EDITORIAL - Investing in education

The Kindergarten + 12 program got underway yesterday, the first day of school year 2012-2013. Whether or not the Department of Education is ready for the additional years of schooling depends, it seems, on who is making the assessment. The DepEd saw a relatively smooth school opening, with no surprises in the glitches that were reported. Educators, on the other hand, expressed concern about the lack of classrooms and even toilets as well as teachers needed to achieve the goals of K+12.

Even before K+12, the public school system already suffered from a shortage of teachers, with the number of new hires each year never enough to match the growth of the student population. Teachers’ organizations noted that with 21.76 million students expected in 45,927 public schools this year, the country lacked 132,564 teachers. About 20,000 teachers trained under Oplan Balik Eskwela to implement free universal kindergarten are also underpaid, with their salaries pegged at P3,000 a month, according to reports.

Education gets the largest chunk of the annual national appropriation after debt payments. Private groups have pitched in to build more classrooms and school buildings nationwide. Yet the state fund allocations and private contributions still cannot meet the needs of the ever-growing student population. Teachers’ groups place the classroom shortage this school year at 48,802. To accommodate the high enrolment, classes in many public schools are again being held in three shifts, with teachers putting in long hours. Teachers’ groups also reported that public schools need 106,604 toilets – a requirement for promoting children’s health.

K+12, which adds two years to elementary and high school education apart from mandatory kindergarten, aims to bring the quality of Philippine education at par with those of several of the country’s more prosperous neighbors. Obviously the program will have the best chance of success if the government provides the needed resources. These include enough qualified teachers who get decent pay and instructional materials on time, textbooks, classrooms, and yes, toilets. If we want better education and a more competitive workforce, we must be prepared to make the necessary investment.