MANILA CITY, METRO MANILA–The passage of Republic Act 10157, otherwise known as the Kindergarten Education Act, officially starts the ball rolling for the government’s plans to improve and overhaul the country’s educational system.
The new law would give the Department of Education (DepEd) more “elbow room” to institutionalize numerous reforms, which are mostly part of the massive K+12 project, said secretary Armin Luistro.
“With the Kindergarten Education Act, DepEd believes that it can achieve more in delivering quality education to the school children in line with its commitment Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) on achieving education for all by 2015,” Luistro said at a Malacanang ceremony.
Luistro noted the ten-point education agenda of the Aquino administration includes universal basic education for all children.
The law mandates kindergarten education for children at least five years old prior to better prepare them for entry to Grade 1 for the school year 2012 to 2013.
The law adopts the mother tongue of the students, allowing for teachers to teach in their native language. Development of mother tongue-based materials for kindergarten and up to the third grade in elementary is underway.
The K+12 program, which includes kindergarten and 12 years of basic education, seeks to improve the quality of education in the country by adding two more years in basic learning.