Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. on Wednesday rejected the proposal to suspend the implementation of the K to 12 education program.
Belmonte’s statement came even as the joint House committees on basic education and on higher education conducted its probe of the Education department’s preparedness to implement the K to 12 program.
DepEd Secretary Armin Luistro, during the hearing, expressed confidence that the K to 12 program could be implemented.
Belmonte rebuffed calls to suspend the K to 12 program, including that of the request of Pasig City Rep. Roman Romulo for the DepEd to come up with a feasibility study, otherwise it should not be implemented.
“We have given them the law and it cannot be suspended anyway just like that; we have to go through the process. Based on discussions, I think they are on the right track,” Belmonte said.
Belmonte expressed belief that DepEd can implement the ambitious educational reform program.
“I don’t think everybody will be able to say that I am ready 100 percent, but I think they are substantially ready. They will have to learn from any errors that can happen. I think there are inevitably some initial glitches, but I’m very confident they are up to their job,” Belmonte said.
Luistro told lawmakers the DepEd is confident in implementing the K to 12 program, which provides additional two year course to the basic education curricula.
Under the K to 12 program, a 5th Year (Grade 10) and 6th Year (Grade 11) will be implemented on 2016-2017 school year.
Luistro said at least 39,000 professors in the college level are about to be affected by the K to 12 program.
But Luistro said tertiary schools are planning to construct senior high school where professors to be displaced by the program can teach there, adding that DepEd can also hire them.
Based on their estimate, Luistro said at least 31,000 teachers are needed during the first year of its implementation.
One of the K to 12 critics in the Lower House, Kabataan party-list Rep. Terry Ridon sought the scrapping of K to 12 due to so many problems besetting the basic education system.
“Even as the K-12 program enters its last phase, DepEd has not yet resolved the shortages in the basic education sector,” Ridon said.
Earlier, Romulo, the chairman of the House committee on higher and technical education, insisted that Deped and CHED are not prepared to implement the K-12 program.
“At this point in time, hindi sila ready. That is why gusto nating ipagpatuloy ‘yung engagement natin sa DepEd baka sakaling meron silang mga solution pa. Pero ngayon, if you ask me right now, hindi sila handa,” Romulo said, adding that there is enough time to resolve the problems.
Among the problems that hound the K to 12 program are the lack of classroom, absence of safety nets for displaced teachers and academic personnel, poor technical-vocational model and others.