K12 Graduates in the JOB-OPPORTUNITY World

Asliah Gubat ASSOCIATE EDITOR

If authority ignores the skills of graduates, it will fade as time flies, and blame no one but the system alone.

Job opportunities for K to12 senior high school and college graduates are a giant brick wall of unreached expectations and false hope. It is the reality that the country is currently facing.

At the recent Philippine Business Conference, Education Secretary and Vice President Sara Duterte addressed the job opportunity for K to12 graduates. She said they are now working on making senior high school graduates skill-ready for job-opportunity in the corporate world. Do SHS students need to finish college to get a job, or the corporate world must lower their qualifications and requirements?

To produce graduates with equipped skills, values, and competencies that will enable them to accelerate their contribution to national development is one of the objectives of the

In the vast network of options available today, people are not limited to the different fields and expertise, especially in terms of looking for a job. However, there is a process. Everyone steps up in their chosen career after finishing the educational phase, particularly as fresh graduates. For an adult proverb, “life begins at forty,” but in the academe, “reality starts after graduation.” To put it into words, it is the feeling of coming out of your cocoon only to face the reality of the lackingness after preparing for so long.

K to 12 program. With this, students will be able to obtain qualifications to enter the job opportunity world with their preferred career path; it can be the start of gaining experience in job performance. However, the majority of job companies still show barriers when it comes to their qualifications of employees. Job hirings are not ready to hire K to 12 graduates saying that senior high school graduates, for instance, have poor readiness and experience with the job. Compared to other countries that fully adopted and developed the curriculum and hired K to 12 graduates for business jobs that require the minimum qualifications for senior high school graduates, it seems that the business sector of the Philippines is attached to the “diploma mentality” in terms of hir- ing employees.

Diploma mentality is a decade of cultural perception of Filipino families seeing college diplomas as proof of a student graduate’s capability and skills to enter the job hiring. The credibility of the four-year study became the main requirement for job hiring that eliminates the objectives of K to12 schooling and its vocational training from schools. Cultural perception affects the employment opportunities of K to12 graduates due to the lack of qualifications.

One of the steps that the Department of Education should prioritize is to enhance the education system of K to 12 programs that connect education to work and encourage business sectors for the reliability

After two years of distance learning, students slowly return to the old-normal class setting. The class setting they used to grow up in and the traditional setup they were familiar with is now back. Many students have been waiting for this moment to arrive. Online learners missed the four-cornered room, the campus, and their classmates. They make sure they have every material needed; school supplies, uniforms, shoes, and socks, but then suddenly, now that the chance for the face-to-face setup, students are hesitant to come back to the moment they longed for.

President Bongbong Marcos announced that face-to-face learning is possible for the academic year 2022-2023. It raised eyebrows and popped different reactions and opinions. Some parents were worried for their children’s safety. They choose online learning rather than sacrifice their children’s sake. Parents’ decisions are in two, as long as there are still cases of the Coronavirus. It is better to be safe in the comfort of their homes. Some even felt that the reopening of schools was too sudden and that the country was unprepared. However, others were encouraged by the idea that their kids’ return to the old normal is okay than being inside for two years stuck with screens and with fewer social interactions. They are willing to let their kids experience the joy they once felt as long as everyone follows the proper health protocols. Not only do parents have their opinions in this situation, but students also have dilemmas. Many make fun of the situation as a coping mechanism, while others take it as a challenge. Memes scattered on Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok, but behind those memes were others’ silent cries and worries.

There are a lot of risks and problems with the return of physical classes; the spread of the virus, fees for school materials, travel fare, allowance, and the well-being of students. Young children who might have started school during distance learning might have a higher chance of having separation anxiety (Miller & Louie, 2021). Teens and young adults

Pulling the Strings

Is the momentary freedom, worth of the constant backlogs… and development of the education program, regardless of whether s/ he is a senior high school or college graduate. It is an assurance that employment opportunities are not based on their years of school credibility. The current objectives of the K to12 program do not cover past graduates due to restrictions on the job qualifications of most job hiring.

Opportunities for the job-hiring world are a significant part of the economy with the increase in the employment rate for hiring K-12 graduates. This important factor should be considered, as this will benefit current issues that the country is facing, especially in higher education - to pursue college or to get a job after senior high school.

By Medina, Maria Paemma E. Literary Editor

who were outgoing before might have gaps in their social skills, what more for those who are reserved. Some students are still in grief for their lost loved ones due to the virus or during the pandemic, and others are not as confident or satisfied with what they learned during online classes and might feel like they are left behind compared to the rest of the grade. In other words, many experience re-entry anxiety or anxiety from the stress of life returning to normal (Thompson, 2022).

Nevertheless, there are still benefits. The economy may increase due to the return of physical classes. Parents will have more time for themselves and their careers. Students will surely learn and keep up with the lessons because in the UNICEF-SWS survey

Covid 19-virus still exists though more people are going to work, students are back to school, and more businesses and establishments are now open. People must be aware that this virus may attack them anytime and anywhere.

Wearing a face mask is just a simple contribution to health protocol, but it is indeed an extensive protection not only for ourselves but also for our friends and loved ones.

At first, Filipinos are uncomfortable using it as they couldn’t speak and breathe much, but after two years of being in it, it is considered “normal” for us. Hoarding it last year peaked at a dozen for panic buyers and such sellers.

At the height of the pandemic, wearing a face mask is of great help to prevent the spread of the virusWorld Health Organization (WHO). Thus it is still necessary to wear it even if we are now in the third year of this post-pandemic, a decrease in pandemic surveillance due to a decrease in the pandemic outbreak - Dr. Homer Yabut.

Restrictions were lessened, and sectors like the Department of Education (DepEd) initiated and explained the areas of schools that were guided to wear facemasks or to free them to take off. This is similar with Jose Rizal University which issued the Memorandum Order No.2022-23, Revised Protocols on Wearing of Face Masks and Entry into the Campus.

First is the Voluntary Wearing of Face masks in open and non-crowded outdoor areas with good ventilation shall be allowed. Face masks may be removed in the following instances; eating and drinking in designated areas; participating in teams and last May 2021, 84% of the parents observed that, despite spending more time guiding their children, they were still learning less in distance learning than in traditional in-person learning. There are two sides to a coin; one is the head, while the other is the tail. It is upon which side you will look. The transition from online to personal is hard, but it is harder to stay in one system that is nowhere to lead, especially once people have gotten used to it. The only way is to know the right path and be ready for whatever challenges may come. Fortunately, this situation is not bad as everyone thought. Schools are moving forward, continually adapting, and coming up with new strategies, and the nation is slowly advancing and progressing like the rest of the world. So, see you then on campus!

Grace Fuedo Opinions Editor

individual sports in venues with sustained ventilation; practicing outdoor activities with physical distancing.

Second is the Compulsory Wearing of Face Masks in the following situations; indoor or enclosed areas like classrooms, libraries, laboratories, offices, bookstores, clinics, elevators, and canteens or dining areas (except when eating); outdoor spaces without physical distancing.

These include but are not limited to crowded places like assemblies in the quadrangle, gymnasium, and closecontact settings like conversing in corridors, stairs, and lounges.

And also, submission of the health checklist shall no longer be required, but body temperature scanning shall be compulsory for everyone upon entry. Visitors will be required to accomplish the Visitor’s Pass and submit it at the Information desk upon exit.

The two specified words to remember are voluntary and compulsory. Well, it is an act of accountability for one’s health. Because the Covid-19 virus is transferrable, setting the bar high for the possible consequences health organizations reiterate. Protect one another. Think first before you pull the strings to be sure.

“We all make choices, but in the end, our choices make us.” - Ken Levine. Think wiser for the future of everyone. Rizalian, be an instrument to put the pandemic to an end.