Samar’s first district solon pushes K12 Program and DepEd merging with CHED and TESDA

By GINA DEAN-RAGUDO, Samar News.com
February 3, 2011

CALBAYOG CITY, Samar  –  As guest speaker in the opening ceremony of Eastern Visayas Regional Athletic Association (EVRAA) Meet held Sunday (January 30) at Northwest Samar State University, First District Representative Mel Senen Sarmiento highly acknowledged former congressman now Calbayog City Mayor Reynaldo Uy for being his coach before he entered the House of Representatives.

From among the various committees that Uy listed, Sarmiento underscored his membership and active participation in the committees on education and appropriations.

“It really pays to have a coach just like you guys right now. It pays to listen to your coach. Thank you very much former Congressman Reynaldo Uy for the support you have provided me,” Sarmiento said.

While the budget is defended on the floor, he added that being a member of the Basic Education and Appropriations Committees, it has given him a good opportunity to provide and put premium on his educational agenda as well as pushing for improving the educational system in the country which was recognized by the chair.

The bill that he’s supporting is geared towards institutionalizing the creation of kindergarten or K+12 Program in the country which was already approved in the house.

By the next school year, elementary schools may not anymore accept Grade 1 enrollees who have not finished preschooling.

This is according to House Bill 3826, otherwise known as the “Kindergarten Education Act,” which seeks to include kindergarten education in the country’s basic education system starting school year 2011-2012.

Should the bill be signed into law, children aged five years and above would be required to finish a year of kindergarten education as a prerequisite for Grade 1.

According to the bill, kindergarten education is vital to the academic and technical development of children in the period where they have the sharpest absorptive capacity for learning. Thus, kindergarten schooling is seen as a sufficient preparation period for children before they receive formal elementary education.

Sorsogon 1st District Rep. Salvador Escudero III,  chairperson for the House Committee on Basic Education and Culture, recommended House Bill 3826 as a substitute for House Bills No. 18, 25, 63, 89, 1622, 2104 and 3555 considering them the same. Rep. Thelma Almario of Davao Oriental is the principal author of the said bill.

The passage of HB No. 3826 said Sarmiento would paved the way in authorizing the country’s high school graduates to join the labor force without the need of enrolling into college or finishing first a degree.

In Unites States, Singapore and other ASEAN regions their high school graduates are already competitive in terms of employment. Unlike the Philippines, ours are not allowed under the labor code to sign a contract of service until they reach 18 years of age.

Sarmiento, as designated by Basic Education and Culture Chair Escudero led the group in going around the country to explain the rationale behind adopting the K12 Program.

Aside from introducing said bill, he informed the public especially Dep Ed Region 8’s bigwigs that President Aquino’s administration is facing a big challenge in the education department as it needs 150,000 classrooms but the government can only provide 14,000; and 108,000 teachers but only 10,000 is being allowed by the budget.