The K to 12 Basic Education Program, which started in 2012 with Republic Act No. 10533, has one main goal: to make sure that graduates are ready for work, starting their own business, or going to college and are able to compete on a global level. Adding two more years to the basic education cycle in the Philippines, which is called Senior High School (SHS), made this possible. Even after more than ten years, there is still disagreement on the program, cspecially when it comes to how successful and burdensome the SHS aspect is thought to be. However, more than a decade later, the program continues to generate debate, especially regarding the perceived effectiveness and burden of the SHS component. While previous studies have examined the perspectives of teachers, administrators, and parents, limited attention has been given exclusively to the views of Senior High School students who are the direct recipients of the program.
A particular focus of the study was to analyze how students evaluate the program in terms of the financial burden, the relevance of the curriculum, employment preparedness, college readiness, teaching quality, and their awareness of the goals of the K-12 program.
The results show that people who don\'t want to do SHS are not only worried about money, but also about whether the program will work and what the results will be. The report says that the K to 12 Program needs more support from students. To get that support, the government and education stakeholders need to look at how it is being put into place again, especially how much it costs families, how well it meets the needs of the job market, and how well it communicates with the public. It suggests improving the job opportunities in SHS, giving students more financial aid, and making awareness campaigns stronger that clearly explain the program\'s long-term goals and benefits.