MANILA – Base from Department of Education’s plan, there would be at least one arts and design school and one sports school per province for senior high school students starting academic year 2016-2017.
DepEd Secretary Br. Armin Luistro said the schools would not exactly be new since there are already schools specializing in sports and arts and design program.
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He added this is the first time the DepEd is implementing the programs to upgrade the skills of athletes, artists and designer to teach them technical ‘know-how.’ The senior high school students will be able to acquire ‘middle-level skills.’ In return, the programs will help them create livelihood, Luistro said.
The education ministry identified its schools which has offered the programs and upgraded them. Schools with the specialized programs would be boosted with more courses, Interaksyon reported.
Under the K-12 program, senior high school students will have a core curriculum and will choose one among four tracks namely arts and design, academic, technical-vocational-livelihood and sports.
The arts and design track will have subjects to prepare students for jobs in design and creative industries.
The academic track, on the other hand, will focus on subjects under four ‘strands': Accountancy, Business and Management; Humanities and Social Sciences; Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics; and General Academic.
Meanwhile, the technical-vocational-livelihood track will offer four specializations: Agri-Fishery Arts, Industrial Arts, Home Economics and Information and Communications Technology.
The sports track will focus on subjects for careers in sports, fitness and recreation.
“For the Olympics, for any other talent, we have to support this with real programs,” Luistro added.
Luistro believes local communities with native traditions would be happy with the program. Dances, songs and other practices would be taught in school, he promised.
The education secretary said for example the weaving of t’nalak, as used to be done by the late T’boli ‘dreamweaver’ and National Living Treasure Be’Lang Dulay, would be passed on to new generations through formal education.
“It’s a wonderful program that can be part of a school for living traditions so that the next generations can continue that special cultural skill and art,” he said. “We want to revive this, so we are ensuring that each province has that.”
Luistro added particular schools would become a breeding area for local athletes.
“Can you imagine, for a full high school program, six years, you can really take care of your athletes? You can send the same ones to the Palarong Pambansa,” he added.
Meanwhile, different groups composing of teachers, students and individuals have expressed their objection against the K to 12 program. The Coalition Against K to12 claim more than 85,000 faculty members may lose their jobs while universities and colleges will lose 500,000 freshman colleges and more than 300,000 sophomore college enrolled once the full implementation of the program starts in 2016, GMA reported.