mindanao. The Madrasah curriculum is a component of the K to 12 Program.
What is the policy of DepEd to reduce the occurrence of teacher kidnapping in ARMM?
We will be organizing an Education Summit for ARMM to discuss the various concerns
in Mindanao, including teacher kidnapping.
Our initial discussions with ARMM explore assigning Muslim teachers to ARMM
schools.
Given the situation in the conflict areas, is it possible to make the non-eligible natives (Muslim)
full-pledged teachers?
This will be discussed with the Civil Service Commission and the Professional
Regulation Commission.

This page was last updated on June 5, 2012. All information came from the Department of
Education.


Notes:
[1] The Washington Accord prescribes 12 years of basic education as an entry to recognition
of engineering professionals. The Bologna Accord requires 12 years of education for university
admission and practice of profession in European countries. (Source: Dir. Anna Cristina M.
Ganzon, Office of the Secretary, DepEd, Vetted Brief for the K to 12 Launch, April 20, 2012.)
[2] From the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organizations 151
member countries, Djibouti and Angola are the other two countries that retain a ten-year pre-
university education system. (Source: DepEd, Discussion Paper on the Enhanced K to 12 Basic
Education Program, October 5, 2010.)
[3] DepEd, Executive Summary: K to 12 Basic Education Curriculum, undated.
[4] Dir. Ganzon, Vetted Brief for the K to 12 Launch, April 20, 2012.
[5] Ibid.
[6] Ibid.
[7] Ibid.
[8] Ibid.
[9] Ibid.
[10] Secretary Armin A. Luistro, DepEd, Opening Remarks for the Formal Launch of the K
to 12 Program, April 18, 2012.
[11] The SHS Readiness Assessment determines the capacity of all educational institutions to
adapt to the program and ascertain that it will be adequate for the current industry demand and
employment opportunities. (Source: Dir. Ganzon, Vetted Brief for the K to 12 Launch, April 20,
2012.) The SHS Readiness Assessment shall be implemented from June to July 2012. (Source:
Mr. Kenneth Tirado, Executive Assistant IV, Head of Communications Unit, DepEd, April 20,
2012.)
[12] The K to 12 Modeling introduces SHS to selected schools to simulate the program before
its nationwide implementation in SY 20162017. (Source: Dir. Ganzon, Vetted Brief for the K to
12 Launch, April 20, 2012.) The K to 12 Modeling shall be implemented in June 2012.
(Source: Mr. Tirado, April 20, 2012.)
[13] DepEd, Discussion Paper, October 5, 2010.
[14] Presidential Legislative Liaison Office, Status of the LEDAC Common Legislative
Agenda, as of March 21, 2012.
[15] Dir. Ganzon, Vetted Brief for the K to 12 Launch, April 20, 2012.
[16] The deployment and hiring of the CY 2011 teachers was in accordance with the revised
flowchart prescribed by DepEd Order No. 9, s. 2011, which streamlined the process of hiring for
teachers. (Source: Dir. Ganzon, Vetted Brief for the K to 12 Launch, April 20, 2012.)