Belmonte Rejects Proposal to Suspend K to 12 Program

(PNA) — Speaker Feliciano “Sonny” Belmonte, Jr., on Wednesday rejected the proposal to suspend the implementation of K to 12 program.

At the joint hearing of the House committees on Basic Education and on Higher Education, Belmonte rebuffed calls to suspend the K to 12 program, including the request of Pasig City Rep. Roman Romulo, saying the law cannot be violated.

“We have given them the law and it cannot be suspended anyway just like that we have to go to process. Based on discussions, I think they are on the right track,” said Belmonte.

Belmonte expressed belief that DepEd could 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.

Education Sec. Armin Luistro said the agency was confident in implementing the K to 12 program, adding prayers were also needed for the successful implementation of 5th Year (Grade 10) and 6th Year (Grade 11) on 2016-2017 school year.

Luistro told lawmakers during the joint hearing that at least 39,000 professors in college level are about to be affected by the K to 12 program.

But Luistro said tertiary schools were 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.

Kabataan Rep. Terry Ridon sought the scrapping of K to 12 because of so many problems besetting the basic education system.

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.

He urged the government officials to exert effort to resolve these glitches before the program is fully implemented by 2016.

“At this point in time, they are not ready. That is why we want to continue our engagement with DepEd,” Romulo said, adding that there was 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.

For the classrooms, Romulo said DepEd needed about 37,000additional rooms to accommodate students starting school year 2016-2017.

On the other hand, about 34,000 college professors will be jobless in the next two years because of the additional two years in the secondary level to complete the K to 12 program.

“These are key issues they need to address,” Romulo said, as he stressed that the DepEd and the CHED until now had not yet presented a better package for the displaced faculty and non-faculty in college level. (PNA) RMA/SFM/SSC