An abrupt drop in math, reading, and science scores in the Philippines that show up in an even short , year to – year time frames was seen in internal and external testing. To address the issue, three fresh approaches were identified: length of schooling from K-10 to K-12 system, increasing teaching quality by teachers colleges, and altering English Medium of Instruction to mother tongue instruction. In addition to these three possible solutions , I would like to quote a 2009 New York Times article that seem to identify another problem that is also associated with the decreasing quality of education in the country, which is increase in population.
According to the World Bank, the Philippines spends$138 per student per year. By comparison, Thailand spends $853 per student, Singapore spends $1,800 and Japan spends $5,000. The Philippines government spends 2.19 percent of its budget on education, according to official figures, well short of the 6 percent that educators say is optimal – despite a constitutional mandate to make education a priority. At the start of the decade, educators talked of a radical overhaul of the education system, but the main change since then has been increasingly intense overcrowding, Mr. Luz, of the policy study institute, wrote in a recent paper.
The population boom is a problem the Philippines has not been well-prepared for. As the population increases, yearly enrolment also rises up. The government has to address the problem by increasing the budget allocated for this institution. More teachers, classrooms, textbooks, and school equipment should be readied to meet the increasing demands for such resources.
The $138 per student per year figure might be a conservative estimate but nonetheless will show that a general trend of education spending as a percentage of government spending is increased by .03% a year. Present demographic trends have been elevated by 1.42% every year. That is a huge difference, showing that population growth is exceeding educational spending growth by a factor of almost 5. If this is the case, the government should indeed put into serious considerations the budget allocated for education in the country today.
As with the use of English as medium of instruction, the older generation (especially those who have educated after the American liberation) have achieved much in terms of academics and career. I, for one, was educated using the English medium in a public school and found myself being able to speak and write using the universal language in teaching other subjects when it is learned.
Under the best conditions, the K-12 basic education program can make the country more academically competitive. The program intends to prepare students to become globally competitive since we are falling behind from other countries who are using the K-12 program already. The curriculum will provide basic education to students and once finished, the students can either choose to work having been prepared with skills and training for skilled employment or to proceed with a degree in college. Both ways, the student is equipped with a win-win situation.Finally, colleges offering education to students should also be guarded to ensure that they adhere to quality standards set by CHED and other regulating bodies such as the Professional Regulation Commission. This can help a lot in producing only quality and world-class teachers.
By: Gina B. Gravina | Teacher I | Sta. Rosa Elementary School | Pilar, Bataan
