by Yvonne T. Chua
VERA FILES
Governments around the world, including the Philippines, are depriving children of basic literacy and numeracy skills because they have failed to address “deep and persistent” inequalities in education.
The warning was issued by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization as it launched on Nov. 25 its 2009 global monitoring report on Education for All, Overcoming Inequality: Why Governance Matters.
The report said many countries are way off-target in their goal of achieving universal primary education, one of six internationally agreed upon goals that countries like the Philippines pledged to meet by 2015.
Please click here (Vera Files) for the full report.
Not only that so many have been deprived, it’s not even the Right Education.
Education is related to poverty. If children cannot eat three meals a day, how can they study? Food and shelter are two basic needs. While education is important, it’s not considered as basic need in the Philippines where almost half of the population are living in poverty. Many children as young as four and five are forced to work very early in the morning until late at night selling newspapers, picking up garbages. How can they still have the time to go to school?
Funds intended for this basic need, education, are diverted to projects where the corrupt can have “tongpats”. Local agencies and local private businesses should join hands and allocate funds for local schools. The big problem is, everyone look up to the central government to address all the nation’s issues. The funds are hijacked from the top, examples: the Fertilizer Scam and the Swine Scam. Imaagine how many schools can be built from those stolen funds!
I know that a lot of the organizations wordwide where there are OFWs do fundraising for disadvantaged kids. Scholarships are given to students but these groups can only do so much. If a corrupt government can not give this basic need of education to all its barangays, the local government should just not play dead. Kaso , the local politicians are corrupt too!
Parents should also be responsible for the education of their children. If they can not feed, cloth and educate their children, they DO NOT HAVE ANY BUSINESS MAKING THEM! Kaya nga ako galit na galit sa mga CBCP. Instead of helping solve the population explosion, they are the ones throwing the stumbling blocks to the initiatives. There really has to be something drastic that needs to be done to curtail our population.
Education should be free in the grade school and high school levels. The children should also have food provided to them. We have the funds to do these only if the corruption in our goverment is stopped! Konti lang naman kumain ang mga bata.
Teachers should also be paid well otherwise lahat ng estudyante eh gusto ng Nursing na lang!
In watching the Probe, Correspondets and the like, I see children working to bring food to their tables samantalang ang mga magulang ay naninigarilyo pa at papekwa pekwa pa. Something is terribly wrong in our culture really. Such inequities! Kawawa ang mga bata talaga. They do not have choices.
Basic education is a kid’s foundation to adulthood and the future. That’s when a child starts learning their A B C’s in life so it must be solid and the best.
Sadly in the Philippines there’s so much inequity when it comes to its accessibility. Availing of the best is not for everyone. That’s where the big difference lies. The best is in the buildings and campuses of the so called exclusive and private schools where they have the financial capability to hire and employ the best educators in town courtesy of the sky high tuition fees of students. And this is where the children of the very rich families and corrupt politicians are being trained and educated.
Philippine public schools unlike twenty years ago are notorious for its very low quality of education. It has long been neglected by the government. Year after year government allocates just a measly sum for its budget. There are no enough classrooms and books. They can’t attract competent and quality teachers because the pay is so low. Sometimes one is tempted to think that the government and the politicians don’t really care because their children are being sent to the other schools for their education.
This is the opposite side of the spectrum where the children of the poor get their training and education. And what do we expect from them? Half of them may succeed and the other half may fail. That is why the rich get richer and the poor get poorer overtime.
We have not yet seen the worst of it and unless the government makes a sincere and determined effort to reform the educational system we are not very far from it, unless of course if that is what they want.
It’s true we have public elementary and high school, but the quality and standard are so poor compared to other countries. In the US and Canada, children even from wealthy families go to public schools. Another thing about the Philippine education is the status symbol of going to private schools. Most companies prefer hiring graduates from well known colleges like Ateneo, La Salle, San Beda…
Philippine Unesco rep is Precisosa Soliven. Might be a good idea to ask her why.
there’s so much inequality.
I like this kind of topic.
Why Philippine Education sucks? there are two factors that are actually the result of poor governance.
1. Too much debt from world bank where only 30% left of our country’s revenue are allocated for social services including budget to education
2. There are more corrupt officials in our country that can only manage their own affairs. A politician of the people not “for the people”
Democracy can only be felt by the people when there is NO EXPLOITATION. Every person has a certain minimum requirements in life which must be guaranteed. That minimum includes education and welfare of our society. That is the job description of every public officials.
There is a close link between human development and economic growth. Human development and Economic growth puts people at the center of economic development policy. Our current policymaker do not have both or not able to implement.
The result is inequality. Economic growth, if not properly managed, can be futureless, jobless, ruthless, voiceless and rootless detrimental to human development. The quality of growth is as important as its quantity in reducing poverty.
Hi Bitchevil,
“Most companies prefer hiring graduates from well known colleges like Ateneo, La Salle, San Beda…”
Is there a law , legislation passed by congress to penalize companies for discrimination? there might be no such law because our Congress are sold. Big businesses in our country are actually making our politicians so corrupt. “In the World Bank & IFC Enterprise Surveys Philippines 2003, 45% of companies admit to having paid bribes in order to get things done, and in the 2007 SWS Business Survey, three out of five managers were asked for a bribe in at least one transaction last year, and the amount of the bribe was higher than the previous year. Corruption is often encountered when interacting with public officials.”
Philippine Corruption
Corruption can be described in the framework of
supply and demand. The supply side of corruption is the
private sector ( businesses) that provides bribes, gifts, and kickbacks to the government officials who, in turn, are the demand side of corruption.
so how are these people in office ( that we elect) going to provide basic education and enhancing our public schools when they themselves cannot even implement their very basic responsibility to the people?
na-unsa naman intawon ning kalibutana.. pastilan kalooy gyud uy. gikapoy na gyud ko ug “spelling” aning atong mga corrupt officials. maayo unta ni sila hilo-an. :)hehehe
Korap si Gloria, sumusunod lang ang sistema ng edukasyon sa kanya. This is the only administration that shows no heart for the education of its young.
To Gloria Pidal and The Con Ass Gang:
Maloloko ninyo ang lahat ng tao paminsan minsan.Maloloko ninyo ang ilang tao sa lahat ng oras.Pero hindi ninyo maloloko ang lahat ng tao sa lahat ng oras!
May araw rin kayo!
The Angry People of The Philippines
Actually, hindi naman kailangan ang pera para ma-educate ang masa. Kailangan lang mas maka-bansa at sensitive sa pangangailangan ng tao ang Media.
Kaso imbis na educational ang ipapalabas, puro sampalan, suntukan, iyakan lang ang nakikita natin sa araw-araw. Paano tatalino ang madla?
‘Di ko maintindihan kung ano ba talaga ang motibo nitong mga dambuhalang TV Networks na ‘to. Sadya ba tayong ginagawang bobo?
Korap na nga ang gobyerno – ang mga media companies ba ay di nangongorap? Hanggang entertainment lang ba talaga at current events ang kaya natin?
How about Free Distance Learning?
Lalo lumalala pag maririnig ang mga balita na si ganito binuntis ni ganoon… naghihiwalay na pala sila si Pekwang at si Barakulyo…
Umagang kay Ganda, Bayan! At sa ating nagbabagang mga balita… isa ang patay, dalawa ang sugatan sa banggaan sa EDSA!
Kung ganito ang bubukas ng iyong umaga, anong klaseng pag-iisip ang babalot sa iyo sa buong araw?
At ito ay ginagawa sa buong taon, at simula noong ikaw ay isinilang…
inequality?
bakit, meron ba equality sa buhay ng tao?
kailan ba sa history na nagkaroon ng equality?
read: “Inequality in Philippine Education” of Fr. Leonardo Estioko, SVD in Essays on Philippine Education.
Only 3% of students in Ontario go to Private schools, 5% or less to other Faith based schools, 30% to Catholic Schools and the Rest to Public Schools. Catholic Schools are Publicly Funded same as Public Schools and also have the same standard of curriculum plus Religion based. Funding starts at Junior Kindergarten to Grade 12 (completion of Secondary Learning) and their is now a Truancy Act that will penalize parents for failure to send their Children to School and drop outs will not be eligible to apply for Driver’s License earlier than age 18, while can at 16 if attending schools. Those who send their children to other schools can only use their school fees as Tax Deductible Expense which are partly refunded. This is a great opportunity for next generations of latest immigrants to get quality education without burdening their parents, yet many as I observe can not wait, but will start working and quit school or leave home soonest to be on their own, except majority of Chinese immigrants who now populate the country’s colleges and universities and the south asians,(indians) who are catching up.
corrupt officials have no social conscience that’s why they are able to steal, lie, enriched themselves from the people’s money, etc, etc, worsed is to be able to enjoy their wealth in a country surrounded by oceans of poverty and deprivation.
The thrust of government and religious effort is to help the poor. Naturally, everybody wants to be poor. The poor chose to remain in squalor so they get aids forever while waiting for God’s favor on their lotto and jueteng bets.
is there any govt effort to help the poor? something new. nobody would choose to remain poor if there is a choice at all.
Si Gloria Arroyo ay dapat ibalik sa kindergarten para matuto ng maayos! Marami syang na-miss na pre-school lessons. Puro yata manika ang kanyang kausap nung sya ay bata.
The glaring inequities of RP school system can be summed up into two schools of different worlds. The first world of the haves and the third world of the have-nots.
If we speak of Education, we cannot avoid speaking of poverty and population. Over population has remained a big hindrance to children’s education. More children means more teachers, books, schools, funds. For this reason, the HR Bill being deliberated in the House that’s being opposed by the hypocritical Catholic Church should be supported.
It only takes US$0.28/day to send one Pinoy child to school. Aproximately, $60 per child per school year. P1 Billion could educate 17 million children for a year.
Per the ADB and WB research and also from Ombudsgirl’s own investigations, P300B is lost to corruption per year.
If we reduce corruption by a mere 10% and spend it all on education, this extra money alone can send 51 Million students through elementary and high school for the next ten years!
Corruption is of course a given factor. What we’re trying to point out is the relation between population and education. Simply stated again, more children means more schools and educational funds.
Per my computation, the problem of population is accounted for. 51 Million pupils can be sent through grade school and secondary if only 10% of corruption is reduced. We could have achieved 100% literacy! A budget for 51M is more than what we actually require.
For a concrete example, the money that would have been paid for the ZTE-NBN deal could produce fifty million High School graduates from public education. Of course education will never get that money because public school students cannot invite our officials to play golf in Shenzen and have rare-crab lunch aside from P200M for every signatory to their diploma. DECS will just say, we don’t have sufficient funds.
That has always been the excuse of government, funds, funds, funds. Our economy has been making enough to spend on education but government sees it more important to spend on wars against its own citizens. The money we spent on the AFP fighting the NPAs and our brother Muslims could have been saved if the roots of the insurgency have been addressed early.
The inequalities in income is a problem on the other side of the fence. It is a problem composed mostly by pambaon, pamasahe, uniform, and project expenses. But on the other side where the solution is here and now, it has remained the same for decades if not, has gone worse.
It’s a shame that we, the people who have been experiencing 30 quarters of continuous growth, according to the Chief Economissed, are in the top of the list along with the most impoverished, war-torn, most abused, hungriest, most dropouts, least competitive and most corrupt nations in the planet.
Haaay.
So, you’re saying corruption is the problem not population.
I mean, is corruption the only problem? If 10% of corruption is reduced and this goes to funding education, it doesn’t still work if population keeps growing. Within 10 to 20 years, our population would reach 100 Million. If we could reduce the birth rate together with corruption, isn’t this much better?
asiandelight,
I agree with you but i have some disagreement about what most of our intellectuals at home are not aware or doesn’t know what’s going on outside the country?
Yes, it’s true that we need a good or known schools at home but if you want to find a work…you need Ninong or else wala kang trabaho.
Masyadong grabe ang red tape sa Pinas, yong madali eh ginagawang mahirap…at ang mahirap naman e ginagawang mapadali.
Kaya ang Pinoy eh nag e excel sa abroad dahil malaki ang tiwala ng foreigners sa atin, but sa Pinas masyadong bilib sa school na pinanggalingan…kaya grabe ang discrimination sa work. Kung gusto mong umasenso…magsipsip ka but dito sa abroad, kung gusto mong umunlad ang kaalaman…pagbutihin mo ang pagtatrabaho. Ang laki ng pagkakaiba di ba!
UNESCO warning was real? Ito ang tunay na kodak sa kawalang direksyon ng rehimeng Arroyo?
Sure, kakambyo uli yang si Golez at sasabihin di totoo ang UNESCO report?
Umamin na…sapagka’t ang katontohan nýo sa pamumuno e walang mabuting naidulot sa mamamayan? Sayang ang school na pinanggalingan nýo at lagi nýong ipinagyayaban na graduate kayo ng UP, Ateneo, La Salle o kaya sa US…pero lalong naghirap ang Pinas?
Buti pa yaong graduates ng mababa at mataas na paaralan eh kumikita ng dolyar na ngayon eh pinagsasasaan nýo mga ipokrito.
Kundi sa mga OFWs eh bangkarote na ang Pinas, kaya si Gloria nag-e-enjoy maglakwatsa sa ibang bansa dahil ang daming dolyares ng Pinas…di maubos, syiempre naman monthly ang remittances di ba.
Kaya ang pabagsak ng kalidad sa edukasyon eh larawan lamang ng walang kwentang pamumuno.
Pagka minsan buti pa ang walang aral kasi nga pag sinabihan mo eh sunod kaagad but yaong mga may pinag-aralan eh ginagamit sa katusuhan at pang-aapi sa kapwa-tao.
Kung kailan pa dumami ang mag-aral sa Pinas e lalong naghirap tayo, buti pa noong araw na hinuhuli ng Kano ang parents natin para turuan e ang ginhawa ng buhay noon.
I’m not encouraging anybody na wag nang mag-aral, but i’m only pointing a general perceptions sa tunay na mga pangyayari sa buhay. I agree with UNESCO REPORT, may katotohanan ang kanilang pag-aaral sa ating kalagayang pang-edukasyon.
Let’s encourage our Kababayan to continue their education even sa mababa o mataas na paaralan basta ang mahalaga eh makatapos ng pag-aaral.
Sa abroad walang ke graduate ka ng UP, ATENEO, LA SALLE o low class schools…dito ang pinag-uusapan e kung ano ba ang iyong alam at magagawa sa trabaho.
Tongue,
I have to agree with you on corruption 100%. your calculation is brilliant. that’s what people needs to hear in this blog. You nailed it.
Asiandelight, thanks.
BE,
Yes it is corruption and not population. New studies in demography and other social sciences are debunking the theories of overpopulation-leading-to-poverty schools of thought.
The biggest resources of any nation is the human kind, not minerals, not oil, not scenic spots.
I consider myself maverick in the aspect of population control since I do not advocate it. China’s billion population has proven that population size has more benefits than problems. Same is becoming true with India, too. Now these two biggest countries in terms of human population are in the race for space and sending their own people to the moon, totally unheard of just a decade ago. Pretty soon, one will overtake the US in the race to send humans to Mars.
If that’s any measure of success, then rich European countries which are sparsely populated have been left out in the cold by these emerging, until very recently, third-world countries whose governments took the right path to exploiting its human resource power to achieve their goals. The next big country, Indonesia, is still on the drawing boards, it’s biggest roadblock is taking down the huge machinery of corruption instituted by three decades of Suharto’s corrupt leadership. Slowly, under Yudhoyono’s strict policies, Indonesia may sooon become the next powerhouse if it is able to rally its citizens against slipping into Islamic fundamentalism. That is Yudhoyono’s present big hurdle.
Of course, we have America, the biggest population in that face of the Globe, followed by Brazil and Mexico.
From an economic point of view, ninety million Filipinos means ninety million customers, buyers, bank depositors, investors, OFWs, travelers, moviegoers, internet users, etc.
Instead, many people, especially government people, still look down on Pinoys as 90 million beggars and squatters. China has found the Holy Grail of economics – keep your people productive, and wealth follows not long after. But the Phil. antithesis is to keep people impoverished and elite families keep their exclusive grip on the nation’s wealth. Gloria’s policy and that of her cronies, is to keep people hungry so that no one will have time protesting and meddling in the way she milks the country dry.
I used to say “90 million cowards”, it’s actually 90 million hungry cowards.
And if I have to emphasize over and over – P300B lost to corruption per year! The Philippines is not a poor country. Many are jobless not just because the government doesn’t encourage job creation efficiently but because many also choose to be jobless.
In this fight against Gloria, majority are on our side, but merely as spectators and bystanders.
Now I’d like to change that to “90 million hungry but lazy cowards”.
You got a point, Tongue. The Philippines with over 7,000 islands have more than enough lands to accommodate the growing population. We are rich in natural resources. There are so many underdeveloped areas. Even Taiwan with her small island has reached an alarming population growth; yet, the country has progressed economically.
Our educational system is just too complicated. Enough to teach the kids the three R’s that they can master along the way after finishing their complete education at primary level when they can already start to work. They can begin with the work of carabaos or go to war which they surely enjoy more than the internet games. There is no point forcing the kids to study right conduct and good manners. Our adults rarely practice it anyway unless they go abroad. Business and finance subjects are only theories, not much money to count till we reach our the graves. We succeed accidentally in the arts professions like law only for the glib and smart. Redundant teachers can already get more gainful jobs other than selling junk foods and slippers. This will decrease the useless and wasted budget of the DECs.
Over in UK, public education is considered the best because of the support from the government that makes it easier to upgrade the quality of education provided for children there regardless of whether they come from the elite or working class.
Sa Pilipinas, puro yabang lang ang ipinapairal. All the more reason why the government there should put more money in education than in the pockets of the Pidals and their cohorts.
Of course, the rich can afford to send their children to the best schools(daw) owned by the religious orders there. No thanks to them, nasira tuloy ang public education that the Americans established there during their occupation of the Philippines.
Kawawa talaga ang mga pilipino! Kawawang bansa talaga! No wonder my father and his brothers chose to be US citizens when they were given the option between being Filipinos or Americans prior to the granting of Philippine Independence in 1946. Call it foresight!
Tongue: I used to say “90 million cowards”, it’s actually 90 million hungry cowards.
*****
You bet! One difference in fact between Marcos and Gloria Dorobo. At least, Marcos did not make Filipinos to be cowards—iyong takot magutom. Gloria the Dorobo did that! Ginutom ang mga kababayan niya para hindi makahirit! Saklap!
Balweg,
i agree with you but it is simply supply and demand of labor. There’s a demand for labor abroad and the Philippines can supply. In the Philippines, demand for employment exceeds supply. Our government cannot create employment of its own unless it will attract foreign investors. Why send our people overseas if we can allow businesses to come in instead? With this basic economic concept, what would our government do to increase demand for labor within our country? is it not to join free trade and attract more FDI’s? but our constitution is an old system- even before Stone Age? What do you think is the next best policy just for employment alone? try reading benefits of Chacha. our constitution is so nationalistic as if we have a culture of morality. I am sick of this country’s backwardness. sorry.
I am an advocate for free trade because it enhances competition. The only way we can accomplish that is to change our Old Constitution.
asian,
Ideally, free trade is good because it ensures that only the best survive. But in these times, there is still no 100% free trade. Even America, as free trade’s main advocate, indulges in protecting and subsidizing its farmers to the detriment of real, ideal free trade. Quotas are still existent and depending on who’s lobbying better, gets bigger quots.
tongue,
true it’s better than nothing. free trade is a two-edged sword, it has its advantages and disadvantages. Our Executives and the Senate must have a bigger Vision of Tomorrow. The main disadvantage of free trade is low cost labor. In the long run, the pinoy populace will be merely like employees and our workforce majority are in the low income bracket without no other options of being entrepreneurial.
That’s why higher education in business and entrepeneurship degrees must be encourage in our universities and should be subsidized by our government. There should be an internship programs for newly grads and allow the private sectors to offer such programs. Of course , this policy must become into law or a provision in any business entity. It is good for training and prepare our newly grads for global competition. Very few Pinoys in our country climb that ladder of management.
I am also hoping any new grads on public administration degree should have internship at local government units and even at the Senate. The same thing with our young lawyers. They should be required internship hours in the public sectors and private sectors. who knows , the younger ones may have a better grasp on reality. In with the new and out with the Old.
i agree with tongue that corruption is the real problem right now, and i also think that when corruption is reduced and controlled such that the average family has a livable standard, the increase in population will also be reduced.
Free trade asiandelight is exactly fruitful if our leaders really sincere in their works to seriously promulgating the rule of laws but the main hindrance or obstacle in this regards, PURO SILA CORRUPT at WALANG PWEDENG PAGKATIWALAAN!
Lalahatin ko na sila either Gov’t officials, Law breakers, politicians, authorities et. al.?
I agree with you 100% but i have reservation coz’if our gov’t the same with US, Japan, Korea, and other progressive European countries strick compliance of their respective rules and regulation and bylaws.
Naku po, ngayon pa nga lang e ang Pinoy ang squatters sa sariling bayan, paano pa kung 100% ang banyaga ang magmamay-ari ng lupain.
For sure, yong sungot ng Instik na .2billion population e tatakbo yan ng Pinas? Patay na ang lahing Pinoy?
# norpil Says:
December 2nd, 2008 at 4:56 pm
i agree with tongue that corruption is the real problem right now, and i also think that when corruption is reduced and controlled such that the average family has a livable standard, the increase in population will also be reduced.
….Corruption is the real problem but not the only one. Pardon me, but I don’t understand how a reduce in corruption would reduce population. May GAOTU bless us !
Reducing corruption means more gov’t money goes to education, public works, peacekeeping, social welfare, health services, Research & Development, and generally, a business-friendlier environment. More businesses would want to invest in that country, producing many jobs. More jobs means less people staying home with nothing to do but screwing their spouse and getting them wives pregnant.
More jobs may also require more women on the work force. More women working means greater pressure on couples to be more responsible parents and control their family size since the wife won’t be home to look after the kids and be forever absent at work to attend to family needs. Or they can choose to lose their jobs. But who would want that?
This is the real world, BE. The rich nations have slower pop growth because everyone is busy with their jobs. Third world countries where joblessness incidence is high are producing more babies because they have nothing else to do.
I hope you now understand.
The rich nations have slower pop growth because everyone is busy with their jobs. Third world countries where joblessness incidence is high are producing more babies because they have nothing else to do.
….It depends on the sexual appetite of an individual. I know of many who are rich and busy with their work but also have lots of children…from different women. Look at Dolphy,
Ramon Revilla Sr., Erap…aren’t rich but have lots of children?
Correction: Aren’t they rich but have lots of children?
Sometimes, one who has more money can afford to have more wives and children.
Sinabi mo pa, BE. Over here in Japan for instance, those recorded to have a dozen children and have received stipends from the government are people who have not much, but on the whole, people have less children when they are too busy to make babies. The average number of children here is two per family, achieved either naturally or artificially.
In my case, it must be more an environmental problem than something inherited or biological. I suffered infertility but had managed to have myself cured and was lucky to have one child. At least, he can continue the family line.
You have only one child, grizzy? I hope he’s not spoiled. As for continuation of family line, the only child should be a boy who carries the father’s name, right?
be, sorry but you misunderstood me. i did not say reduce in population but the increase in population will be reduced. i was also thinking of the average family and not the millionaires.
Thanks norpil. On The Level.
The only population control program I espouse is the firing squad. It is useful in preventing the spawning of new Arroyos, trapos and their ilk.