Assessing the present educational system and condition of primary and secondary schools in the Philippines, I daresay that the quality of learning is bound to a decline. There are many contributory factors to consider why this is so.
The Department of Education has implemented, just recently, the so-called K-12 education. This move aims to extend the primary and secondary education programs to 12 years from the present 10 years. Indeed, a decade is not sufficient to develop the intellectual faculty of the youth. I myself admit that my elementary and high schooling did not much prepare me for college. What is wrong? Who is wrong? Are the students less competent, or the teachers? Are the management of schools and educational schemes effective? I believe that DepEd has overlooked the situation. It is not primarily the year of schooling that determines the quality and intellectual development of students. The problem is not because they have spent only a decade to prepare themselves for the next stage of higher learning, rather, it is majorly attributed to: first, the insufficiency of school buildings and classrooms; second, the deficiency of academic materials such as books, charts, instruments, equipment etc.; finally, many teachers are sticking with the traditional form of teaching (chalk and board, lecture form among others) which are, nowadays, deemed ineffective. Majority of the younger population learned how to use the computer before they even learned how to read and write. Many more are into the virtual world made accessible by the internet. More will go to that direction. In fact, it’s where everyone is heading to. If this is the reality of it, education must keep abreast with all these. The internet is a powerful tool if used properly. It is a library nobody can perhaps predict how large it may grow. In other words, if we are to solve the problem as regards quality learning, schools need to employ open-minded and creative teachers who can think out of the box, of other ways of presenting lessons more interesting and relevant to the generation of these youth. I am not against the K-12 education. However, it came too early yet too soon. If it could have been implemented decades ago, we would not have been shifting gears so suddenly now. It came too soon before the bigger concerns are even resolved.
It is true that learning does not only happen inside the four walls of a classroom. It happens everywhere. But whenever it happens, the condition, environmental considerations must be in check. Students ought to feel comfortable. If they do not, they tend to be inattentive. They fix their focus on something that would provide them escape from the uncomforting feeling of the classroom, classmates and even of the teacher. Hence, if we are to build schools and classrooms, we must build not simply anywhere but on an ideal location where interaction can be enhanced. With regards to the lack of academic materials, the government can wisely allocate a greater portion of fund for education. The ratio of textbooks and students is supposed to be 1:1. If there is imbalance, the result will be of the same fate. Costa Rica has made a choice between military spending and the conservation of its lands. The country now has no army. It prefers to devote its resources to education and conservation. If Costa Ricans can do it, we Filipinos can too.
What I am trying to point out is that the state of brainpower of today’s youth is not only linked with the minimum years of schooling but, also due to factors such as those of the aforementioned. As for a personal contribution, I can only do so much as to study well, however clichéd that sounds, so as to be one proof among those already successful individuals who have not been deprived of education. 10 years, is more or less a considerable span, if only the proper and necessary materials are accorded to every learner.
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