LAOS AND PHILIPPINES: COMPARATIVE EDUCATION
Raising the quality of education not only involves ensuring all children can attend school. It also about making sure that children are prepared for the world of work beyond their textbooks and beyond the school grounds. Good education is about opening doors for the youth for them to find a decent work, earn a living, and contribute to their families and communities. In short, education provides the youth with the opportunities to fulfill their own unique potential. This article looks into on two Asian countries, the Philippines and Lao People’s Democratic Republic and delves on some of the areas in their educational system, particularly on partnerships and linkages.
The Philippine government has been pursuing a program for the education of its people at the highest level. In fact, the 1987 Philippine Constitution mandates that the highest budget be given to education. In Article XIV, Section 5, paragraph 5, it is stated that, “The State shall assign the highest budgetary priority to education and ensure that teaching will attract and retain its rightful share of the best available talents through adequate remuneration and other means of job satisfaction and fulfillment.” However, even as the constitution so states, there is still so much to be added to that allocation. It is for this purpose that the Republic Act No. 8525, otherwise known as the Adopt-a-School Program Act was formulated.
Based on the principle of volunteerism and partnership for education, Adopta-School program aims to create multiple partnerships with different business sector, NGOs, foundations, individuals and other private entities here and abroad in order to generate investments outside the funding mainstream and national budget by providing assistance on a short-term or long-term basis in the upgrading and modernization of public elementary and high schools. This allows them to adopt a public school of their choice anywhere in the country and provide necessary resources for the infrastructure, facilities support, teaching and skill development, monitoring and evaluation, learning support, equipment for computer and science laboratory as well as food and nutrition. In turn, donors can avail of tax incentives of up to 150% as a form of recognition of their goodwill.
In the same vein, the Lao PDR is determined to bring a universal system of primary education to every village in the country. The problem, however, is that Laos is also one of the least developed countries in the world and does not have the material and human resources by itself to support a universal primary school education.
On this aspect, the education authorities from Lao PDR may well learn from Brigada Eskwela which is an offshoot of the Adopt-a-School Program of the Philippine government. Brigada Eskwela adds a new meaning to the Filipino concept of unity and collaboration. From the image of barrio men carrying a bahay kubo, Brigada Eskwela brings to us a picture of different people working hand in hand to help prepare Philippine public schools for the opening of classes. Brigada Eskwela is a proof that the collective effort of the public and private sectors when bound by a unity of purpose would yield the best results. If Filipinos can do it, there is no reason why Lao people cannot.
The success of education policies and reforms rely greatly on partnerships with a number of different stakeholders. If schools can capitalize on other people’s desire to improve education, this will ultimately redound to the benefits of school children. Of course, this is not meant to discount the fact that education should still be the foremost priority of the government.
While financial resources alone do not guarantee the success of educational institutions (many rich countries still fail to provide the best education for their people), almost if not all education programs and reforms require funds to gain thrust. Hence, Lao PDR and Philippines must really invest on their education.
Every Filipino and Laotian deserve to have a quality education, as education is indispensable to the growth of a nation. Whatever policy and reform each country intends to implement, it is best to be guided by the fact that “It takes a village to educate a child.” Hence, everyone must contribute something to affect good changes in the educational system.