Vi)
Republic of the Philippines fs iy
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES fi RECEIVED
Quezon City f =
EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS \e

First Regular Session

House Bill No.

6247

Introduced by Representative JOEY SARTE SALCEDA

AN ACT REFORMING THE COUNTRY’S BASIC EDUCATION SYSTEM,
AMENDING FOR THE PURPOSE REPUBLIC ACT NO. 10533, OTHERWISE
KNOWN AS “THE ENHANCED BASIC EDUCATION ACT OF 2013”

EXPLANATORY NOTE

This bill is a component reform of the proponent’s Comprehensive Education Reform
Agenda,

The Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013 was a promising reform that sought to bring
the country into the community of nations where basic education is a twelve-year undertaking
guaranteed by the State. The ambitious reform sought to make Filipino students globally
competitive, graduates of basic education employable, and college degrees conferred in the
country accreditable in other countries. The reform tried to accomplish these goals by
establishing senior high school as part of the basic education program and providing a mother-
tongue based framework for teaching at the earliest stages of basic education.

While the goals and the spirit of the reform are laudable, key findings after the
implementation of the reform need to be acknowledged and addressed:

1. Fifteen-year old Filipino students (ie. in junior high school) scored lower in reading,
mathematics and science than those in most of the countries and economies that
participated in Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2018, a
triennial survey of 15-year-old students around the world that assesses the extent to
which they have acquired the key knowledge and skills essential for full participation
in society;

2. Most local companies are still hesitant to hire K-12 graduates, according to the
President of the Philippine Institute of Corporate Directors (ICD) in 2019;


3. In some cases, mother-tongue-based learning materials did not serve their purpose in
allowing students to learn in their native language, as some of tthese materials were
written in the regional language, which is not necessarily the native language in many
places in the country;

4. The Commission on Audit (COA), in its 2018 audit report of the Department of
Education, flagged the agency for procuring over P254 million worth of learning
materials that supposedly contained significant errors and deficiencies that “rendered
these instructional materials of poor quality.”

The K to 12 system is worth saving, but a course correction is urgently needed.

This bill proposes to reform the K to 12 system by amending the Enhanced Basic Education
Act of 2013, or Republic Act No. 10533, and by introducing new provisions to emphasize
quality over quantity in teaching, prepare K to 12 graduates for both employment and higher
education, and ensure that the administration of basic education focuses on improving the
learning outcomes of students.

The features of this proposal are:

1, Emphasis on Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) as a bridge to
both employment and higher education;

2. Ensuring that the mother tongue-based materials produced are actually in the native
language of the learner, and not in a regional language that may be as foreign to her as
English or Filipino;

3. A workforce development plan to ensure that K to 12 graduates are employable in the
country’s top employers and high-value industries;

4. TVET as the default senior high school option, while maintaining the other tracks as
alternatives;

5. Inclusion of courses in senior high school that can be certified as skills by the Technical
Education and Skills Development Authority;

6. The creation of a Learning Materials Development Center under the UP College of
Education to serve as a quality assurance mechanism and independent auditor of the
accuracy and effectiveness of textbooks;

7. Curricular deloading, with emphasis on retaining and creating courses that build skills
for the future;

8. Encouragement of summer internships among senior high school students.

Following the findings of the Schools for the Future Report of the World Economic Forum,
this bill will also emphasize the integration of the following skills into the curriculum:

(1) Global citizenship skills including content that focuses on building awareness about the
wider world, sustainability and playing an active role in the global community;

(2) Innovation and creativity skills, including content that fosters skills required for
innovation, including complex problem-solving, analytical thinking, creativity and
systems analysis;


(3) Technology skills, including content that is based on developing digital skills, including
programming, digital responsibility and the use of technology; and

(4) Interpersonal skills, including content that focuses on interpersonal emotional
inteligpoe including empathy, cooperation, negotiation, leadership and social
awareness

equipped with critical thinking and problem-solving skills, and imbued with the skills and

Itis ia that the bill will make K to 12 graduates more readily-employable, better
capacities needed to be productive and active citizens of the country.

In view of the foregoing, the approval of this bill is earnestly sought.

JOE’ SALCEDA



Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

House Bill No.

6247

Introduced by Representative JOEY SARTE SALCEDA

AN ACT REFORMING THE COUNTRY’S BASIC EDUCATION SYSTEM,
AMENDING FOR THE PURPOSE REPUBLIC ACT NO. 10533, OTHERWISE
KNOWN AS “THE ENHANCED BASIC EDUCATION ACT OF 2013”

Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress
assembled:

See. 1. Short Title. This Act shall be known as the “K to 12 Reform Act.”

Sec. 2. Declaration of Principles. The State shall establish, maintain and support a
complete, adequate, and integrated system of education relevant to the needs of the people, the
country and society-at-large, and aligned with the country’s socioeconomic and developmental
goals and priorities.

Likewise, it is hereby declared the policy of the State that every graduate of basic
education shall be an empowered individual who has learned, through a program that is rooted
on sound educational principles and geared towards excellence, the foundations for learning
throughout life, the competence to engage in work and be productive, the ability to coexist in
fruitful harmony with local and global communities, the capability to engage in autonomous,
creative, and critical thinking, and the capacity and willingness to transform others and one’s
self.

For this purpose, the State shall create a functional basic education system that will
develop productive and responsible citizens equipped with the essential competencies, skills
and values for both life-long learning and employment. In order to achieve this, the State shall:

(a) Give every student an opportunity to receive quality education that is globally
competitive based on a pedagogically sound curriculum that is at par with international
standards;


(b) Broaden the goals of high school education for college preparation, vocational and
technical career opportunities as well as creative arts, sports and entrepreneurial employment
ina rapidly changing and increasingly globalized environment; and

(c) Make education learner-oriented and responsive to the needs, cognitive and cultural
capacity, the circumstances and diversity of learners, schools and communities through the
appropriate languages of teaching and learning, including mother tongue as an appropriately
adopted learning resource.

See. 3. Sstion 3 of Republic Act No. 10533 is hereby amended to read as follows:

SEC. 3. Basic Education. — Basic education is intended to [meet basic learning
needs which provides the] PROVIDE ADEQUATE SKILLS FOR ACTIVE
AND PRODUCTIVE CITIZENSHIP AND SERVE AS THE foundation on
which subsequent learning can be based. It encompasses kindergarten, elementary
and secondary education as well as alternative learning systems for out-of-school
learners and those with special needs

See. 4. Section 4 of Republic Act No. 10533 is hereby amended to read as follows:

SEC. 4. Enhanced Basic Education Program. — The enhanced basic education
program encompasses at least one (1) year of kindergarten education, six (6) years
of elementary education, and six (6) years of secondary education, in that sequence.
seat een includes four (4) years of junior high school and two (2) years
of senior high school education, WHICH MAY BE IN THE FORM OF
TECHNICAL AND VOCATIONAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING
(TVET).

Kindergarten education shall mean one (1) year of preparatory education for
children at least five (5) years old as a prerequisite for Grade I.

Elementary education refers to the second stage of compulsory basic education
which is composed of six (6) years. The entrant age to this level is typically six (6)
years old.

Secondary education refers to the third stage of compulsory basic education, It
consists of four (4) years of junior high school education and two (2) years of senior
high school education. The entrant age to the junior and senior high school levels
are typically twelve (12) and sixteen (16) years old, respectively.

Basic education shall be delivered in languages understood by the learners as the
language plays a strategic role in shaping the formative years of learners.

For kind n and the first three (3) years of elementary education, instruction,
teaching materials and assessment shall be in the regional or native language of the
learners. IEN THE REGIONAL LANGUAGE IS NOT THE NATIVE
LANGUAGE OF THE LEARNER, AS IN THE CASE OF REGIONS
WHERE THE REGIONAL LANGUAGE IS NOT NECESSARILY THE
PREVAILING OR NATIVE LANGUAGE IN CERTAIN AREAS OF THE
REGION, THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION (DEPED) SHALL


ENSURE THAT THE NATIVE LANGUAGE OF THE AREA IS ADOPTED
AS THE MEDIUM OF INSTRUCTION IN THAT AREA, AND NOT THE
REGIONAL LANGUAGE. DEPED SHALL CONSULT WITH THE
KOMISYON NG WIKANG FILIPINO (KWF) IN THE FORMULATION
OF LEARNING MATERIALS NEEDED FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION
OF THIS PARAGRAPH.

The Department of Education (DepEd) shall formulate a mother language
transition program from Grade 4 to Grade 6 so that Filipino and English shall be
gradually introduced as languages of instruction until such time when these two (2)
languages can become the primary languages of instruction at the secondary level.

For purposes of this Act, mother language or first Language (LI) refers to language
or languages first learned by a child, which he/she identifies with, is identified as a
native language user of by others, which he/she knows best, or uses most. This
includes Filipino sign language used by individuals with pertinent disabilities. The
regional or native language refers to the traditional speech variety or variety of
Filipino sign language existing in a region, area or place.

See. 5. Section 5 of Republic Act No. 10533 is hereby amended to read as follows:

SEC. 5. Curriculum Development. — The DepEd shall formulate the design and
details of the enhanced basic education curriculum. It shall work with the
Commission on Higher Education (CHED) to craft harmonized basic and tertiary
curricula for the global competitiveness AND JOB-READINESS of Filipino
graduates, To ensure college readiness and to avoid remedial and duplication of
basic education subjects, the DepEd shall coordinate with the CHED and the
Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA).

To achieye an effective enhanced basic education curriculum, the DepEd shall
undertake consultations with other national government agencies and other
stakeholders including, but not limited to, the Department of Labor and
Employment (DOLE), the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC), the private
and public schools associations, the national student organizations, the national
teacher organizations, the parents-teachers associations and the chambers of
commerce on matters affecting the concerned stakeholders.

‘The DepEd shall adhere to the following standards and principles in developing the
enhanced basic education curriculum:

(a) The curriculum shall be learner-centered, inclusive and developmentally
appropriate;

(b) The curriculum shall be relevant, responsive and research-based;
(c) The curriculum shall be culture-sensitive;
(d) The curriculum shall be contextualized and global;

(©) The curriculum shall use pedagogical approaches that are constructivist,
inquiry-based, reflective, collaborative and integrative;


(£) The curriculum shall adhere to the principles and framework of Mother Tongue-
Based Multilingual Education (MTB-MLE) which starts from where the learners
are and from what they already knew proceeding from the known to the unknown;
instructional materials and capable teachers to implement the MTB-MLE
curriculum shall be available;

(g) The curriculum shall use the spiral progression approach to ensure mastery of
knowledge and skills after each level; fand}

(h) The curriculum shall be flexible enough to enable and allow schools to localize,
indigenize and enhance the same based on their respective educational and social
contexts. The production and development of locally produced teaching materials
shall be encouraged and approval of these materials shall devolve to the regional
and division education units[.]s

() THE CURRICULUM SHALL EMPHASIZE QUALITY OF DELIVERY
AND EFFECTIVENESS IN IMPROVING LEARNING OUTCOMES OVER
QUANT!

(1) THE CURRICULUM FOR SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL SHALL INCLUDE
TESDA-CERTIFIABLE COURSES AND INTERNSHIPS AND
APPRENTICESHIPS THAT CAN BE CREDITABLE AS WORK
EXPERIENCE.

See. 6. Section 6 of Republic Act No. 10533 is hereby amended to read as follows:

'Y OF CURRICULAR FEATURES; AND

SEC. 6. Curriculum Consultative Committee. — There shall be created a
curriculum consultative committee chaired by the DepEd Secretary or his/her duly
authorized representative and with members composed of, but not limited to, a
representative each from the CHED, the TESDA, the DOLE, the PRC, the
Department of Science and Technology (DOST), THE PHILIPPINE
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY (PCCD, AND THE
DEPARTMENT OF TRADE AND INDUSTRY (DTD), REPRESENTING
BOTH THE BOARD OF INVESTMENTS (BOI) AND THE PHILIPPINE
ECONOMIC ZONE AUTHORITY (PEZA). [and a representative from the
business chambers such as the Information Technology — Business Process
Outsourcing (IT-BPO) industry association.] The consultative committee shall
oversee the review and evaluation on the implementation of the basic education
curriculum and may recommend to the DepEd the formulation of necessary
refinements in the curriculum,

MEMBERS OF THE CONSULTATIVE COMMITTEE SHALL PROMOTE
COLLABORATION BETWEEN DEPED AND THEIR RESPECTIVE
AGENCIES AND ORGANIZATIONS.

THE CONSULTATIVE COMMITTEE SHALL MEET AT LEAST
ANNUALLY.
EVERY YEAR, THE CONSULTATIVE COMMITTEE SHALL ALSO

SUBMIT TO THE HOUSE AND SENATE COMMITTEES ON BASIC
EDUCATION A WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT PLAN AND


ACCOMPLISHMENT REPORT, WHICH SHALL INCLUDE THE
FOLLOWING:

(1) DEPED, INTER-AGENCY, AND CROSS-SECTOR EFFORTS TO
MATCH THE COUNTRY’S SKILLS REQUIREMENTS, ITS
BROADER SOCIOECONOMIC GOALS, AND BASIC EDUCATION
PROGRAMS AND CURRICULA;

(2) PROPOSED, EXISTING, AND UPCOMING PROGRAMS TO ENABLE
BASIC EDUCATION GRADUATES TO WORK IN HIGHLY-SKILLED
AND/OR TECHNICAL POSITIONS IN MANUFACTURING,
BUSINESS PROCESS, AND OTHER HIGH-VALUE INDUSTRIES
AND SECTORS;

(3) PROPOSED, EXISTING, AND UPCOMING PROGRAMS TO
PROVIDE APPRENTICESHIPS, INTERNSHIPS, AND OTHER ON-
THE-JOB LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES FOR SENIOR HIGH
SCHOOL STUDENTS;

(4) PROPOSED, EXISTING, AND UPCOMING PROGRAMS TO ENSURE
THAT SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS ARE EQUIPPED WITH
SKILLS NECESSARY FOR HIGHER EDUCATION;

(5) OTHER PROPOSALS, PLANS, ACCOMPLISHMENTS, AND
CHALLENGES RELATED TO ENSURING THAT SENIOR HIGH
SCHOOL GRADUATES ARE EMPLOYABLE, COLLEGE-READY,
AND CIVICALLY-IMBUED.

Sec. 7. Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) as Elements of
Senior High School Education. While students may opt to study under another curricular
track such as Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM), Senior High
School programs shall, by default, be under the Technical and Vocational Education and
Training (TVET) curriculum.

All tracks other than TVET shall include relevant and appropriate TESDA-certifiable courses
(such as, but not necessarily Computer Programming and Robotics for STEM, Foreign
Languages for Humanities and Social Sciences, Bookkeeping for Accountancy and Business
Management). The completion of such courses shall be accompanied by the corresponding
TESDA certification,

DepEd and TESDA shall issue the rules and regulations necessary for the implementation of
this Section within ninety (90) days upon the effectivity of this Act.

Sec. 8. Quality Assurance of Learning Materials, To ensure the accuracy, quality,
and Screcrtcones of learning materials such as textbooks and teacher guides in public
elementary and secondary schools, there shall be created a Learning Materials Development
Center (LMDC) attached to the University of the Philippines (UP) College of Education.

The LMDC shall perform the following functions:

(1) To ensure le accuracy and effectiveness of nationally-procured and nationally distributed
learning materials including textbooks. After one year from the start of the LMDC’s operation,
no textbook shall be procured by the Department of Education unless certified accurate by the
LMDC; |

5


(2) To undertake studies on the effectiveness of existing learning materials;
(3) To recommend the revision or updating of existing learning materials;

(4) To recommend that a learning material found to be deficient be replaced with a more
effective alternative;

(5) To undertake the publications of studies, monographs, research papers, articles, and other
works or writings on learning material development, with special emphasis on textbooks, and
to distribute them at cost to government agencies and other interested parties;

(5) To perform all other acts as may be necessary for the achievement of its objectives and
functions, in accordance with the rules and regulations of the University of the Philippines
including the granting of research awards, prizes, scholarships and fellowships.

In order to provide for the support of UP LMDC, there shall be appropriated an amount of Fifty
Million Pesos (Php 50,000,000) on the first year of the effectivity of this Act. Appropriations
for succeeding years shall depend on the actual needs of the UP LMDC, as shall be manifested
in a request by its Executive Director.

The LMDC shall be headed by an Executive Director designated by the Dean of the College
of Education from among qualified applicants with at least a Master’s Degree. The LMDC
shall have full-time administrative staff. Any provision of law to the contrary notwithstanding,
appointments wth research staff of the U. P. LMDC may be on a part-time basis and shall be
exempt from the requirements and restrictions of the Civil Service Law, the Retirement Law,
and the Administrative Code.

The President of the University of the Philippines shall issue the rules and regulations necessary
for the implementation of this Chapter, in consultation with the Dean of the College of
Education, CHED, and DepED.

Sec. 9, Curricular Deloading. To emphasize quality over quantity in the
administration of basic education, the curriculum for grade school shall not exceed thirty (30)
hours per week, and the curriculum for high school shall not exceed forty (40) hours per week.

For senior high school, academic coursework, including TVET courses, shall not exceed thirty
(30) hours per week, while an additional ten (10) hours per week may be spent to internships,
apprenticeships, student assistantships, and other creditable work experience.

In choosing which courses to create, retain, or phase out to comply with the statutory load limit,
the DepEd shall prioritize courses that provide the following skills:

(1) Global citizenship skills including content that focuses on building awareness about the
wider world, sustainability and playing an active role in the global community;

(2) Innovation and creativity skills, including content that fosters skills required for
innovation, including complex problem-solving, analytical thinking, creativity and
systems analysis;

(3) Technology skills, including content that is based on developing digital skills, including
programming, digital responsibility and the use of technology; and

(4) Interpersonal skills, including content that focuses on interpersonal emotional
intelligence, including empathy, cooperation, negotiation, leadership and social
awareness.



Sec. 10. Optional Summer Internship. An optional summer internship program in senior
high school shall be encouraged. Senior high schools may partner with business, government,
and non-government organizations to link their students with internship programs aligned with
their chosen curricular track. Schools shall, as far as practicable, pursue such internship
programs that remunerate interns.

Sec. 11. Implementing Rules and Regulations — Unless otherwise specified, the Secretary
of Education shall, in consultation with CHED and TESDA, promulgate the necessary rules
and regulations within ninety (90) working days from the effectivity of this Act.

Sec. 12. Separability Clause. — If any portion or provision of this Act is subsequently
declared invalid or unconstitutional, other provisions hereof which are not affected thereby
shall remain in full force and effect.

Sec, 13, Repealing Clause. — All other laws, acts, presidential decrees, executive orders,
presidential proclamations, issuances, rules and regulations, or parts thereof which are contrary
to or inconsistent with any of the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed, amended, or
modified accordingly.

Sec. 14, Effectivity. — This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in
the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation.

Approved,