By LITO RULONA Correspondent COUNCILORS on Tuesday called on the Department of Education (Deped) to review the K-to-12 program as complaints from parents and students mounted when some public schools started to cut-down the number of hours inside schools. Councilors Edna Dahino, Lourdes Darimbang and Roger Abaday said education officials should fully explain how they intend to improve public education through the K-to-12 program when hey have not yet addressed perennial problems on lack of teachers, classrooms and materials. Dahino said some public schools in the city were forced to implement two-shift classes to maximize the use of classrooms. “How can we have a good quality of education? In the previous years, Grade 1 to 4 pupils spent a whole day in class, and now they cut it to six hours. They even introduced the mother-tongue language in this level. Asa naman atong proficiency in English kung nag-gamit ta sa binisaya during the years when we are supposed to lay the foundation of learning,” she said. Aggravating the problems, according to Dahino, are the additional two years of education under the K-to-12 program. “The program is supposed to produce a better-educated workforce. But without real changes and solutions to the existing problems, it will make no difference,” Dahino said. Darimbang, for her part, said the additional two years would burden many impoverished families. “In this country, there a lot of children who are expected to support their parents and families. The longer they stay in school would be to their disadvantage,” said Darimbang, explaining that the extra two years would deprive poor families of income. “Most of those who finish college will find that they need massive corporate training to keep up with the demands of professional life. In technical fields, you might be slow but you will learn as you go along. One cannot be thoroughly prepared in 10 or 12 years of education,” she said. Councilor Roger Abaday, an academic, said many teachers could end up jobless considering that there would be no college freshmen by 2016 as a result of the program. “It would be an advantage if it was thoroughly planned. At this time, I don’t see the government to be prepared for this. Most public schools lack of classrooms, books, teachers and other educational equipment,” he said. He said education officials should focus more on improving our educational system and school facilities before moving on to the K-12 program.