As schools pilot K to 12 revamp, Cebu parents still doubt ‘employment-ready’ promise

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'Although our educational system has changed, the way we provide jobs has not changed,' one parent says

CEBU, Philippines – For Cebuana mom Noreen Navarro, what matters most is that her son Kai would eventually reach his dream of working in the culinary industry.

As classes started on Monday, June 16, Navarro waited in line at Abellana National School (ANS), along with other parents, to have her son enrolled in Grade 11.

It isn’t just Kai’s first time in senior high school (SHS). He will also be among the first students to experience the revamp of the national K to 12 curriculum. ANS is one of only four public schools in Cebu City that will be piloting the revised program for school year 2025-2026.

Instead of juggling 15 core subjects, Grade 11 students like Kai will only have five core subjects. The rest of the subjects for Grades 11 and 12 are electives of the pupil’s choosing.

Many critics of the K to 12 program have said that SHS should just be removed, citing additional school expenses and “dismal” learning competencies of graduates.

The Department of Education (DepEd) is launching the revised program with the aim of decongesting the curriculum and ensuring that students are employable after graduation.

“Maayo unta nga ingun-ana na kaysa mu-ambak na sad og lain [school] kay dili dawaton kay SHS graduate ra (Hopefully, it would indeed be like that rather than jumping to another [school] because they don’t accept SHS graduates),” Navarro told Rappler.

Even with the promise of becoming employment-ready post-SHS, Kai shared to Rappler that he plans to pursue tertiary education at the Asian College of Technology.

“Until I finish college, only then will I look for a job,” Kai said in Cebuano.

Meeting industry demands

For some parents like Alnie Pardiñan of Barangay Basak San Nicolas, changing the K to 12 curriculum is not going to be enough to make sure their kids are going to be ready for employment.

“Halos tanan companies, or even small establishments, mangita sila og mga nakahuman og college (Almost all companies, or even small establishments, look for those who have finished college),” Pardiñan said.

For her, the problem does not lie exclusively in how effective the education system is in preparing students for future employment.

“Though na-change ang atong educational system, wala man na-change ang pamaagi sa paghatag og trabaho (Although our educational system has changed, the way we provide jobs has not changed),” Pardiñan added.

Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority showed that the number of unemployed Filipinos in April 2025 was around 2.06 million.

ANS principal Evelyn Pielago told Rappler that the revised K to 12 curriculum is still a welcome change. According to the principal, besides the more manageable workload, SHS students can take advantage of the national certification programs provided alongside the electives that they take.

In May, the Civil Service Commission updated its qualification standards for government work, allowing high school graduates to take on first-level positions.

For instance, an applicant who finished Grade 10 and earned a National Certificate II (NC II) from the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) can apply for a position that previously required two years of college or a high school diploma with vocational training.

TESDA provides various training programs which come with certification that can be used as formal documents for employment.

“They can be NC II holders — that’s our target for our specializations…as a ‘passport’ so they can already work,” Pielago said in a mix of English and Cebuano. – Rappler.com