Issues and Problems in the Philippine Educational System free essay sample

Issues and Problems in the Philippine Educational System: A Challenge Towards the Attainment of Quality Education Our country has gone through many changes and development for the past few years. The continuous process 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 numerous 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 quality 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 instruments. Although these venues of learning play significant roles, they are unable to provide the best they can, due to their numerous flaws. As I’ve 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. 710 (Magna Carta for Women) and other concerns which are somehow 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 needs 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 secondary public schools but again this have not been observed and understood well causing it to be a burden most especially to the students and parents. Declining standards in public schools is one of the most controversial education issues today is the continuing decline in student learning standards. This concern dwells more on the noticeable decline observed among elementary and secondary schools along with their performances in the given standardized examinations which relatively explain underperformance results most especially in the core subjects. The problem on the affordability of education is also one of the detrimental factors in the existence of problems. Eventually, this explains that a student who has a more stable economic life have better opportunities to afford education in their choice of school and those who are economically unstable are deprived though they still have other means to support themselves. According to the government, information reveals that our constitution mandates the highest budget allocation to sustain the aim of the Department of Education. In the recent years, fund sources show billions of pesos in its allotment but questions still remain as to the purpose it is spend since at the end of the school year we have seen discrepancies or should I say deficit. Also, we have an issue pertaining to mismatch associated with the training and the actual jobs a person gets into after his or her tertiary. In most cases, this persistent and alarming problem leads to the increase of underemployed and unemployed Filipinos. Furthermore, this also worsens the poverty level in our country affecting us in many ways. Another prevailing issue is the integration of sex education in the elementary and secondary schools. This has generated controversies along with issues among religious sectors and parents yet Dep Ed is determine to push through with it due to the frightening reports on early or young pregnancy. To explain the aim of this program, Dep Ed ensures the public that â€Å"Sex Education is not about Sex† but on the science of reproduction, physical care and hygiene, correct values and the norms of interpersonal relations to avoid pre-marital sex and teen age pregnancy. This also emphasizes on the roles of teachers to educate our young people on issues that directly affect them and empower them to make informed choices and decisions. Let us now focus on the probable solutions or reforms on issues regarding the quality of education, the basic methods of ensuring it are the following: (a) Continuous Evaluation of Faculty and Staff Competence and Efficiency. This gives emphasis on the competence and efficiency of the teachers in his or her academic duties at all times otherwise a teacher who has consistently shows his inability to efficiently perform his duties and responsibilities, within common performance standards should not be allowed to stay in school. Aside from this, teachers not only need training in the preparation and development of instructional materials, but they must also be given financial support to produce these. It is also a must for teachers to undergo trainings and seminars to attain professional development; and (b) Evaluate Students: Determine Level of Learning Competencies. This is done by carefully giving and identifying the needs for every subject as prescribed by the school authority. In addition, upgrading the teachers salary scale is also a good way to promote it. Teachers have been underpaid; thus there is very little incentive for most of them to take up advanced trainings. In terms of budgeting, there is a need to amend the current system of budgeting for education across regions, which is based on participation rates and units costs. This clearly favors the more developed regions. There is a need to provide more allocation to lagging regions to narrow the disparity across regions. As for affordability, there is a must to stop the current practice of subsidizing state universities and colleges to enhance access. This may not be the best way to promote equity. An expanded scholarship program, giving more focus and priority to the poor, maybe more equitable. On the other hand, to resolve mismatch problems, get all the leaders in business and industry to become actively involved in higher education. In addition, carry out a selective admission policy, i. e. , installing mechanisms to reduce enrollment in oversubscribed courses and promoting enrollment in undersubscribed ones. Develop a rationalized apprenticeship program with heavy inputs from the private sector. Furthermore, transfer the control of technical training to industry groups which are more attuned to the needs of business and industry. In view of the Magna Carta for Women (R. A. 9710), a comprehensive womens human rights law that seeks to eliminate discrimination against women by recognizing, protecting, fulfilling and promoting the rights of Filipino women, especially those in the marginalized sectors; it points- out to few of the rights which include the following: (a) Equal access and elimination of discrimination against women in education, scholarships and training. This includes revising educational materials and curricula to remove gender stereotypes and images, and outlawing the expulsion, non-readmission, prohibiting enrollment and other related discrimination against women students and faculty due to pregnancy outside of marriage; and (b) Non-discrimination in employment in the field of military, police and other similar services. This includes according the same promotional privileges and opportunities as their men counterpart, including pay increases, additional benefits, and awards, based on competency and quality of performance. The dignity of women in the military, police and other similar services shall always be respected, they shall be accorded with the same capacity as men to act in and enter into contracts, including marriage, as well as be entitled to leave benefits for women such as maternity leave, as provided for in existing laws; These are just few of the ways to address such issues and problems. The effectivity of these solutions depends on its proper implementation along with the right people. According to studies conducted by researchers, aside from the above- mentioned problems, the following are also perennial issues regarding the education system of the Philippines: (a) Lack of facilities in public schools  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ with insufficient budget and large numbers of students, public schools lack classrooms, books, and supplies for their students. The lack of classrooms leads to prohibitively large class size, as many as 60 students in some schools, making for an undesirably high student-teacher ratio. In some schools it also translates to the shortest possible class periods, to allow for morning, afternoon, and even evening sessions so that as many students as possible may be accommodated; (b) School year   Because of the frequent interruption of classes during the rainy season, the issue of changing the school year to September-June from the current June-March has been raised again and again over the years; (c) Number of years   (not counting Pre-school, of course) The required number of years of basic education was reduced over the years to 6 in the elementary level. With 4 years of high school, the total number of years of basic education in the Philippines is 10, one of the lowest in the world and generally considered to be one of the factors in the inadequacy of basic education in the Philippines; (d) Medium of instruction  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ There is constant debate over which language should be used in educating Filipinos: English, Tagalog, or local dialects. The use of English for teaching math and science as well as English language and literature subjects has endured for many years, however. e) Subjects  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ The number of subjects increased for some years, making it difficult to give enough class time to each subject, including the core areas of English, Filipino, math, and science. There has frequently been contention on which subjects are essential, especially with the controversial lumping together of home economics, technology, physical education, health, art, and music with social studies in a subject called Makabayan. Opponents of th e scheme contend that less time will be given to the more important of these subjects, especially social studies. Some of the subject areas are also difficult to integrate with the core subject of social studies; (f) Gender issues  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ There used to be differences in the subjects taught to boys and girls, especially vocational training. There has been standardization in the requirements of subjects for both genders in recent years, though some schools still adhere to a traditional curriculum with different vocational skills taught to boys and girls; and (g) Drop-out rate  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Many students drop out due to poverty before completing basic education, even at the elementary level. Though schooling is free, there are other expenses which poor families have difficulty in meeting, such as school supplies, uniforms, and transportation. Philippine girls at all levels have been found to be more persistent in their schooling, whereas boys tend to drop out of school earlier. More than half of college students are female and larger numbers of women than men finish advanced degrees. Our real challenge is improving the present state of basic education. If we enumerate all the problems of Philippine education, we will take days of delight in self-flagellation that ends nowhere. As educators, we need to challenge ourselves to face the problems and come up with appropriate and immediate solutions to address it. The state of Philippine education is indeed sad and disheartening. We probably all asking who’s to blame for all this mess. But we cannot simply point finger since we all have responsibilities to solve these problems. The government tries its best to give the country and it seemed not enough. But we should not blame the government entirely since it is just not the government’s problems. It is the problem of each and every one of us. If we want the highest quality of education in the country, we should work together to solve this problem. This is the bitter cup of a teacher to bear.