Private schools, institutions voice support for K-12 program

"The private sector recognizes the necessity of a qualified, competent, and competitive workforce for the continued development, growth and competitiveness of the Philippine economy. This in turn requires a strong basic education system to provide the fundamentals for a skilled workforce," they said.

According to the signatories, K-12 is "essential" to the country in preparing young Filipinos for employment, lifelong learning, and active citizenship, and that removing the SHS program would be a "step backward in our collective efforts to improve the Filipino workforce."

"Instead of dismantling the program, we call on the government to focus on strengthening its implementation by addressing foundational core skills and aligning education outcomes with needs of the economy," they urged.

"At the same time, continue to build on current reforms including the pilot roll-out of the enhanced SHS curriculum, to work in partnership with private education, and to expanding the work immersion program to boost employability," they added.

The group explained that when properly implemented, the program would be able to equip learners with the competencies needed to succeed in postsecondary education, enter the workforce, or start their own enterprises, which are "critical in an economy that continues to evolve and where demand for skilled workers is growing."

Despite this, they acknowledge that the "program's impact is only as strong as its execution," and challenges such as persistent learning gaps, inadequate immersion opportunities, and misalignments between SHS offerings and industry continue to persist.

"These challenges must be addressed urgently—starting from the early grades and continuing through to senior high school-through reforms that improve teacher quality, curriculum relevance, student support systems, and meaningful private sector engagement," the group recommended.

It also noted that the "weak" learning outcomes manifest before students reach Grades 11 and 12. Citing a World Bank study

"The World Bank study shows that more than 90 percent of our students at age 10, Grade 4, cannot read a simple sentence. Therefore, Senior High School is not the source of our weak outcomes. As a matter of fact, it is even more needed to remediate our students and better prepare them for work or further studies," they continued.

The group highlighted that they are echoing President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s directive to the Department of Education to improve the SHS program.

"The success of K to 12-and the future employability of our youth-relies on shared responsibility. We must collectively commit to making K to 12 work: by closing learning gaps, aligning skills training with industry standards, and supporting every learner's pathway to gainful employment and lifelong productivity," they ended.

Some of the institutions that signed the statement include Ateneo De Manila University, De La Salle University, Far Eastern University, Rizal College of Laguna, Miriam College, Saint Jude College, Xavier University, among others.

Earlier in June, Sen. Jinggoy Estrada proposed the removal of mandatory Senior High School under the K-12 program through Senate Bill 3001 or the Rationalized Basic Education Act.

"Ever since this education reform was put in place, it has been met with criticisms and objections from various groups. It has been 12 years now since the enactment of the law, yet it still has not fully achieved its goal," he said at the time.

"We can't keep letting students and their parents shoulder the extra time and cost of senior high school. Bakit natin hahayaan na patuloy na maging dagdag pasanin sa oras at gastusin ang dalawang taon sa high school level?" he added.

The K-12 program in the Philippines took effect in April 2012 during the administration of former president Benigno Aquino III. However, it has since received criticism over the years, with Marcos recently lamenting on his podcast how it failed to make Filipino students more employable.