THE House Committee on Basic Education yesterday approved Deputy Speaker Gloria Arroyo’s pet bill which seeks to amend the K to 12 Basic Education Program to make senior high school optional for students who will pursue a technical-vocational pathway.
The basic education panel chaired by Pasig Rep. Roman Romulo approved the substitute bill to the former president’s House Bill No. 7893 or the “K+10+2” curriculum and other related bills filed by other lawmakers.
The still unnumbered bill, now called the “Education Pathways Act,” seeks to give those who completed junior high school or Grade 10 the option to skip college to pursue a technical-vocational course or pursue a two-year college preparatory program under the Department of Education (DepEd), now called senior high school.
Junior high school students who will pursue a technical-vocational pathway will be educated by the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA).
The current K-to-12 law places the jurisdiction of all senior high school programs, including technical-vocational courses, under the Department of Education.
Rep. Raoul Manuel (PL, Kabataan), a member of the Makabayan bloc, earlier said it would be best to just scrap senior high school and revert to the country’s old basic education curriculum if there is no proof that it has significantly improved the quality of education in the country since its introduction under the last Aquino administration.
