AS mandated by the Constitution, every individual is entitled to free and quality education.
It is a right and not a privilege.
From its P2 trillion budget for 2013, the Philippine government gave the biggest slice to the education sector. The P292.7 billion allocation is intended to improve the quality of education through the provision of more and better infrastructure.
This strategy is expected to result in significant increase of classrooms, chairs and books.
These sweeping improvements are expected to manifest beginning this school year—to reach the “Education for All” initiative under President Benigno Aquino’s term.
But on Monday, Filipinos were again reminded that even whopping billions from the national budget are not enough to usher in Aquino’s reforms.
As a new school year began, the education system’s long-standing woes remained almost the same.
More or less 20.8 million (1.78 million of which are Kindergarten pupils; 13.3 million are elementary and 5.7 million are high school students) students trooped public schools throughout the country on June 3, for their first day of class.
Even though the Department of Education (DepEd) reported that the opening of the school year went smoothly and orderly, it was met with the same complaints (from the past school years) in several schools, especially in Metro Manila.
Public school teachers called on the attention of the government to prioritize current issues in the education system.
“The perennial problem of our school system again resurfaced on the first day of school year, particularly the lack of necessary resources such as teachers, books, and learning materials, chairs and classrooms as well as toilets among others,” said Teacher’s Dignity Coalition (TDC) National Chairman Benjo Basas.
Since 2010, DepEd nationwide figures showed shortages of 66,800 classrooms, 145,827 teachers at, 62.4 million textbooks, and 2.5 million chairs.
DepEd officials are confident they can “wipe out” all input shortages such as books and chairs within the current school year, and fully address shortages in classrooms, teachers and toilets next year.
Schools that face the same problems year after year, are left with the option to deal with what they have.
In some rural areas, classroom shortages are so dire that some schools resort to makeshift and mobile classrooms.
And because private schools were allowed to increase tuition this year, public school teachers also expressed dismay on the number of students transferring from private to public institutions.
This year also marked the full implementation of the K-12 Program or the Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013 which covers Kindergarten and 12 years of basic education (six years of primary education, four years of junior high school, and two years of senior high school).
Signed into law by President Aquino last month, it will provide students sufficient time for mastery of concepts and skills, develop lifelong learners, and prepare graduates for tertiary education, middle-level skills development, employment, and entrepreneurship.
As for the critics of the current education reforms, Education Secretary Armin Luistro said that with any change that needs to be implemented, “there will always be critics.” He appealed for “deeper understanding.”
By 2025, pioneers of the K-12 program are expected to be “holistically developed Filipinos” and be ready for work if they choose to defer from college.
Knowing the inadequacies of the education sector, the attention of the government, private organizations, individuals, local businesses, and international organizations and foundations are called to help out. In the interim, let us wait diligently until the system’s kinks are finally ironed out.
Without an educated populace, all the country’s recent economic gains will go to waste.
Addressing education is not just a mandate, it is an investment for the future of this country and its people.
(AJPress)
