Ang pagbangon ng bayan ay nagsisimula sa paaralan.
Ngunit kung ang paaralan ay walang pondo, salat rin ang lipunan. Kung ang paaralan ay para lang sa iilan, mananatiling walang pagkakapantay-pantay at pagkakaisa sa bayan. Kung ang paaralan naman ay para lamang tayo’y makapagibang-bayan, para saan pa ang kalayaan? Kung ang paaralan naman ay patuloy na sinisiil at pinipigilan, gusto ba talaga natin ng kaunlaran?
It is indisputable that education is the core of any nation. However, this very core is corrupted by social ills that can only be remedied if we are brave enough to acknowledge them. The lack of adequate facilities, equitable equipment, and competent teachers can be traced to the lack of budget allocated to the education sector. Even if the Philippine government increased funding to the education sector by almost 60%, the World Bank still noted that this is far from the spending invested by our neighboring countries which is found to be correlated to their GDP growth. All of these resulted in the worsening performance of our students reflected in the gravely poor performance of Filipino students wherein our mean performance score ranked consistently in bottom 5 in the PISA assessment. This indicative decline in quality education was already observed before the pandemic but reached free-fall levels due to the implementation of the remote learning setup, which also prompted more than 2 million students out of school. Even in the best case that students are able to finish their education, our curriculum is tailor-fitted not for our domestic needs but based on international standards even if our industries are still far behind, resulting in students opting to leave the country to work, which in turn, perpetuates brain drain and stagnation of the development of our institutions.
Our education system is terribly sick. It is already old, malnourished, and exploited.
How do we expect the dying guardian to rear the new generation we want to conceive?
We, the Filipino students, bridge the call to the Marcos-Duterte administration, Second Congressional Committee on Education (EDCOM II), Department of Education (DepEd), Commission on Higher Education (CHED), and other education authorities to act upon Senate Resolution No. 901 and DECLARE AN EDUCATION CRISIS and mobilize necessary government agencies to work hand in hand in the development of a national education program focusing on the 12-point education agenda:
Increase education budget and expand budget utilization monitoring
An education crisis in the midst of a public health and economic crisis calls for a responsive budget. The World Bank reports that Philippine government expenditure in terms of gross domestic product is at 3.9% in 2020, while the P788.5 billion budget allocation to education as reported by the Department of Education is only around 15% of the 2022 national budget at P5.024 trillion. Therefore there is a need to allocate 6% of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) and 20% of the national budget to the education sector as proposed by the United Nations, along with a close citizen and civil-society monitoring of budget utilization to ensure that it is responsive to the concerns and demands of the students and teachers among other education stakeholders. Procurement monitoring and accountability mechanisms must also be observed to prevent cases of corruption. The government must not impose budget cuts and reinstate the budget for Special Education, ensure continuous provision of scholarships and subsidies, increase salary and benefits for teachers, and strengthen local and state universities and colleges and technical-vocational schools to cater more students from low-income families, among other calls and demands of the primary stakeholders.
Urge Schools to Immediately Release Responsive Guidelines for the Safe Reopening of Schools
Everybody was surprised when the pandemic hit, however, surprised is an understatement for the unprepared education sector without sufficient health systems. Therefore, this inadequacy even affected the lack of student-responsive guidelines by school administrators for the safe reopening of schools has negatively impacted the safe realization of face-to-face learning across the country. DepEd Order No. 34, which directs schools to have full face-to-face classes by November 2, 2022, is unclear about how students can maintain physical distancing in schools with limited facilities - causing alarming health concerns. In institutions which have yet to release their guidelines on the mode of learning, the students are left hanging out to dry while having anxieties due to the financial and logistical burden of transportation and dormitory needs among other preparations needed which need time to process and assurance that it will not go to waste. The government and school administrations must immediately address this by ensuring transparency and the participation of education stakeholders including students in the crafting, implementation, and monitoring of clear guidelines under which face-to-face classes can be efficiently carried out, as mandated by the Joint Memorandum Circular No. 2021 - 004 by the Commission on Higher Education and the Department of Health as well as DepEd Order No. 17, series of 2022. These guidelines should encompass provisions with regard to the schedule of face-to-face learning activities, student housing, transportation needs, and the
implementation of health protocols — all reflecting the needs of students, teachers and other education stakeholders.
Ensure All-inclusive and Accessible Education
The situation for out-of-school youth has already been alarming even before the pandemic with students dropping out because of financial issues, among other issues, according to data from the Philippine Statistics Authority, which also revealed that around 50 percent of out-of-school youth come from poor families. The 2020 enrollment data reports three million Filipino students have not enrolled in school. Education authorities must make the Alternative Learning System (ALS), Expanded Tertiary Education Equivalency and Accreditation Program (ETEEAP), Open University (OU), and Distance Learning System (DLS) more inclusive to cater more economically challenged students. Local and state universities and colleges must be strengthened to cater more students from low-income families. Assistance and subsidies either in forms of cash or devices and materials which are deemed essential to sustain them in meeting the educational demands shall be provided.
Provide Accessible and Quality Mental Health Services
A study by the Movement for Safe, Equitable, Quality and Relevant Education (SEQuRE) reports that 54.7 percent of students said distance learning activities had adversely affected their physical and mental health. Mental health services must be made accessible for students, teachers, and staff in all socio-economic backgrounds with the full implementation of the Mental Health Act. Schools administrators must do away from sticking to ineffective and performative mental health activities by conducting regular consultation with and impact assessment on the students. They must be provided with ample resources and information that can aid the inauguration and subsequent expansion of relevant and quality services that can tend to the mental health of Filipino students. It includes addressing the issue presented by Education Undersecretary Jesus Mateo in 2020 that there are a total of 5,398 “authorized” positions for Guidance Counselors, but only 20% have been filled due to the low salary. Academic break and ease policies must be genuine in providing the students with the opportunity to rest, therefore not giving activities during the break that will eventually pile up upon resumption of classes.
Pass the Students’ Rights and Welfare (STRAW) Bill
The lack of a comprehensive national framework for students’ rights and welfare has exposed students to state and school administration repression, even with the distance learning setup. Students are not given or are given ineffective spaces to be capacitated, empowered,
consulted, nor involved to the point of abolishment of student journalism and non-signing of project proposals by student councils and organizations. Decades have passed since the Students Rights and Welfare (STRAW) Bill was advanced to ensure that our basic rights as students such as our academic rights, campus press freedom, civil and political rights, and our right to consultation in various policy-making in educational institutions. These are rights that are indispensable in creating more democratic and humane educational institutions — hence, we echo the cry: support the passage of the STRAW Bill now. We also call for the passage of the Interns Rights and Welfare Bill to stop and prevent any further abuse and exploitation of interns in workplaces by ensuring reasonable work hours, just compensation for hours of services rendered, and protection against discriminatory practices among other safeguards of their rights.
Protect Safe Spaces and Recognize SOGIE Equality in Schools
In pursuit of quality and accessible education, and in a time where students’ democratic, academic, and even personal spaces are threatened by different forces, it is crucial that sanctuaries are established in order to foster a conducive environment for learning. It is imperative that academic institutions remain as zones where students, regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, expression, and sex characteristics (SOGIESC), are able to exercise their democratic freedoms without fear of state-sponsored crackdowns and attacks. University administrations must enforce institutional reform on its conventions and handbooks among other policies that recognize the SOGIESC of the students, protect the safety of its students against abusive academic policies, gender-based discrimination, sexual harassment, hazing and fraternity-related violence, cyberspace violence, and other forms of aggravation. This can start by religiously implementing the pertinent provisions of Republic Act 11313 or the Safe Spaces Act. There must be institutional support, in the form of legal and psychosocial/mental health support, for victim-survivors of domestic abuse, sexual harassment, and gender-based violence in order to protect the victims and take perpetrators into account still with the provision of proper psychosocial interventions.
Oppose Historical Distortion and Disinformation
Historical Distortion of Martial law has been an issue especially during COVID-19 pandemic where social media platforms became the most convenient way of getting information. While students are being exposed to the fake news in social media, some face flawed historical education because of the inaccuracy of the education system. Philippine education must see the errors in teaching the realities during the martial law era by effectively addressing historical distortion; education should focus on making sure that the Philippine history in the DepEd curriculum is historically correct and without biases or hint of distortions, revisit the code of conduct of teachers; strengthen provisions that is in relation to this and/or try to introduce new provisions that will establish accountability mechanisms on disinformation. Focusing on teaching history, the Philippine government could also seek assistance from the Commission
on Human Rights with CHED and DepEd in teaching the youth the tragic experiences and events during the Martial Law.
Provide Adequate Educational Infrastructures and Materials
Even before the COVID-19 pandemic started, the education sector already suffered inadequate classrooms, textbooks, and devices for teachers among other necessary education infrastructure and materials. It has been exacerbated as we transition to blended learning, demanding technological equipment and good internet connectivity both from students and teachers. As the government made clear that blended learning is here to stay, they must ensure that the students and teachers are well-provided with resilient and safe classrooms responsive to our current health crisis, necessary gadgets and good internet connectivity for blended learning, and a humane teacher-to-student ratio to prevent burn out and ensure quality delivery of the curriculum. The government can explore setting up community learning hubs with educational materials for young people in remote areas, among other necessary innovations, programs, and policies to guarantee the safe and effective learning of Filipino students.
Oppose Mandatory ROTC, Uphold Academic Freedom
Academic freedom in our schools is under threat with the censorship of state-designated “subversive” books, the red-tagging of universities and youth groups, and the push for mandatory Reserve Officers’ Training Course (ROTC). The threat to academic freedom represses our voices and endangers the capacity of students to exercise our right to freely express ourselves, think critically, and learn from a diversity of ideas and beliefs. It is, therefore, imperative that our schools remain as safe and free zones for critical thinking and free expression. The government must stop all efforts to curtail academic freedom by putting an end to the unwarranted censorship of books, the baseless red-tagging of institutions, removing police and military presence from our campuses, and opposing mandatory ROTC and allowing the students to freely choose their ways of showing love for country. Upholding academic freedom ultimately means ensuring that our voices and ideas are expressed, heard, and scrutinized without the fear or threat of being harmed and silenced.
Develop Contextualized Curriculum and Effective Pedagogy
For the longest time, our education system is geared towards developing global individuals. While it is a commendable goal, the lack of developed domestic industries resulted with the state using students as a socioeconomic battering ram as labor exports. This manifests in the education system: wherein in the PISA assessment, the Philippines is ranked first in providing basic writing, reading, and arithmetic skills, ironically, we are consistently in the bottom three of the mean performance of all performing countries. The current education system is only geared towards making students capable of working abroad and not competing at par with our peers in the international arena. What is worse is the continuous exodus of Filipinos which resulted in
brain drain and lack of national identity. Therefore, it is high time that we re-orient our education system. We need to prioritize our focus on teaching and learning skills that would greatly boost our local industries including but not limited to agriculture, fisheries, mining, and even production. Incentivize knowledge-making by prioritizing research and development in our curriculum. The teaching and learning process must go beyond training students to be workers in certain industries but become active citizens with a clear understanding of their democratic rights and social responsibilities. In terms of pedagogy, assure that there is a balanced incentive for students to compete and collaborate with each other and that teachers are well-equipped with 21st century teaching skills including the utilization of multimedia and abandonment of the banking system of education. These reforms would allow the education sector to respond to the specific needs of Filipinos on the ground, empower the Filipino pride as we compete in the global scene, and contribute to the holistic development of the Filipinos as part of the same community.
Expand Social Welfare Programs
There is an intersectionality of struggles; therefore, the education crisis is worsened by issues including but not limited to malnutrition, poverty, teenage pregnancy, and health risks. Therefore, it is imperative to expand social welfare programs to students in order for us to assure that they will continuously have access to education. Social welfare programs like: food fortification for primary year levels to counter malnutrition, special and alternative education systems for out of school individuals, vaccination programs for vulnerable students, and daycare programs for solo parents and their children must be accessible to the disenfranchised communities in the Philippines. Regardless of the opportunities offered by being educated, if the marginalized still cannot afford education for this will be at the expense of their essential necessities, the cycle of poverty will linger.
Modernize Administration and Bureaucracy
The Department of Education is the biggest bureaucracy in the Philippines; however, this doesn’t mean that it is already the most inefficient, actually, it is the contrary. In 2021 COA Auditing Report, DepEd materially misstated Php 10 billion of their expenses, huge discrepancies are noted in Php 74 billion of their transactions, Php 19 billion of the allocated budget is unobligated, and almost Php 2 billion were not reverted back to the treasury, and still, there is a low accomplishment rate of the targets for the year. The biggest example of this problem is the computerization attempt of the DepEd which cost more than what is needed but still delivered subpar equipment. Therefore, there is a need to modernize the bureaucracy, separate administrative and educational offices and functions of the institution, further devolve fiscal power to the schools, assure student representation in the decision making to assure a student-centric policies and programs, and empower community stakeholders through CSOs in upholding accountability. These measures will assure that maximum efficiency is upheld,
functions are well-performed due to effective division of labor, and schools have their own fiscal decision making capability to fast-track the utilization of funds especially during the education crisis.
Ang mga lider-estudyante ay higit na handang makibahagi sa mga katawan at ahensya ng gobyerno na gumagawa ng desisyon at patakaran tungkol sa edukasyon gaya ng EDCOM II upang gabayan ang direksyon ng mga polisiya at programa gamit ang karanasan at perspektibo ng mga mag-aaral na siyang pinakaimportanteng kasapi ng sektor ng edukasyon.
Unahing ibangon ang sistema ng edukasyon! Pakinggan ang panawagan ng mga Pilipinong estudyante: MAGDEKLARA NG EDUCATION CRISIS AT MAGROLL-OUT NG NATIONAL EDUCATION PROGRAM PARA SA 12-POINT EDUCATION AGENDA.
