With education reforms topmost among his priorities, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has instructed Department of Education (DepEd) Secretary Sonny Angara to reform the K to 12 program and ensure high school graduates are prepared for employment.

“While the law is still K to 12, basta’t ang sinabi ko kay Secretary Sonny Angara is pagandahin natin nang husto habang nandiyan pa ‘yan,” President Marcos said in the second part of the BBM Podcast Episode 2 aired on Wednesday.

While the K to 12 program promised to produce employable high school graduates, President Marcos recounted the common complaint of the mismatch between the curriculum and industry needs.

The President said that DepEd is now working with the private sector to match skills training with in demand jobs, in order to improve the quality and employability of K to 12 graduates.

“We have partnered with the private sector and asked them, ano ba ang kailangan ninyong skills? Ano ba ang kailangan ninyong klaseng trabahador para ma-employ doon sa inyo?” President Marcos said.

“The private sector went even one step further: Gusto niyo kami na magpatakbo ng training? Tapos paglabas niya doon sa training, eh trabaho siya sa amin kasi eksakto ‘yung training niya doon sa kailangan namin. Iyon ang aming ginagawa,” the President added.

President Marcos said in the meantime, proposals to amend Republic Act No. 10533 or the Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013, was up to Congress.

RA 10533, also referred to as the K to 12 Law, lengthened the duration of basic education from 10 to 12 twelve years by adding two years of senior high school.

The President said he shared the frustration of parents that the K to 12 Law imposed added financial burden from two more years in high school without improving the employability of graduates.

“Sa 10 years, wala namang advantage. Wala namang naging advantage. Hindi rin nakukuha sa trabaho… That’s also my frustration. So we’ll see what Congress will do,” President Marcos said. I PND