Education in crisis

Last of 2 parts

T

HE saga continues, what the government’s response shows is that in the five years since 2018, despite all the rosy words of the education department, nothing of substance was achieved. To say that the country held the line despite the pandemic while many other countries’ performance fell is nonsense. The countries that fell behind the Philippines were hardly countries I’d want to be compared to. We are five to six years behind other countries, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

In response, the government tells us to be cautious because different countries have different paces of learning. Maybe they do, but five to six years behind? This is sugarcoating a dire situation. This is not a different pace, that is a cripple struggling to keep up with those walking ahead. A 15-year-old who is five years behind means our kids are as 10-year-olds elsewhere no matter how you look at it.

The Philippine Business for Education is absolutely right when it said that the country’s dismal ranking is “a clear indication that our education system is in its worst state, and much work needs to be done.” It went on to say, “A crisis of this magnitude requires swift action and great effort from all sides.” It sure does. But it won’t if education officials “remain optimistic.” That’s the last thing they should be. They should be “extremely concerned,” and instigating a major shake-up, a massive reform in how the Department of Education (DepEd) is organized and led. They should be instigating an investigation as to where the weaknesses lie. And what needs to be done to fix it with a panel of independent experts.

The Economist recently did a whole article on the wonder of Vietnam’s educational system. “Their children go through one of the best schooling systems in the world,” the Economist said. They outrank even First-World countries. “The biggest reason is the caliber of its teachers … they are simply more effective in teaching. Active participation of the parents is also a critical factor. They are committed to education. But they receive frequent training and are given the freedom to make classes more engaging.” Vietnam ranked the highest among all other Asean (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) countries, excluding Singapore. I suggest the education secretary and top officials follow President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., and go to Vietnam and learn.

The Economist went on to say that teachers are assessed based on the performance of their students. Those in remote areas are paid more. And — I like this after the Mandanas ruling — provinces are required to spend 20 percent of their budgets on education. Our local government units must do the same. Educating our kids is equally their responsibility. Teacher assessment is based on the performance of their students. Those whose pupils do well are rewarded through the prestigious “teacher excellence” award. The Economist nails it on the head: “As schools have improved, so has Vietnam’s economy.” That says it all, doesn’t it?

Vietnam graduates twice as many engineers every year than we do, even with a slightly lower population than ours. Twice as many young people took the Bar exam here in 2021 (115,362) to become lawyers than those who took the engineering licensure exam (55,202). Based on data compiled by the World Economic Forum in 2015, Vietnam produces 105 engineering graduates a year per 100,000 population, while we produce less than 50. In comparison to other Asean nations, Indonesia was not much better at 53, but Thailand has 87, Malaysia has 175 and Singapore has around 200. South Korea leads with 287 engineering graduates per 100,000 population, followed by Japan with 132. Here, lawyers have an important role to perform in society, but they don’t create wealth, engineers do.

I’ve no doubt part of the problem is money, as it is in almost everything we do. We spend 3.6 percent of GDP (gross domestic product) on education. Among our main competitors, Vietnam tops it at 5.7 percent; Indonesia, 5.3 percent; and Thailand, 5.3 percent. More relevantly, what’s actually spent per child is what matters. In Singapore, it’s $12,300; Vietnam, $1,600; Thailand, $2,200; and us a miserable, unacceptable $250. Indonesia is well down at $530, but still double ours. Where to get more money is something the President may wish to address with urgency. An obvious source is to stop the corruption. Theft of government funds, I’ve seen, is estimated at 30 percent of the budget. If that’s true that would equate to P1.7 trillion. The budget for education this year is P758.6 billion. So P1.7 trillion could easily double that. Just think of the good that could do. But I don’t see that happening. So, we can forget that. Those heartless thieving bastards don’t care about our children and their future. Find money, the President must.

Admitting there is a very serious problem is the first and essential step if you’re to properly educate our kids. I wonder if DepEd leaders can understand that. Education needs a total rethink on what is wrong and what are the solutions. It needs, as I said, a panel of truly independent experts unafraid of being critical, willing to condemn current procedures and attitudes. And the people responsible for education, at all levels.

I wouldn’t try to suggest what is needed, I’m no expert. That’s why experts are needed, ones who’ll face the truth and will be courageous enough to express it. And are knowledgeable enough to know the solutions. But I do know one thing that does need to be addressed, and that’s feeding the kids. Malnutrition stunts the growth of the mind and the body. Kids entering school are malnourished. Around 30 percent of children under 5 years of age are stunted. The country is among the 10 countries in the world with the highest number of stunted children. Stunted because too many kids are malnourished. Which means that they enter school with an IQ below what is needed to learn the curriculum of the school.

I know there’s some attempt to provide free meals, but it doesn’t go far enough. It should not only be lunch but also include a healthy, full breakfast for all. Start the day well-fed. But what do you do pre-school? In an impoverished society like this, the government has the obligation to ensure all children are well-fed, from birth, not just after five. There’s a huge problem here. Those first five years are just as critical as the next 12.

A looming, new problem is the IT (information technilogy) world we now live in. Apart from all the other things is social media. It captivates the young, so how do you make education, learning of the world as absorbing as playing games and chatting on a handheld screen?

I know I’m being tough on DepEd, and I admit that the recent announcement of change is heartening based on the DepEd’s Basic Education Report 2024, where they revealed their plan to establish the Matatag, a program they claimed will transform the country’s education system, under the Bagong Pilipinas campaign. They said it aims to deliver quality, accessible, equitable and inclusive basic education, and it reads well. If it were all done, much of the necessary change would be resolved. But to be truly successful, it needs vastly more funds than currently budgeted. And what bothers me more is that I’ve read such plans and heard such promises before — with too little actually done when you look back. Action speaks louder than words.

I’ve no doubt there’ll be genuine attempts, but the system will defeat them. There’s too much history that says it’s just not going to happen. There has to be a revolutionary change, an open acknowledgment that a crisis exists. And part of that revolution is that children need to be taught how to think critically, not repeat by rote.

As it now stands, what we’re heading into is a nation of illiterates. A demographic dividend a youthful population should denote is not what we’ve got. It’s frightening.