Argumentative Essay: Should There Be More Schools in the Philippines?

Education is something that is earned. It is not something that a person is born with. Other than
gaining new knowledge and having a deeper understanding of things, education can also lead to economic
development. As stated in the human capital theory, “the economic development of a nation is a function of
the quality of its education” (Meinardus, 2003). This means that a nation filled with more educated people
has a greater capacity to achieve economic development. Other than that, education can also lead to a
respectable life because an educated person is more respected in society. In the Philippines, several
problems in education have aroused. These problems include: the poor quality of education in the
Philippines, a large portion of the population is illiterate and/or uneducated, and there is a lack in
educational resources. One way of solving these problems is by increasing the number of schools and
universities in the Philippines. Although there are advantages in increasing the number of educational
institutions in the country, it would be better if the government spends its funds on more important things,
such as improving the quality of education in the Philippines, because having more schools does not
necessarily lead to a better future for the society due to the low quality of education, lack of teachers and
staff, and the fact that not everyone can go to school.

It is a common knowledge that the rate of Philippine education is quite low. According to the
former DepEd Undersecretary Juan Miguel Luz, “the quality of Philippine education has been declining for
roughly 25 years” (Meinardus, 2003). Examples of this are the results of standard tests taken by elementary
and high school students and the results of the National College Entrance Examination taken by college
students. Their scores were below the “target mean score” (Squidoo, 2010). This may be due to the fact that
there are incompetent teachers who are educating these students. In some cases, educational institutions
would make a mistake of hiring teachers who are not fit to teach just so they can have someone to facilitate
the learning of the students enrolled in their schools. Not only does this contribute to the low level of
education in the country but it can also lead to a bigger problem such as completely disillusioning students.
Another factor that can cause low quality of education is the inefficiency of school facilities. This is a
problem because students will not be able to learn properly and easily if they lack the necessary materials
such as classrooms, blackboards, chairs and chalk.

The problem in education of the country is also brought about by the lack of teachers and staff. It is
a common knowledge that teachers in the Philippines are underpaid that is why there is a limited supply of
teachers in both private and public schools. In addition, some of the talented teachers would rather choose
to work abroad than in the Philippines because there is that idea that they can have better opportunities
there.

Lastly, there is only a limited number of people who can go to school. Problems such as lack in
money often contribute to why this is happening. According to research, students who belong to the poor
sector have higher dropout rates because they do not have the economic resources to sustain their
education (Meinardus, 2003). There is also that thinking that it is better to just work than to study. Lastly,
even though the government can help in addressing this problem, they cannot provide for everyone’s
education because they lack funds.

Increasing the number of schools and universities in the Philippines cannot solve the problem in
education because as long as there are incompetent teacher and inefficient facilities, the problems would
still be there. There are other better solutions to this problem. Alternative solutions include upgrading
teachers’ salaries, establishing more advance training programs for teachers, and proper allocation of
government budget for education.

“Education in the Philippines” (2010) Retrieved on August 18, 2010 from

http://www.squidoo.com/educ8

Meinardus, Ronald. (30 June 2003) “The Crisis of the Public Education in the Philippines” Retrieved on   
August 18, 2010 from http://www.fnf.org.ph/liberal/opinion/crisi-public-education-philippines.htm