The Philippine Online Chronicles

Netizens turned to their blogs yesterday upon hearing the news that the implementation of the Department of Education’s (DepEd’s) K+12 program will include the removal of Science in the Grade 1 curriculum.

According to Manila Bulletin, DepEd will drop Science from the subjects to be taken up by Grade 1 students, starting next school year.

This is part of the partial implementation of the K+12 curriculum, said Education Secretary Armin Luisto.

“The overall design of the new curriculum to be introduced and implemented this coming June to both Grade 1 and First Year high school students is based on the idea that we should be taking the students where they are,” he said in an interview.

He added that while Science will be dropped and will be later introduced in Grade 3, some Science concepts will be incorporated in the other subjects.

The subjects to be taken up by Grade 1 pupils are Mother Tongue, Filipino, Edukasyon sa Pagpapakatao, Music, Art, Physical Education and Health (MAPEH), Mathematics, Araling Panlipunan, and English.

Rotten?

Progressive youth group Anakbayan, slammed the K+12 curriculum anew with national chairperson Vencer Crisostomo saying, “Gaano man katagal lutuin ang isang ulam, di pa rin ito makakain kung bulok ang mga rekado (No matter how long you cook a dish, its still inedible if the ingredients are spoiled).” It was in response to Luistro’s statement that  “Parang ulam ang edukasyon, kahit gaano pa karami ang rekado, pag kulang oras ng luto, hilaw pa din (Education is like a viand, no matter how much ingredients you add, it will remain raw if you don’t cook it long enough). “

The group criticized the removal of Science in several grade levels in elementary school.

Crisostomo said the non-inclusion of Science in Grades 1 and 2 “simply defies logic.”

Blogger Arche of GetRealPhilippines.com wrote, “Does Luistro realize the chaotic implications of his statement? First and foremost, what exactly are the parameters in implementing this policy? To what extent should these “concepts” be integrated in the other subjects?”

Luistro had said in an interview, “For instance, there will be no Science subject in Grade 1 but when the students do the readings, there will be Science concepts introduced but Science is not the subject,”

But Arche asked, “What if you’re discussing Philippine history, when suddenly the teacher sidetracks the lesson to scientific concepts? The bigger problem is that, since the students do not have a solid background on science, discussions will be filled with confusion on what the teacher is actually talking about, and why he or she is talking about it in the first place.”

He said the K+12 was instead a “dumbing-down campaign.”

Past experiences

Like other Twitter users, blogger Dean Jorge Bocobo of Philippinecommentary.blogspot.com said he was hopeful but at the same time full of apprehension over the K+12 curriculum. He said people should keep an eye on its implementation.

He pointed out that, “When the Department first removed the Health and Science Subject from the Basic Education Curriculum in Grades One and Two, on of several reasons advanced was this. Many students at Grade 1 & 2 are supposedly unprepared to absorb Science Lessons because of lack of English proficiency. So they suggested that formal Science Subject start at Grade 3 with Science "integrated" with the English Subject.”

He added, “But after ten years, do the outcomes justify continuing the policy of a truncated science curriculum? In my opinion, the answer is NO!”

Shorter hours

The removal of Science is part of the DepEd’s aim to “decongest” the Basic Education Curriculum.

Luistro said the K+12 will be “more fun” for the students.

“From 6 hours, we will reduce it to four hours to make education less stressful and more enjoyable for our young learners,” he said.

In Facebook, links of the articles announcing the news have been circulating. Facebook users lamented the non-prioritization of Science and the undue focus on language, especially English.

One user said, “Maybe they think BPO > R&D (Business process outsourcing is greater than Research and Development.”