A bill seeking to amend the K to 12 basic education program, and allow students to choose from two education pathways after graduating from Grade 10 or 4th year high school, has hurdled the House of Representatives.

During the plenary session on Tuesday, 200 congressmen voted in favor of approving on third and final reading House Bill 11213 or the proposed Education Pathways Act. 

Three congressmen voted against it, and no one abstained.

The measure proposes to give students, who complete junior high school, the option of taking either the two-year University Preparatory Program if they intend to pursue college education, or the Technical Vocational Program. 

It also provides for an advanced placement exam, which Grade 10 students may voluntarily take, and if passed, will give them eligibility to enroll in their chosen college degree the following school year, without having to complete Grades 11 and 12 under the University Preparatory Program.

“We will graduate students at Grade 10. Those who wish to pursue university or college, will have to go through Grades 11 and 12. But Grades 11 and 12 will no longer have strands or tracks. All the mandatory subjects will all be the general subjects in first year college. So that the student, who wishes to pursue his college degree will already be able to get advanced placement examinations and credit those subjects, and hopefully reduce the number of years in college by one year or at least one semester,” House Committee on Basic Education and Culture Chairperson and Pasig City Representative Roman Romulo explained last week.

“Sa Grade 10 po ay magbibigay na rin tayo ng honors exam. Lahat ng papasa ng honors exam na gustong pumunta ng kolehiyo, ‘pag pumasa ka ng honors exam, accelerated ka na, exempt ka na sa Grades 11 and 12, and you can go straight to first year college,” he added.

“For those who wish to use the tech-voc track, 30% of Filipinos right now use the tech-voc track, we will ask that they be under the TESDA, but with an industry driven curriculum, meaning it is enterprise-based immediately,” Romulo noted.

Proponents of the bill had said that the K-12 program failed to deliver on its promise to produce “job-ready” graduates. Some parents also complained of the expenses for the two years added to basic education under the current curriculum.