What are the common problems of the Philippine Educational System?

In: Religion & Spirituality, College Tuition and Fees [Edit categories] Answer: 1.our educational structural ladder 6+4+4, 6years in elemetary, 4 in secondary and typically 4 years in tertairy level to gain a bachelor's degree is not enough to suffice our theoretical proficiency and technical knowhow 2. the government only spends 12percent of the national budget for education, that is far from the suggested cut of the WORLd Bank which is 20%. our finance to education is very far from other Asian countirs like Malaysia and Thailand. 3. lack of well-trained teachers and classrooms to cut down number of students. 4. low salaries of teachers. 5. the government is very slow in giving quality and standardized education to provinces. they rather give much time to schools near in Manila. 6. Instructional materials for teachers are not enough. BIG MONEYS USUALLY GO TO DEFENSE AND CORRUPTION!! explain how a failure in one of the organ system affects the function of other organ system.

Saturday, February 23, 2008

The Current Problems in Philippine Education I was watching a commercial in Knowledge Channel in SkyCable long time ago regarding the state of Philippine education. According to the commercial, the country is 2nd to the last in the SouthEast Asian region in terms of the quality of education. This is well shocking and embarrassing to think that some of the best educational institutions in the region are in the Philippines. But despite these, why is it that the Philippines is lagging behind its neighbors? Is their something wrong with our state of education?

I also remember a survey made by the University of the Philippines (UP) way back the early 1990s. The survey ask the students why is the UP education is deteriorating. The proponents of the survey expected the quality of education and professors are to blame while others are the dilapidated

and outdated facilities of the university. When the result came out, the majority said it was the lack of parking space is to blame for the deteriorating cause of UP education! But the lack of parking space is not even at the tip of the iceberg when the question of the problems of Philippine education. There are more things to be considered the other possibilities of the questions of the problems of Philippine education.

Probably many will agree that it is really the quality of education is to blame. Many felt that the curriculum set by the Department of Education (DepEd) and the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) is not enough for a more competitive in the modern world. Some said that some subjects are lacking in substance like Mathematics and Science, both are the bulk of most of the educational institution in different countries. Here in the Philippines, many said that these subjects should be taught comprehensively and intensively because is will be the backbone of the countrys development in the near future. This is why Thailand, Malaysia and China outpaced the Philippines in terms of economical and industrial growth because these countries invested in the fields of Mathematics and Sciences. In fact, the best institution in the South-East Asian region is the National University of Singapore (NUS) and their course offerings are in these fields that the Philippines should need to develop.

Another problem pestering the quality of Philippine education is the quality and proficiency of the teachers. According to a recent news article, Filipino teachers lack proficiency in English, Science and Mathematics. Many said that these areas should have been trained comprehensively since as teachers, they should be able to teach the students with a more quality for future growth. But with what I see, the teachers have problems of their own. One example, and the most obvious, is the low salary and terrible working condition. Many public school teachers opt to have sidelines during class that sometimes the teacher simply forgets to teach. But who can blame them if their salaries of around 6000-8000 pesos, plus deductible, who can a teacher provide for his/her family? And with the rising cost of living, these

figures are not enough. Others cannot teach well in class because of the ratio of students to a teacher. In a typical public school, in every one teacher there are 50-60 students in a class! If I were the teacher working in these conditions, how can I teach properly taking in to consideration of ordering more than 50-60 students per class?

The school facilities can also be a factor of the problem. The Philippines, both in private and public, lacks sophisticated laboratories and facilities to cater the needs of the students. For example, many public schools are still lacking the basic computer laboratories and it is so ironic that computer nowadays, computer education is crucial for future Computer Studies student. Without proper training in computer, how can a student be competitive and computer literate? Jose Rizal reminds us how modern and latest technologies are important in a students development in his novel El Filibusterismo. Like in the novel, the laboratory equipments are stored shut in a cabinet and never to be used in class because of the insufficient number of equipments. And when it is shown in class, it is presented like a monstrance of a priest! And prophetic as it seems, Rizals time is happening all over again in our contemporary times.

Lastly, a common problem of our Philippine education is the rising cost of sending a child to school. Private schools charges skyrocketing tuition and miscellaneous fees to a student that parents are having a hard time to cope with the rising cost of education. Even sending a child in a public school doesnt fare better since even the poorest of the poor cannot afford to send a child in school. I remember vividly a story of a public school teacher with a pupil of him. He said that this student was so poor that teachers pay for everything so she can go to school. The teachers dont mind this sacrifice because the student is so bright and intelligent. She never went to college after high school since she cannot really afford it anymore. What saddened the teachers is that this student passed UP but with no scholarship. Right now, many see education not as necessity but a luxury they cannot afford.

The state of Philippine education is indeed sad and disheartening. We probably all asking whos to blame for all this mess. But we cannot simply point finger since we all have responsibilities to solve these problem. The government tries its best to give the country and it seemed not enough. But we should not blame the government entirely since it is just not the governments problems. It is the problem of each and every one of us. If we want the highest quality of education in the country, we should work together to solve this problem.

As a future teacher, these problems will be a big cross to bear. But if I can help solve this problem in my own little way, the cross can be lighter and easier to bear. This is the bitter cup of a teacher to bear. But we must remember that the teacher and every one of us will determine the course of our countrys development through education. Even Rizal said that for a country to progress, education is the key to that success. Solving the problems of Philippine education is a long way to go but if we work for the better, we can attain that quality education we all hope for the best.

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Post Item True Agenda: On Philippine Educational System True Agenda: On Philippine Educational System Monday, March 26, 2007

Last night I watched the premiere telecast of The Philippine Agenda of GMA 7. The program is related to the election coming May 2007. It talks about the present situation of the Philippines, the problems, and the reality bits of every Filipino family life Their endeavors and struggles for survival in their daily living Their overly fixated thirst for just supremacy in the land. And their undying hunger for good government policies and strategies.Last night they tackled about the current situation of the Philippine Educational System. Jessica Soho (the host) presented the situation of the public schools in the Greater Manila Area and also in other provinces

Some of the schools featured have a lot of problems Take for example in the provinces like in Masbate (Masbate is known for their rich minerals and lush beaches, but still remains to be one of the poorest province in the land). In Masbate the problem is the lack of teachers, books, and other materials necessary for teaching like blackboards and chalks. They only have one book for the whole class (sighs). And it is a must for one student to copy everything in the book to the blackboard so that they can study what was written in the book (They could have had just photocopied the whole book for each student but another problem is, they don't have Photocopy Machines available and the students don't have money for the said expense). They do have blackboards but a part (maybe 1/8th) of the blackboard they have is teared. And also they lack teachers which makes it hard for the students to cope in their studies The problems in Greater Manila Area is slightly different from the provinces. One main problem is the number of students enrolled per class. The ratio per class in the Philippine setting should be 1 teacher per 30 students, but the ratio per classroom in Greater Manila is 1 teacher per 120 students! (shocking). One factor with regards to the increase number of students is of course the lack of teachers and government support which is also the same as in the province, and above all are the trasnferees from private institutions because of yearly increase of tuition fees And since the ratio per class is too many, hence there will also be problems like lack of tables and chairs for most of the students, and low comprehension skills for the students especially the ones sitting at the back for they can no longer hear the voice of their teacher talking in front of them(not unless they have microphones or megaphones available per classroom). Another problem is the lack of books per student, and some or maybe a lot of students enrolled in public schools nowadays are malnourished When a student is malnourished, he lacks vitamins and minerals that can greatly affect his level of attentiveness, and comprehensive skills

A child with no classroom writes

Usual public classroom visuality

down the lessons. It is just so devastating to know the current Educational System situation of the country. The literacy rate of the Philippines now maybe too low (the last time I checked, it was 97%) Out of 45 countries(Pandemically speaking), the Philippines ranks number 41st in Mathematics and number 42nd in Science (I hope it's not true). And the last time I heard, we are the third country with the most number of people that can understand and can speak english. Although it is a fact (and I am proud of it), we cannot help but worry about the current situation that can greatly lessen the number of people who speaks and understands english in the future. Let this be a lesson for everybody to vote wisely this coming election I hope and believe that we can have a good government leaders in the future. Leaders that will help us surpass problems of reality Leaders that have dignity and patriotism for their land. Leaders that have dreams and aspirations for the land and for the Filipino people

BE VIGILANT AND VOTE WISELY THIS COMING ELECTION!!!

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The Crisis of Public Education in the Philippines By Ronald Meinardus

According to the human capital theory, the economic development of a nation is a function of the quality of its education. In other words: the more and better educated a people, the greater the chances of economic development. The modern world in which we live is often termed a "knowledge society"; education and information have become production factors potentially more valuable than labor and capital. Thus, in a globalized setting, investment in human capital has become a condition for international competitiveness. In the Philippines, I often hear harsh criticism against the politics of globalization. At the same time, regarding the labor markets, I can hardly think of another nation that is so much a part of a globalized economy than the Philippines with nearly ten per cent of the overall population working beyond the shores of the native land.

Brain drain. Apart from the much debated political, social and psychological aspects, this ongoing mass emigration constitutes an unparalleled brain drain with serious economic implications. Arguably, the phenomenon also has an educational dimension, as the Philippine society is footing the bill for the education of millions of people, who then spend the better part of their productive years abroad. In effect, the poor Philippine educational system is indirectly subsidizing the affluent economies hosting the OFWs. With 95 per cent of all elementary students attending public schools, the educational crisis in the Philippines is basically a crisis of public education. The wealthy can easily send their offspring to private schools, many of which offer first-class education to the privileged class of pupils. Social divide. Still, the distinct social cleavage regarding educational opportunities remains problematic for more than one reason. Historically, in most modern societies, education has had an equalizing effect. In Germany, for instance, the educational system has helped overcome the gender gap, and later also the social divide. Today, the major challenge confronting the educational system in the country I come from is the integration of millions of mostly nonEuropean, in most cases Muslim, immigrants. Importantly, this leveling out in the context of schooling has not occurred in this part of the world. On the contrary, as one Filipino columnist wrote a while ago, "Education has become part of the institutional mechanism that divides the poor and the rich." Let me add an ideological note to the educational debate: Liberals are often accused of standing in the way of reforms that help overcome social inequalities. While, indeed, liberals value personal freedom higher than social equality, they actively promote equality of opportunities in two distinct policy areas: education and basic heath care. For this reason, educational reform tends to have a high ranking on the agenda of most liberal political parties in many parts of the world. This said, it is probably no coincidence that the National Institute for Policy Studies (NIPS), liberal think-tank of the Philippines, invited me the other day to a public forum on the "Challenges on Educational Reform." With the school year having just started and the media filled with reports on the all but happy state of public education in the country, this was a very timely and welcome event. I was impressed by the inputs from Representative Edmundo O. Reyes, Jr, the Chairman of the Committee on Education of the House of Representatives, and DepEd Undersecretary Juan Miguel Luz. Both gave imposing presentations on the state of Philippine education. Although I have been in this country for over a year now, I am still astonished again and again by the frankness and directness with which people here address problems in public debates. "The quality of Philippine education has been declining continuously for roughly 25 years," said the Undersecretary -- and no one in the audience disagreed. This, I may add, is a devastating report card for the politicians who governed this nation in the said period. From a liberal and democratic angle, it is particularly depressing as this has been the period that coincides with

democratic rule that was so triumphantly and impressively reinstalled after the dark years of dictatorship in 1986! Describing the quality of Philippine school education today, the senior DepEd official stated the following: "Our schools are failing to teach the competence the average citizen needs to become responsible, productive and self-fulfilling. We are graduating people who are learning less and less." While at the said forum, more than one speaker observed that the educational problems are structural in nature, I missed propositions for reform that are so far-reaching to merit the attribute structural. Gargantuan problems. While the Undersecretary very patiently and impressively charted out the four policy directions of the political leadership of his ministry (taking teachers out of elections, establishing a nationwide testing system, preserving private schools, raising subsidies for a voucher system), to me -- as a foreign observer -- these remedies sound technocratic considering, what one writer in this paper has recently termed, "the gargantuan magnitude of the problems besetting Philippine basic education." Let me highlight two figures: Reportedly, at last count more than 17 million students are enrolled in this country's public schools. At an annual population growth rate of 2.3 per cent, some 1.7 million babies are born every year. In a short time, these individuals will claim their share of the limited educational provisions. "We can't build classrooms fast enough to accommodate" all these people, said the DepEd Undersecretary, who also recalled the much lamented lack of teachers, furniture and teaching materials. In short, there are too little resources for too many students. Two alternatives. In this situation, logically, there exist only two strategic alternatives: either, one increases the resources, which is easier said than done considering the dramatic state of public finances, or one reduces the number of students. This second alternative presupposes a systematic population policy, aimed at reducing the number of births considerably. But this, too, is easier said than done, considering the politics in this country -- or to quote Congressman Reyes: "Given the very aggressive and active intervention of the Church addressing the population problem is very hard to tackle." Dr. Ronald Meinardus was the former Resident Representative of the Friedrich-NaumannFoundation in the Philippines and a commentator on Asian affairs. E-mail comments to liberal@philippines.fnst.org Business World Internet Edition: June 30, 2003 All rights reserved

For more information on the crisis of public education in the Philippines, please refer to: Liberal Perspectives on Philippine Education.