The basic defense of the proponents is that we have to keep abreast with international developments in education. Some local school authorities even mention that we will be adopting the International School Curriculum (or System).

The International School System, which coincides with the American School System, takes the pupil to 12 years in elementary and high school. Before proceeding to Grade 1 at six years old, however, the pupil will still have to pass Kindergarten 1 at 4 years old and Kindergarten 2 at 5.

In effect, it adds two years to the present regular basic education in the Philippines. In fact, two more years, or four more years all together, with Kindergarten 1 and 2.

But, of course, whether these added years will improve on the skills development of the student is another thing. The length of time in school, you will agree with me, cannot assure that.

It is still quality education that matters, which the students may acquire even in the present number of years (10) in elementary and high school with good teachers and good learning materials and facilities, in addition to the student’s own initiatives.

By the way, what kind of school curricula or systems do other countries have?

Below are the most popular school curricula or systems in the world, as implemented among expatriates in Dubai and other United Arab Emirate schools:

In the above table, KG stands for Kindergarten, FS for Foundation Stage, KS for Key Stage, and UK for United Kingdom.

We note from this table that in the British curriculum, Grade 1 starts at age 5, while in the others, including the International School System, Grade 1 begins at age 6.

Will the full curriculum of the International School be adopted under K+12? May be not. Some features of the old curriculum might be retained, like Grade 1 at 7 years old in the public schools.

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IS HISTORY REPEATING ITSELF? A bloody demolition occurred a few weeks back in Parañaque, Rizal resulting to the death of one informal settler and the wounding of several others.

It has, undoubtedly, elicited sympathy for the settlers and anger against the government. Because of this, DILG Secretary Jesse Robredo has declared a moratorium on demolitions in Metro Manila.

A lot of reactions surfaced, all negative against the government, following this violent demolition in Parañaque.

Josie Lopez of Alyansa Kontra Demolition and a resident of Sitio San Roque in Quezon City said that the present government has promised a lot of things yet it has done nothing but to “purposefully neglect” its people.

“They are driving us away to the mountains,” Lopez said referring to the far resettlement areas that are offered to the residents of the communities, “But on our return, they should be prepared to face a stronger, bigger fight.”

Reminds me of a similar anguish of slum dwellers before the Marcos martial law regime, which was itself prompted by the heightening complaints of the poor against the “neglect of their welfare” by government.

Marcos defended himself by saying that this was not his desire but of the landowners and the judges who issued the orders of demolition. And so, he declared martial law, broke the back of the landowners, a big number of whom were in Congress, with a massive agrarian and urban reform program and placed the judges under his control.

As we know it now, however, all those Marcos promises miserably failed to flesh up substantially because Marcos was not really sincere about them to a fault.

His critics, in fact, accused him of being more interested in amassing wealth and perpetuating himself in power to serve his selfish desires rather than to really alleviate the plight of the poor in this country. And, probably, he also needed much money to fund the whims and caprices of his mistresses including two foreign beauties, one of whom had been linked by PCGG to his ill-gotten wealth.

I have not heard the defense of President Aquino over these present demolitions. I hope he is not defending himself like Marcos did. He should be a scholar of history and avoid this kind of mistake, especially because his mother, former President Cory Aquino, was instrumental in breaking the back of the Marcos infidelities to the people.

He should see the problem on a higher level. He has the political power to at least declare a moratorium on these demolitions until the problems of informal settlers shall have been resolved in an acceptable manner, as a law (R.A. 7279) itself requires.

You can’t simply drive away the poor like dirty animals without proper relocation amenities. As some informal settlers have complained, there are no electricity and water in the relocation sites government has told them to go.