Experiences of senior high school teachers in DepEd’s retention and promotion policy

Abstract

The Senior High School (SHS) is the added two-year levels under the K to 12 Program in the Philippines. Implemented in 2016, SHS operates under four (4) tracks, namely: Academic, Technical-Vocational and Livelihood (TVL), Arts and Sports. This narrative inquiry type of research was conducted to explore the experiences of SHS teachers of the West Visayas State University (WVSU) System regarding their implementation of the DepEd’s Retention and Promotion Policy in the 2nd Semester, School Year 2018-2019. The participants were purposively chosen – 3 SHS Coordinators and seven (7) SHS teachers from various external campuses and the main campus. A researcher-made and foreshadowed FGD and interview guides were utilized to gather data from the participants. The conceptual analyses of data were done using NVivo 12 Plus while the analytic analyses of results were researcher-made. Results revealed that the implementation of DepEd’s retention and promotion policy differs on the basis of the track offered by the campus. The main campus which offers academic track encountered minimal problems in implementing the policy over those of the external campuses which offer TVL track. However, most of the teachers found SHS very challenging and arduous because of their college orientation. They were even culture-shocked in their first few days or weeks of teaching Senior High School students. Nevertheless, the situations were better when they already adjusted to the students and the policies. The conduct of remedial classes for failed students was branded as time-consuming, irrelevant, and inappropriate and that it should have been strengthened during the primary grades of the students and not in the SHS. Nonetheless, the conduct of remedial classes can be separately done by teachers and must have compensation. Finally, SHS may be continued in the main campus but not in the external campuses.