Senator Jinggoy Estrada on Tuesday urged the government to abolish the K to 12 Program, calling it a “failure” during the Senate Budget Plenary Deliberations for the Department of Education’s (DepEd) 2026 budget.
Estrada argued that the program did not fulfill its promise of making Senior High School (SHS) graduates immediately employable.
According to him, employers continue to prefer applicants with college degrees despite students completing two additional years under the K to 12 curriculum.
“I think this is a failure, since lahat ‘yung mga nakapagtapos na sa senior high school ‘pag nag-a-apply sila ng trabaho ang hinahanap nila ay college graduate pa rin. So, balewala ang napag-aralan ang ating kabataan lalong-lalo na ang masang Pilipino,” Estrada said.
The senator also emphasized the financial burden the program places on low-income families. He pointed out that the additional years in school translate to higher expenses for transportation, books, daily allowance, and other costs.
Estrada said that his office has been receiving letters and text messages from concerned citizens calling for the abolition of the senior high school program, explaining that the added financial burden — including tuition, books, and daily expenses — had become too heavy for many Filipino families, especially those from the marginalized sector.
In response, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, who sponsors the DepEd budget, defended the program, saying K to 12 remains a “work in progress” and that the agency is actively making improvements.
Gatchalian stressed that the Philippines must continue implementing K to 12 to align with global standards, noting that 99 percent of countries follow a similar basic education structure.
"Almost 99% ng mga bansa ay meron na pong K to 12. So, yun po yung isang rationale kaya po bakit tayo nag K to 12 para maging aligned tayo sa global standards," Gatchalian said.
He highlighted ongoing enhancements within the program, including free TESDA certification for students who complete technical-vocational tracks—credentials that can be used when applying for jobs.
“Ito po ‘yung mga inayos ng Department of Education ngayon po nag TechVoc sila may certification na libre. Pwede na nilang kunin ‘yung certification at pwede na nilang gamitin sa kanilang trabaho," he noted
“Ang pinakamahalaga rito binawasan ‘yung core subjects ng DepEd, hindi na nagkukumahog ang mga teachers na magturo dahil binawasan na nila ‘yung core subjects,” Gatchalian added.
Gatchalian also noted that the number of core subjects has been reduced from 15 to just five: Mathematics, Science, Life Skills, Communication, and History. This change aims to ease teachers’ workload and strengthen essential learning.
On June 5, Estrada filed a bill seeking the removal of senior high school education.
