Given this definition, Filipino people especially the government should prioritize education in all forms.
As mandated by the Philippine Constitution and the Revised Penal Code, education should receive the highest percentage of the national budget. But this seems not to be felt by the public. Poor budget allotment for education results to poor quality of learning in the country.
Philippine education system is left behind in the whole Asia. It is the sole country to implement a 10-year basic education system, which being questioned and unrecognized in other countries.
Just yesterday during the celebration of World Teacher’s Day, the Department of Education presented the new K+12 basic education program that the government hopes to implement by the next two years. The program specifies one year of kindergarten and 12 years of basic education.
Mostly of the people in the government are positive with the said proposal, but many are against it. They say, this will just add up the burden of the poor people and will just result to a more sunken quality of living in the country.
What I cannot understand is the fear of many on changes specifically on education system which never had improvements since its implementation decades ago. Are they just people who loves to stay on the level they are at right now or they are just people who wants to be stagnant and no locomotion at all?
The program is one of the bold steps of the government in improving the lives of the Filipino people and changing the living standards we have today. It is widely accepted and recognized, something that everyone should look into.
It will be beneficial for the students from the public schools which comprise most of the number or population of students in the country. It will let them gain even chance of succeeding along with their counterparts in private schools.
The program also aim to all or if not most of the kids to be in kindergarten by next year. Currently according to statistics of the education department, only 86 percent of five-year –old children are in kindergarten. If the proposal is implemented, it will boost the percentage up to 98 percent.
If the sectors that are against the program is afraid that it will be implemented by one shooting, better listen first and comprehend. According to the education secretary, it will be implemented in phases.
It also aims to make high school graduates to be employable; something that our students needed today. It specifies six years of high school education composed of: four years of junior high school, and two years of senior high school. Students will receive a diploma after finishing junior high school. They will be given another diploma upon finishing senior high school. The last two years in high school aims to provide students with skills and competencies that will help them become employable upon graduation. The curriculum will provide "specializations" based on the career that a student wishes to pursue.
The new curriculum and additional years in high school never intends to replace college. It actually allows students to enroll in tertiary education. Since senior high school graduates can be employed, there will be more self-supporting and working students. Students will be more motivated to enroll because they know that they can support their studies; not compared today, they are very much dependents with parents or guardians or with their sponsors.
The government intentions with this proposal are commendable, but they should not forget that the improvement of the education system of the country also includes the infrastructures and facilities needed to provide quality learning. More schools should be built, more teachers should be hired and these mentors should be given more training; skills should be developed and feed them with enough knowledge required in shaping the futures of our mother land’s last hope.
I don't understand why you're not hired by the Philippine govt as a spin doctor yet. Sweet propaganda! The amount of years at school is not going to make much difference if the quality of schools stays low. Your section system at schools is ridiculous leaving many kids left behind, discouraged or even labelled for the rest of their lives (especially if they plan to stay in the same place for the whole life). Lack of computers and modern technologies at schools is another giant problem and obstacle to employability and modern society. So maybe it would be smarter to keep the length of compulsory schooling as it is and spend the money on computers, internet connections etc.? Finally, the Philippines won't be an information and knowledge based economy for many years to come. Right now your cheap labour is your huge advantage, so I think schools should run good vocational training programmes, where pupils can learn practical skills that later can be used in various industries. However, to make that work really effectively, the government should have a national development strategy that identifies key industries/economic areas and that should be translated into availability of programmes run by schools and universities. Judging by the number of nurses educated in the country, there is no such strategy in operation.
ReplyDeletewell adding two more years is benifical as what i've said on the post. but i agree, gov't should also focus on other factors in developing the education system of the country... strategy? maybe you're right.
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