EDITORIAL: SHS Overhaul

TEN years after the rollout of the K to 12 basic education program, President Marcos Jr. has openly admitted what many Filipino families, educators, and students have long felt: the system has failed to deliver on its promises.

The program was meant to align Philippine education with global standards and equip graduates with employable skills. But in reality, it has only burdened families with additional costs and left young Filipinos struggling to find jobs, despite spending two more years in school.

In his recent podcast, the President did not mince words. He acknowledged that the added years under Senior High School (SHS) have not translated into better job opportunities for students, echoing the growing call from lawmakers like Senator Jinggoy Estrada to revisit or even abolish the current system.

That frustration is shared by countless parents who sacrificed to support their children through 13 years of basic education, only to see them still unemployed or underemployed.

Education Secretary Sonny Angara, in his own admission, pointed to the poor implementation of the SHS curriculum: too many subjects, too little flexibility, and a system that has boxed in learners rather than allowed them to explore their strengths.

This is a crucial acknowledgement. The admission paves the way for reforms that must be systemic, realistic, and driven by the needs of both learners and the job market.

But before talk of abolition or radical overhaul can proceed, one thing is clear: the current system must be fixed. As long as K to 12 remains the law of the land, efforts to improve it must be aggressive and urgent.

President Marcos is right to demand that improvements be made in the meantime. These include reducing the bloated administrative workload of teachers, addressing the severe shortage of classrooms and educators, and building partnerships with the private sector to better align skills training with actual employment opportunities.

His push to involve private companies in training and direct hiring of SHS graduates is a step in the right direction. After all, who better to identify and shape the necessary skills than the industries that will employ these graduates? If executed properly, such collaboration could finally make SHS meaningful and practical.

Likewise, infrastructure must not be left behind. The continued use of “Marcos-type classrooms” from his father’s administration underscores the decades-long neglect in building a decent learning environment. A fast-tracked school building program, possibly through public-private partnerships, is overdue.

K to 12 may not have succeeded in its original form, but it is not beyond saving. With serious political will, meaningful partnerships, and learner-focused reforms, it can still fulfill its promise.

Ultimately, whether K to 12 stays or goes must be decided not on frustration alone, but on hard evidence and inclusive consultation.

The goal must always be clear: to give every Filipino child a fighting chance through a truly relevant and empowering education. Until then, the directive is as clear as the President himself put it: Pagandahin natin nang husto habang nandiyan pa ‘yan.