Philippine education at its worst?

No less than Department of Education Secretary Jesli Lapus has sounded the alarm on the  deteriorating quality of basic education in the country. Is our deteriorating facility in the English language the reason for this sad state of affairs? We’re supposed to be the second largest English-speaking country in the world. That claim is now debatable. But even if it were still true, we have a tenuous hold on it, what with Grade School students failing English Proficiency tests. Will these children, our

Lapus also lamented that only 60 percent of full-fledged elementary school teachers passed an English Proficiency Test, while only 20 percent of secondary school teachers did. Twenty-five percent of Grades 1, 2 and 3 pupils, on the other hand, drop out of school. Mercifully, the DepEd has taken steps to address these problems. It implemented the Preschool Education Program for five-year-olds wherein a standard curriculum is recommended even to day care centers, LGU/NGO-operated classes and private preschools.

This program is complemented by the School Feeding Program and the Malusog na Simula in which elementary children are given fortified rice, milk, noodles for 120 feeding days to improve their nutritional condition. It seems that one of the reasons for the drop-out rate is sickness due to lack of  nutrition. A Grade 1 Readiness Assessment Tool is also administered to public school Grade 1 entrants to determine their readiness for formal instruction. This year, while only 40 percent passed the test, it was still a 5 percent  improvement over that of last year’s. It is also worth noting that these programs, which have now been expanded to cover all preschoolers and Grades 1 to 6 pupils, have increased pupil attendance from 90 percent last year to 95 percent in 2007.

English Proficiency is directly correlated to the ability to read. That is why the DepEd has invested in programs like Every Child A Reader Program (ECARP) to make every Grade 3 pupil an effective reader before they go to Grade 4. 

Teachers’ English proficiency is also being addressed, with President Arroyo allotting P500 million for this purpose. The DepEd has sent those who teach the core subjects of English, Science and Math, but are not majors in these subjects, to two summer stints in universities to acquire a minor degree in Science and Math. Further summertime education will yield a major degree. This is part of the teacher re-tooling program that followed the National Competency Based Teacher Standards (NCBTS). The Teacher Induction Program and the National English Proficiency Program were also fully implemented. Another important step taken by the DepEd was revising the hiring standards and procedures of teachers, from credentials to competency-based in accordance with NCBTS. Priority in hiring is also now given to Science and Math scholars from the Department of Science and Technology (DOST).

The next crucial item concerns textbooks and other instructional materials. As the saying goes, “garbage in, garbage out.” You can’t have quality education if you use erroneous textbooks. To address this age-old problem, the DepEd has adopted a four-step in lieu of the usual three-step process in evaluating content, as well as the unbundling of the textbook procurement process into content first, followed by printing and delivery.

The four-step process starts with subject experts evaluating the coverage and sufficiency of the text in developing learning competencies. Then experts from reputable universities and professional associations go through the text as a team to check for factual, pedagogical and grammatical errors. Master teachers from different regions then evaluate the text to determine its appropriateness for intended users, society and culture. And lastly, language experts go through the text for overall grammatical aspects. Hopefully, this fine sifting will spare us the embarrassment of other “experts” denouncing glaring errors in textbooks on TV.

As one last precaution before the mass printing of every manuscript, an institutional imprimatur from reputable institutions like the University of the Philippines and Ateneo De Manila University, among others, will be sought.

Another infrastructure that is important in this digital age is computers. To beef up computer-aided instruction, the DepEd has given access to  computer services to 4,712 public secondary schools with 1,149 of them having internet connectivity. It has tied up with the Department of Trade and Industry, the DOST as well as the private sector to widen the use of information communication technology in a variety of learning materials and researches to improve the teaching and learning process.

Much still needs to be accomplished, especially in science and technology. This is where the gap is glaring between more developed countries like Korea, Taiwan and Singapore and the Philippines. In fact, teaching technical subjects like Science, Math and Technical-Vocational courses in public schools can be classified as theoretical because of lack of basic equipment for teaching them. To bridge the gap, 1,812 priority high schools were equipped for teaching the science subjects in 2007.  This will enable the students to apply the concepts they learn and thus retain the knowledge.

According to the results of the National Career Assessment Examination (NCAE) given to both public and private students, 54.5 percent had high technical-vocational aptitude that can be used for  industry while 58.03 percent had high aptitude in Entrepreneurial Skills for engaging in business and commerce. In reality, we know that only a minority will be able to go into small businesses and other entrepreneurial activities so majority of them will land in technical-vocational pursuits, making the DepEd’s thrust to equip public high schools with basic equipment particularly meaningful.

The problems of education in this country are deep-seated and must be addressed on a long-term basis. What the DepEd is doing now may take years to implement. Continuity is a must, and shifting political winds should  not be allowed to alter policy courses.

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