In an effort to make the students understand the benefits program, Education Secretary Armin Luistro said that he will order DepEd officials to come up with workshops or arrange educational tours of students from other schools to special schools such as the Philippine High School for the Arts (PHSA) in Los Baños, Laguna.

“Through this, best practices, relevant education, appropriate approaches and practical application can be shared among other schools and students,” he said.

During his recent visit to PHSA, Luistro was impressed by the excellent standards of the school. He expressed intention to make other arts schools in the country to follow the steps of PHSA.

Luistro said that by strengthening the country’s special schools such as arts schools through specialized curriculum, “more people can appreciate our move towards the additional two years.”

He added that if people would see the benefits of the specialized curriculum like what PHSA has, “they would also see the fruits that our country will harvest through the proposed K+12 program.”

Luistro is hopeful that people — especially the parents — would be more receptive to the proposal because under the K +12 program, the two additional years in high school will focus on the preferred skills of learners and they will be given enough time to polish such skill. “By the time they graduate from high school they are well prepared and skillful enough to be hired,” he said.

The DepEd chief also hopes that when students can see for themselves the system being used by PHSA, many of them — especially those talented ones — can unfold their full potential and “bring pride and honor to the country by becoming world-class artists.”

Meanwhile, DepEd also sought the help of the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAid) to study the 12-year curricula in New South Wales (Australia), Thailand and Vietnam which will serve as models for the Philippines.

According to DepEd Undersecretary for Programs and Projects Yolanda Quijano, DepEd has already finalized its work plan for the implementation of the proposed program.

“Consultations with various stakeholders in different regions are still ongoing but we are also on the process of reviewing items that appear redundant in the current 10-year program,” she said.

Quijano said DepEd is focusing on courses and competencies that should be introduced in the additional two years under the K +12 program which aims to bring the country at par with the international educational standards based on 12 years of basic schooling.

“We are looking at the most important skills and subjects that ought to be learned by students in junior high, and what other skills ought to be added for grades 11 and 12, where there would be specializations,” she said.

Ina Hernando-Malipot, Manila Bulletin