Much buzz has been going on about the proposed lengthening of elementary and high school years. As a parent of three school-aged children who feel the financial crunch from year to year, I, for one, am not in favor of extending my kids’ schooling because that would entail more expenses and more frustration on my part. I don’t believe that my children are still not getting the best education they deserve despite being enrolled in private schools.

In an informal survey conducted among 34 Filipino parents and teachers, only 10 were in favor of stretching the total number of years from 10 to 12 while the other 24 parents were against it. The reasons behind their answers varied.

Parents who said YES

Yes. K-12 curriculum (additional two yrs) is appropriate for a person’s developmental stages.

– Noemi Jara, fundraising consultant, mom of one

Yes! Look at the first world countries. We really need an additional two years so our kids would be more mature when they work or venture in business.
– Christine Juan, directress of a private preschool in Paranaque City, mom of two

Yes. As a parent of a child who is already undergoing these numbers of years in school, I could tell that it is paying off. My son is now on his eighth grade and I could see the difference that his long years of studies have contributed to his total well being, his personality, his intelligence, and his maturity. [I believe] that children being equipped with knowledge through education will be better prepared to help our society, our nation, and the world!

Our child will better understand the how and why if they are more prepared through longer years of learning. Elementary and high school are the foundations of our children’s education. If kids have a strong foundation, they will always have an edge to having a better future ahead of them. With the global competitive market, wouldn’t it be nice for our country to produce quality education that could compete globally?
– Edna Novido, software engineer based in the USA, mom to Kervin (13)

Parents who say NO

“No. The length of years in school does not make one smarter or more prepared for life. What we need is an excellent curriculum, good quality textbooks, and learning materials as well as competent and well paid educators, sufficient classrooms, school facilities, and access to new teaching technologies and methodologies and a safe learning environment.”
– Janise Ruiz, Business & Marketing Manager, mom to Luc (9) and Franco (7).

“No. Kung free ba ang education dito sa atin, okay lang. Kaso, hindi. Kaya dagdag pasakit lang yun sa mga magulang. Ayusin na lang ang curriculum at i-supervise ng maayos ng DepEd at CHED ang mga schools.”
– Marlyn Caballero of Quezon City, mom to Red (7) and Lyndon (4)

No. Mas mahaba school years ng mga ‘Kano but I believe mas matatalino pa tayong mga Pinoy. We just lack resources, competent teachers, and good facilities.
– Loi Acosta of San Pedro Laguna, mom to Lucille (11)

No. May mentality ang Pinoy na gayahin ang Amerika, pero hindi siguro sa primary and secondary education. Coming from a good school in the Philippines and teaching in the US, hindi ko ipagpapalit ang quality [of education] ng UP Rural High School. If we can have that modeled in all the schools sa Pinas, that would be good. Now, we are actually going back to basics, old strategies na ngayon eh binabalikan and effective naman pala like note-taking, etc. What we need are open classrooms para magka-collaboration and sharing ang mga may expertise sa wala, at i-integrate ang technology sa lessons para ‘di mahuli gobally ang bata.
– Loren Evangelista, US-based teacher

No. We don’t need to add to the years of education. What we need is a change in curriculum; masyadong mabigat ang curriculum natin ngayon wherein loaded ang pupils. Grade one pa lang, ang dami-dami nang subjects and topics covered. Yung iba naman hindi nila kailangan sa future job na gusto nila ‘di ba? Noon, three R’s lang: reading, writing, and arithmetic. Mabilis matuto ang bata. Kaya dapat bawasan ang coverage, depende sa grade level. Kids these days no longer have time to explore more information about subject matters that interest them kasi ang dami nilang dapat na aralin.

– Ruth Ayala, sixth grade public school teacher in Laguna

No. I believe lengthening the school years is not the answer to a worsening quality of Philippine education. Rather, it would be an additional burden to our fellowmen who have no other choice and means but to send their kids to public schools that are overcrowded, have few textbooks, and overworked teachers. Let’s admit that nowadays, parents who can afford would rather send their kids to private schools which are way ahead in lengthening the school years, as some have grade seven, and preschool education starts as early as 2.5 years old. Our less fortunate kababayans are mostly the ones sending their kids to public school and will be directly affected by this policy.

I hope taxes will be spent wisely and put to good use by making sure that the less privileged are benefiting from the programs and policies of the government. P-Noy is right; let us first address the shortage in educational facilities before we try to keep up with the school system of other countries. How about the government mandates the graduates of state universities like U.P. regardless of course/academic background to render at least two years of teaching service to public schools?
– Che A. Ayllon, State Worker, mom to Uno (4) and Asha (2)

Lengthening of the school years will be useless unless we train our teachers well and add more classrooms and books for kids to use. Even our children’s textbooks nowadays are full of errors. I hope they fix these problems first before thinking of adding another year to our children’s school lives.
– Mari-Stella Estuar, stay at home mom to Kyle (12), Sasha (9), and Jason (6)

Sorry, but I find it a crazy idea. I see at it as merely adding more years of unnecessary burden which doesn’t look like the real solution to the deteriorating education system in the country. I suggest that the DepEd listen to the teachers who are actually in the battleground, so to speak; those who are actually out there giving lessons to students inside a cramped, rickety classroom or under the shade of a mango tree two mountains and one river away from the town.

Most likely, DepEd officials will hear that very basic essentials need to be improved: better books and a copy for each student, a chair for each child, renovated and/or more constructed schoolhouses and classrooms, very reasonable student-to-teacher-ratio, basic and regular health check-ups for students, doing away with teachers’ lessons plans which are re-written on a daily basis year after year, real trainings for teachers (and not just seminars wherein teachers only need to collect certificates from to earn them credits for promotion) and most of all, improving and strictly following the curriculum set for the public school system.
– Farrah Jaclyn Kate Gutierrez, PR officer, mom to Felicity (7)

I studied at an international school and had seventh and eighth grade for middle school, before high school from ninth to 12th. Not worth the extra years! But then again, what is the quality of education now? Our teachers can’t even speak in proper English and textbooks have mistakes among other things. Maybe they should evaluate per school and district? I mean, if you’re in Metro Manila and you study at say, Ateneo and Miriam, you’re paying for your education, so you expect great teachers and a great curriculum. So why spend for the extra year when you expect your kids to be taught sufficient stuff during the years they’re in the excellent school?
– Kaye Sy-Catral, Marketing Manager, mom to Alexa (8) and Riley (19 months)