Evidently, profit is no longer antithetical to education’s noble cause. Given the overwhelming challenge facing the country, the education of some 20 to 30 million Filipino youths is cause for paralysis among government bureaucrats: How, indeed, does the Philippines, with its piddling education budget, carry out its gargantuan responsibility of putting all these kids through basic education, let alone through college?
For every 10 pupils who start out at Grade 1, only three make it through college and earn diplomas, a sordid fact only made less depressing by the fact that many of those in that 30 percent have jobs. Among this lucky group is a small chunk of individuals who found work abroad, sending back precious dollars to the country and contributing in no small measure to keeping its economy afloat.
Unfortunately, even this small window of opportunity is closing fast. Critics say that as India, Thailand, China and even Vietnam are gearing up their education machinery to train their citizens on globally-relevant skills and competencies – particularly in the areas of information technology, English, math and science – our educational system is telegraphing cryptic and ambiguous solutions to an already confused academic community.
The Department of Education though, has sounded the alarm to arrest the slide in education quality when it launched a nationwide campaign last year to, once and for all, improve and elevate our teachers’ skill in English through the English Proficiency Training (EPT). Education officials believe that the EPT will have a domino effect as far as teaching other subjects, like math and science, are concerned. So far, initial reports coming in from the field have been encouraging.
Be that as it may, the general trend in student performance is not encouraging. In the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), a credible measure of academic competitiveness in the international community, the performance of Filipino students ranked lowest among 10 Asian countries tested. Even leading public and private tertiary institutions fared dismally in international university rankings. There is a cause-and-effect relationship between the quality of a nation’s manpower resource and global competitiveness. Indeed, the Philippines’ slide to the bottom rank among the Southeast Asian community, in terms of economic growth and productivity and investment attractiveness, may be a result of the Filipino worker’s diminishing advantage over his Asian neighbors.
In the education landscape, and despite the hype on the benefits of technology, the teacher remains the crucial component that influences the quality of learning of every student. There is growing consensus – and justifiably so – that a degree in education leaves these teachers ill-prepared for the rigors of classroom teaching, given the degree of sophistication of urban kids these days, and the naïveté and poor analytical skills of their rural equivalent.
Teachers have been the whipping boy in the issue of quality education. Yet there is hardly any mention of initiatives to help uplift the competence and skills of these teachers. While the business of educating the young seems to be mutually beneficial on the part of the educator-businessman and students, there doesn’t seem to be the same equation between educator-businessman and teacher.
Teacher education is the forte of institutions like the Philippine Normal University (PNU). There are, likewise creditable colleges within the University of the Philippines system and other private and public school systems so that new teachers emerge from these hallowed halls in large quantities every year. Clearly, there is no shortage of students wanting to pursue – and pay for – an education in education.
But there are also lesser known but equally creditable schools, which have focused on continuing teacher education. A quiet campus in the hills of Antipolo belies its ambitious goal. The Southeast Asian Interdisciplinary Development Institute (SAIDI) founded the New Teacher Institute three years ago. Its current batch of candidates for its Masters in Instructional Design and Technology (IDT) is funded by the Department of Education with a grant from the World Bank.
Other schools have also refocused their core offerings on education. In Tanauan City, the First Asia Institute of Technology & Humanities (FAITH) has had positive results when it opened its College of Education. It also offers a masters program in partnership with the PNU. Such private initiatives at advanced teacher training bodes well for the future of education. It also shows that well-thought-out programs can be viable and worthwhile ventures as well. The teaching profession has taken quite a beating lately, and these teacher-focused programs can only help prop up sagging morale among its ranks.
Not only is teacher education a viable proposition, it also pays back aplenty in the long-term. If teacher competence is the linchpin to quality education, then improving teacher skills could only redound to more competent students and a better-equipped workforce. This would, in a generational blink of an eye, bring the Philippines back to a competitive position in the global arena.
A mammoth crowd is expected to attend a unique gathering of educators at the end of this month. They will be attending "A Tribute to Teachers." The Bato Balani Foundation has put together a noteworthy annual event honoring ALL Filipino teachers for their selfless dedication to their vocation. The large turnout of teacher-participants every year is proof that such activities fill a deep-seated need for teachers not only to be appreciated but also to be given their due.
There is a wide array of one-shot teacher training modules being offered by well-meaning corporations. A good number are merely token PR efforts, aimed more at attracting publicity than at being effective tools for improvement. There should be more of the sincere efforts, however, and it behooves public welfare that both the state and private sector encourage such. At the end of the day, it is our collective future that is at stake.
Investing in teacher education is a strategic advantage for investors looking for a high yield. One highly competent and skilled teacher can train and nurture a large number of students over a period of time, multiplying value exponentially as he goes about his business. That is one business proposition too good to pass up, even for the most astute and discriminating businessman.
"A teacher affects eternity; we can never tell where his influence stops," Henry B. Adams once said, but this influence can be made more meaningful if we consistently arm him with new knowledge and skills.