President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. shared his disappointment about the K to 12 education system during a media interview on Wednesday, June 18, 2025.
He said that despite adding two more years to basic education, students still find it hard to get jobs.
“It’s the same frustration I’ve had since the beginning. It costs more for parents because they need to pay for two extra years — tuition, books, and school supplies. But after 12 years, there’s no real advantage,” said the President.
He added, “There’s no benefit. Students still can’t get jobs. That’s my frustration too. Let’s see what Congress will do about it.”
Even though there are talks about removing the K-12 program, Marcos said he already spoke with Education Secretary Sonny Angara.
“The law still says K-12 is required. I told Secretary Angara to improve it while it’s still there. The big problem is job mismatch. Students learn things that companies don’t need,” Marcos explained.
He also said they are now working with private companies to create more job opportunities for Senior High School graduates.
“We’re asking companies: what skills do you need? What kind of workers are you looking for? So we can train students properly,” Marcos said.
The K-12 system was first started in school year 2012–2013 during the term of former President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III.
