Question & AnswerQ&A (Republic Act No. 6847)
The short title of Republic Act No. 10157 is the "Kindergarten Education Act."
The State declares as policy to provide equal opportunities for all children to access mandatory and compulsory kindergarten education that promotes physical, social, intellectual, emotional, and skills stimulation and values formation to prepare them for formal elementary schooling.
The Act applies to the elementary school system, which is the first stage of compulsory and mandatory formal education.
Kindergarten education is defined as one (1) year of preparatory education for children at least five (5) years old as a prerequisite for Grade I.
The medium of instruction shall be the mother tongue of the learner, adopting the mother tongue-based multilingual education (MTB-MLE) method.
Exceptions include: when pupils in the classroom have different mother tongues; when the teacher does not speak the learners' mother tongue; when resources for the mother tongue are not available; and when teachers are not yet trained to use MTB-MLE.
The Department of Education (DepEd) is vested with the authority to regulate the organization, operation, and implementation of the kindergarten education program.
DepEd shall oversee and supervise kindergarten education implementation, develop curriculum and teaching strategies, develop professional development programs for teachers, prescribe teacher qualifications, regulate private kindergarten institutions, supervise establishment of early childhood education venues, and introduce educational technology programs.
Initial funding shall be charged against current DepEd appropriations for kindergarten education, and continued funding shall come from the General Fund and be included in the annual General Appropriations Act.
The Act took effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in the Official Gazette or in two newspapers of general circulation.