A look at the future

Jasmin O. Salonga

OUR society today has the potential productivity capacity to provide the time and resources fror education of a larger proportion of youth to a late age and in turn requires this expanswd education successfully to carry on its line of development.

On the basis of these facts it appears inevitable that the expansion and upward extension of youth education will continue. Only in the context of condition long past, or by postulating a social-political revolution that will completely alter the trend of Philippine events, can any other prodiction be logically defended. The actual rates of extension and expansion and the precise number of years needed to reach a given conditin are certain to be influenced by the various short-term factors that influenced our economic and social life. But in the long run these do not substantially affect the ultimate ends toward which our society is moving.

Youth education today must be planned toward the end of serving all youth through the conventional high school to approximately the age of eighteen years and the time for planning for a majority of youth to continue their education beyond this stage, either higher education or in growing number of part-and full-time terminal educational programs of less than univerasity extent, is at hand. The nature of the educationalprogram of youth education are prblems that will need to engage the best and fullest effortd of educators and public. The time has passed, however, when there is really a genuine issue concerning whether this country can or should provide universal secondary education and an expanding progrsm beyond that level. The nature and needs of our society and our times leave no real choi ce.

The author is Teacher II at Remedios Elementary School,

Remedios, Lubao