Going to School in the Philippines

Last year the Philippines started the K-12 education system. “K” means kindergarten and “12” refers to the 12 years of schooling after kindergarten. Before that, students had only 10 years of education before entering university so I was 16 when I entered my university. Students didn’t need to go to kindergarten either so some children started school at 6 years old. I studied 2 years in kindergarten so I started school at 4.

School usually starts at 7:30 AM for elementary and high school students (the earliest class in my university started at 7!). My school was an hour away from my home and my city doesn’t have trains so I had to get up at 5:30 AM to avoid traffic and to get on a jeepney that still had space.
 
 

The jeepney is a public transportation in the Philippines and most students in my city use it to go to school.


 
School ends between 4:00 PM and 5:00 PM depending on the school. In the new K-12 system, senior high school students finish around 3:30 PM. School clubs are not a big thing in the Philippines so most students leave school after their last class. I think Filipino students spend a lot of time in classes but they do not get too much homework, are not a member of a school club, and do not go to a cram school. I don’t know if it’s good or bad but I think the important thing is making the most of being a student.