Education For All (EFA) is a world-wide movement led by United Nation Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). It aims to address the learning needs of all children, youth and adults. And it has been mandated to lead the movement and coordinate the international efforts to reach EFA.

Through the leadership of UNESCO, different agencies and organizations established goals and made themselves committed to it. The following are the goals:

Goal 1: Expand early childhood care and education

Goal 2: Provide free and compulsory primary education for all

Goal 3: Promote learning and life skills for young people and adults

Goal 4: Increase adult literacy by 50 percent

Goal 5: Achieve gender parity by 2005, gender equality by 2015

Goal 6: Improve the quality of education

"Education for All" is one of the main goals of basic education. Basic education is compulsory in developed countries. With these in mind, it is clear that society views basic education as necessary. Basic education is therefore viewed as a right, not as a privilege and it is regarded as a duty, an obligation.

A very good criticism for this is, “Can we still call it Education for All when Grade 1 students need to take School Readiness Assessment?” Isn’t it against the notion of Basic Education? So a Kindergarten when not able to pass the test can’t move higher education?

Just last month, posts from Facebook become a threat to many who do not know the reality. Parents become anxious on the news coming out that K-12 will truce. Some say, it’s a waste of time and money when we try things we really are not sure and prepared yet.

Despite the many controversies, Department of Education stood for reality. K-12 will stay because it was mandated by the law. Sad but true, few of us are still hoping to truce it because according to them, they are indeed contradicting the exact meaning of Education for All. This school year 2019-2020, the third batch of senior high school will have graduated. Despite the many controversies, the program continues not only because the government wanted it but it is what is needed.

I am connected to DEpEd for 28 years. I am now a school principal for 9 years. As a mentor and now as a leader, I believe in the power of the law and I can say “Education for All”. It simply means everybody can acquire education. Regardless of age, culture and race. Negating what was

How can we stand for the reality about K-12 when all we have are doubts about the truth?

Assessment for Kindergarten are made not to take away the right of every child for learning. It is indeed giving quality to education that we have. Depriving them to acquire education is different from levelling the students. Basic education requires passion for teachers. More often, teachers from elementary are blamed for students who cannot read. Consequently, assessment was made to make students be more ready. It is never not accepting the child but giving the child a higher chance to ready himself to read, moreover to make who cannot read do so. Remember the last goal of Education for all IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF EDUCATION. Therefore, adapting changes when meeting excellence is not violating the basic education law but improving it for betterment.

Oftentimes, overthinking makes things complicated. The worse scenario, we hope to see what we always wanted to see, hear what we want to hear. Let us look at the bigger picture and not consider only what can be seen. Let us anticipate better things offered even not seeing it.