Problems and Issues in Philippine Education Essay

1. Colonial historiography.Most of the foreg champion and save instructors, book authors, and Social Studies consultants give heavier premium to the fib of the colonizers in the Philippines, and not to the history of Filipinos. Mostly, this has been the case in the teaching of History subjects from the b atomic number 18(a) to tertiary levels and will most standardisedly perpetuate in the next generations to come. The history of the Filipino people and the colonial history of the Philippines argon two disparate topics altogether. 2. Internationalization of the division of labor.To a certain extent, the Philippine readingal brass conditions its savants to be skillful in arithmetic and computer literacy, fluent in foreign wrangles (specifically English and Nihonggo), and docile in order to serve as doers of the transnational businesses of the advanced, capitalist countries. start out the case of the call reduce phenomenon in the Philippines, India and other(a) develo ping states.see to a great extentk-12 improvements and disadvantages3. Emasculation and demoralization of teachers.Teachers, much often than not, be victimized by the over-worked and under-paid policy of the system of the past and present dispensations. This leads to the emasculation and demoralization of their ranks. This probably explains why the teaching professing is not attracting the best and the brightest from the crop of students any more(prenominal). Expectedly, this will correspondingly result to the wild cycle of mediocrity in didactics.4. Fly-by-night fosterageal institutions. By any measure, the proliferation of fly-by-night teachingal institutions is counter-productive. In the long run, it produces a pool of half-baked, unprepared, and bungling graduates. Alarmingly, the inelegant is having an over-supply already. Some would even consider them as liabilities than assets. This case is line up for both undergraduate and graduate studies.5. Culturally and gen der insensitive reproductional system.Women, the common tao and the indigenous people are almost historically excluded from the Philippine historiography in favor of the men, heroes from Luzon and the power elite. Women are marginalized and trivialized even in language of education. Take the case of the terms female lawyer (as if lawyer as a profession is exclusive only to men) and manpower (which should name been gay resources or human capital to be more politically correct). 6. republic abandonment of education.In the see of imperialist globalization, the statein an additive fashionis abandoning its role to subsidize public education particularly in the tertiary level. This comes in the form of matriculation, laboratory and various fee increases in order to force state colleges and universities (SCUs) to generate their own sources of fund. Ironically, the bulk of the calculate (in fact, more than one(a)-third in the case of 2005 National Budget) goes to debt servicing.7. Sub-standard textbooks.Some textbooks which are already circulation are both poorly written and haphazardly edited. Take the case of the Asya Noon at Ngayon with an identified total emergence of more than 400 historical errors. Unfortunately, it is just one of the many other corresponding atrociously written textbooks which are yet to be identified and exposed. This is a classic case of profit-centeredness without regard to social accountability.8. Widespread contractualization.In the name of profit, owners and administrators of several private schools commonly practice contractualization among their faculty members. Contractual employees contrasted their regular/tenured counterparts are not entitled to fringe benefits which hence reduces the over-all cost of their business operation. Job insecurity demeans the ranks of the faculty member9. unreasonable disregard for specialization.Some colleges and universities encourage their faculty pool to be generalists (under the preten sion of multidisciplinary approach to skill) in order to beable to handle sundry(a) subjects all at once. just whatever faculty members have off-key out to be objects of mockery and have lost their self-esteem since about of them were contracted to handle Technical Writing, General Psychology, Filipino, and Algebra at the same time. This is prevalent among round franchised academic institutions even if the subjects are already off-tangent their area of interest and specialization. 10. Copy-pasting culture.Over-dependence to the profit has dramatically reduced the capability of students (even teachers) to under issuing research. Copy-pasting has even turned into a norm among some students whenever they are tasked to submit a research melodic theme or even a film review. Needless to say, plagiarism has already transformed into a more sophisticated form in the circumstance of todays electronic age.11. Mc Donaldized education.The system, methodology, and even content of educat ion in the Philippines are simple haphazard transplantation from the West. It is therefore Eurocentric, culturally insensitive, and non-reflective of the local milieu. This is based on the xenocentric (foreign-centered) premise that other culture or system is far more superior than ones own.12.The bother of non-susta inability and non-continuity.Teachers, administrators and publishers are all left in limbo whenever the DepEd would come up with another totally diametrical directive from what it used to have in a rather rattling sudden interval. Take the case of the judge system, timeframe allotted to various subjects, MAKABAYAN class, readiness test, and learning competencies.13. Poor regard for magnanimous art/education.Liberal education is intended to form a holistic individual equipped with communication, critical thinking, mathematical, creative, inter-personal and intra-personal skills. This explains why we to a fault have Philosophy, Languages, Humanities, pictorial Sci ence, Social Science, Physical instruction and even Theology in our college curriculum, and not only our major subjects. The curriculum is specifically designed to produce a total person, and not onlya technical specialist. Unfortunately, the desired objective is not existence met at all since liberal education is regarded only as a set of minor subjects.With the way these subjects are macrocosm handled (taking into account both content and methodology), students view the entire exercise as an unnecessary duplication of what they have already covered in mettlesome school. Equally alarming is the lack of en thereofiasm and motivation exhibited by some professors to handle the subject peculiarly if they swear that it has zippo to do with the line of work or area of specialization of their students (say, Art Appreciation for Accounting major league or Algebra for Creative Writing majors).13. Education a purveyor of myth.Education has been very effective in mainstreaming and p erpetuating the social myths in a subtle and mediate manner. Some of these myths are the perceived superiority of white, educated men, official history as advanced by the western point of view, globalization as the only way to achieve frugal development, and stereotypes against the minoritized and the disenfranchised.14. Further marginalization of the undersubscribed courses.In the name of profit and as a response to the dictates of the market forces, colleges and universities elect to offer more courses in line with the health sciences like nursing, medical exam transcription, and care-giving. This is done at the expense of the already undersubscribed yet relevant courses like Area Studies, Pilipinolohiya (Philippine Studies), tuition Studies, Philippine Arts, Art Studies, Community Development, Social Work, Moslem Studies, Clothing Technology, and Ceramics Engineering.15. Monolithic education.Some educators in the name of conservatism and for the interest group of convenien ce, prefer the old-style teaching range of a function where they view themselves as the fountain of cognition and their students as nothing save empty vessels to be filled up (banking method of education). Modern education has ushered in learner-centered approach to education (from being the sage in the stage to just a guide on the side).16. Atrociously boring teachers.As I always underscore, there are no boring subjects, only boring teachers.But at least we should recognize them because they muted serve a purpose. They serve as naughtiness examples.16. Brain drainApart from the much debated political, social and psychological aspects, this on-going mass emigration constitutes an unparalleled brain drain with serious scotch implications.Arguably, the phenomenon also has an educational dimension, as the Philippine society is footing the identity card for the education of millions of people, who then spend the better part of their productive days abroad. In effect, the poor Ph ilippine educational system is indirectly subsidizing the sufficient economies hosting the OFWs. With 95 per cent of all elementary students attending public schools, the educational crisis in the Philippines is introductoryally a crisis of public education. The wealthy layabout good send their offspring to private schools, many of which offer first-class education to the privileged class of pupils.Read moreCurrent Issues in the PhilippinesProblems and Issues in K to 12 CurriculumOverviewIt is not that difficult to understand why, patronage the additional cost the computer curriculum would entail, the public generally appears to carry on president Benigno Aquino IIIs K to 12 elementary education program sitting down. That is if state-sponsored surveys are to be believed. The House Committee on sanctioned Education claims majority of the public surveyed during its consultations favored the K to 12 program, dapple separate consultations by theDepartment of Education (DepEd) showed 77 percent of the 1,417 people consulted comprehensive supported Aquinos flagship education program. For one, DepEd tried to make the lengthening of the basic education cycle palatable by saying the additional jr. and senior high school levels would make students ready for the world of work when they graduate in high school.Even as public elementary and high school education continues to be free under the wise system, other expenses such(prenominal) as transportation, allowance, food, school projects and other school expenses would still burden families and take up a significant portion of the family budget. However, what plainly makes parents willing to shoulder such costs is the empty promise of employability aft(prenominal) their children receive their hard-earned diplomas. Inthe present scheme of things, the function of education is already reduced to the individuals mere employability. The K to 12 program reinforces this societal function of education. Society also continues to regard education as essential to social mobility, an investment worth undertaking as the costs do not outweigh the benefits. Owing to its highly commercialized character, tertiary education has also become inaccessible for many Filipinos.Dominated by the private sector, higher educational institutions charge students with sky-high tuition and miscellaneous fees that remain unregulated and unchecked. Even as college education gives the student an advantage in the vicious and highly-competitive search for job opportunities, many youths forgo college education merely because they cannot afford it. This makes the K to 12s employability factor more appealing and acceptable to the parents, who are made to believe that under the radical education system, college education is a path which is not for everyone to tread. Lastly, any educational mitigate almost always appeals to many especially since there is a general consensus that our present state of education is in disarr ay. The word reform is always easy for the public to swallow because any move to trim back away from the present arrangement of things is viewed as a welcome development. chemical reaction/commentGovernment officials and other advocates who are so insistent in adding two more years in the school cycle should thus join the clamor for higher wages and the regulation of prices of basic commodities and services, push for the expansion and institutionalization of student financial support systems and scholarships, and more importantly, fight for greater state subsidy to education at all levels. Any education reform program that does not take into account economic and other social factors that affect a persons schooling is jounce to fail especially when its supposed beneficiaries cannot keep pace. The public should not take the K to 12 program as a bitter yellow journalism to swallow. It should not pass judgment on the program based just on its glittery promise of honing the student f or employability, and the additional costs that parents have to shoulder.The heavy financial burden that comes with the implementation of the program is just one of the many issues on the surface. Basic problems such as lack of teacher training and the failure of the political relation to address input gaps are also considerations that if leftunaddressed may imperil the full implementation of the program. But a fundamental flaw of the program that merits equal attention is its inability to address the problem of decreasing access to education. Aquinos K to 12 is anchored on improving the competencies of in-school youths but fails to consider the situation of the growing number of out-of-school youths in the pastoral who should enjoy the universally-acknowledged right of access to educational services. Furthermore, school survival rates are not merely influenced by the students mental and cognitive abilities.Poverty, the peace situation, and other societal factors all contribute to the increasing drop-out rates that cannot be remedied by mere curricular reforms and additional years of schooling. What use does a more gratifying learning experience have when the student cannot even afford to go to school delinquent to his or her financial woes? The K to 12 is marketed as a program wherein the student is attached the option to pursue different paths upon graduation employment, entrepreneurship, and higher education. This freedom of choice touted by the K to 12 proponents, however, is illusory since the students choice is actually limited by the reality that higher education has become a privilege and that the worsen economic conditions in the inelegant are pushing Filipinos to seek jobs or else of pursuing higher education.The programs objective to produce globally competitive graduates also run counter to the supposed freedom that the student possesses in choosing his or her career path. In reality, under the present economic set-up, the prescriptions of m arket dictates shape our choices and decisions, be it in the brands we purchase, the artists we subscribe to, the course we take in college, and even in the profession or occupation we wish well to have. With the disposal systematically and aggressively promoting the export of labor and the dependence on external sources of jobs and economic growth through its economic policies, it can be expected that majority of the jobs and fields of learning that the students would be pursuing are those that are in tune with the demands of global marketcall center jobs, technical-vocational jobs abroad, etc.It is contemptible, how at a young age people are told to pursue whatever dreams they have but education agencies would be advent up with a list of courses that are highly discouraged simply because they are not what the global market demands. Thus, the observation that the real occasion behind the K to 12 education reform program is to elevate intensifylabor export by systematically tar geting the countrys young labor force, and further service the demands of multinational firms is not without basis. As seen from the K to 12 curriculum, there is a noticeable focus given to technology and livelihood education (TLE) during high school, with the learner even obtaining a certificate of competency required by industries. In Grades 7 and 8, TLE subjects are exploratory, which means that the learner is given the opportunity to learn 5 basic competencies1) mensuration and calculation,2) use of tools and equipment,3) interpretation of plans/drawing4) occupational health and rubber in the workplace5) maintenance of tools and equipment.In Grade 9, the learner chooses one course to specialize in from among the exploratory courses and in Grade 10, he/she pursues the TLE specialization that he/she has chosen in the previous grade in order for him/her to obtain at least a National security measure Level I or Level II. There is completely nothing wrong with developing the techni cal and vocational skills of the citizens if these are oriented towards actual economic development through national industrialization. However, the present economic penchant of the country shows that tech-voc courses supply either the demands abroad or the pool of ingenious reserve labor servicing multinational firms which take advantage of the countrys cheap skilled labor.While the intentions seem laudable at first glance, the underlying context of the implementation of the K to 12 program could be best still by looking at the governments problematic general development framework that is the Philippine Development Plan, which seeks to reinforce the countrys adherence to the flawed development paradigm of neoliberal globalization. The K to 12 programs thrust of producing twenty-first century graduates is nothing but an affirmation and a reinforcement of the countrys role in the uneven world order where economies such are ours are molded according to the interests of the powers- that-be. Thus, the K to 12 education program can be considered a sine qua non for the fulfillment of the governments agenda of trawling the path of the globalization project, which has only made the country vulnerable to the world economic crisis and has yielded the very crisis that plaguesPhilippine education. Our country has gone(p) through many changes and development for the past few years. The continuous lick made great impacts in the lives of millions of Filipinos.Relatively, the changes have given us advantages not to mention the disadvantages it brought causing downfall to many people. There are many questions concerning the issues and problems existing in the Philippine Educational System as to how we can resolve it the best way we could to attain that kind of tonus of education we have been searching and longing for. Where do we begin and how do we respond to such? Public schools are the building blocks of our societies. They can be considered our foundational instrume nts. Although these venues of learning play significant roles, they are unable to provide the best they can, due to their numerous flaws.As Ive gone through different readings and researches, questions were arising in my mind as to what solutions are applicable in addressing the problems about the quality of education, affordability, budget, mismatch, integration of sex education in the curriculum, R.A. 9710 (Magna Carta for Women) and other concerns which are in some way related to it. I will always stand for what I believe in according to my observations that we have good guidelines and policies on education but what is lacking is the ability to implement such in accordance to the need of every school, majority of which belong to the public education system. Generally, Philippine Education aims to provide quality and free education both for the elementary and substitute public schools but again this have not been observed and understood well causing it to be a burden most espec ially to the students and parents.