Rep. Sarmiento pushes for 12-year grade school, high school education

CALBAYOG CITY – The committee on education of the House of Representatives is currently working on the bill that will improve the basic education system of the country by institutionalizing the creation of kindergarten or K-12, said Samar first district Representative Mel Senen Sarmiento, who is a member of the committee and a member of the congressional team that goes around the country to explain the rationale of K-12.

K-12 refers to Kindergarten and the number 12 refers to the sum of seven years in grade school and five years in high school.

The proposed education system is said to help graduates of the country to meet international standard of education system and be globally competitive and was part of the promise of President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino to improve the education system of the country.

The current basic education system of the country has six year elementary education and four year secondary education.

“Probably some of us are thinking that the government had not yet provided solutions to existing problems of the education sector like the lack of school buildings and teachers,” said Sarmiento.

“But if we will look at other countries like the USA and our neighboring Asian countries like Singapore where their basic education graduate age are at 18 or 19 years old, their economy is strong because most of their high school graduates can already enter the labor force of their country,” the solon added.

“It is only in our country where we keep on insisting that our high school graduate enter college for them to land a job because they can’t be hired because they finish high school at the very young age,” Sarmiento said.

“Our graduates are masyadong hilaw to enter the labor force of our country because they graduated at the age of 15 or 16, unlike in progressive country na they graduate at age of 18 which is hinog,” Sarmiento added.

Based on our Labor Code, for one to be legally employed that employee should be at the age of 18.

Although this proposed bill had earned a huge number of criticisms particularly from parents, students and caused-oriented groups, as this would result additional burden to parents and students and provide additional work load to teachers, get the support from the members of the Lower House, Sarmiento said. (Roel Amazona)