Wednesday, March 17, 2010

THE TRAGEDY OF EDUCATIONAL STRATIFICATION IN THE PHILIPPINES

There are many Filipinos who take education as their course in college. Many schools of higher education offer it as one of its majors. Even the newly established ones are offering the education course, peddling it as if it is so easy to train or produce good teachers. Why is it that many teachers are needed in the country? Why are so many schools offering education degrees mushrooming?


The population of the country is burgeoning. It is one of the fastest growing populations in the world. The government has failed to curb it because of a vocal church that is against family planning methods such as the use of contraceptives – plus the fact that government programs normally and traditionally go nowhere because of, what else but, corruption. But even then, the predominantly Catholic country is populated with Catholic Christians who do not necessarily follow church teachings when it comes to planning the family. All these result in poverty as having many children in an underdeveloped setting means more mouths to feed.


It has been a worldwide sociological phenomenon that in poor countries, those coming from the lower classes usually have more children than their richer counterparts. One theory is that they need more hands to feed the whole family, as in the feudal setting of rural areas or in squatter colonies of urban centers. But the other view is that poverty leads to lack of education, and lack of education leads to ignorance regarding the socio-economic consequences of having more children. The opposite is also noticeable: those belonging to the upper strata of society have less number of children. The theory posed is that the richer couples are busier with economic activities, and that their being more educated makes them plan their family with economic, health, and educational priorities in mind, not to mention individualistic or social pursuits such as acquiring skills in certain arts or traveling, respectively.

With the rising population of the Philippines, the country is unable to effectively absorb people in its workforce. Thus, the government since the time of President Ferdinand Marcos up to the present has made it official state policy to export labor. The waves during the 1970s included engineers and manual laborers sent to the Middle East. Later, this was followed by doctors and more manual laborers during the 1980s, not only in Arab countries but also in the United States. During the 1990s, Filipino entertainers went to Japan and other Asian countries. At the turn of the century, Filipino nurses and other health workers began to invade Western Europe and other countries of North America. All throughout these periods, Filipino seafarers have dominated shipping, providing cheap labor to the biggest shipping companies of the world. All these mean that both manual laborers and professionals were able to send their hard-earned money to their relatives in the Philippines. This also meant greater access to education, not only in public but phenomenally also in private schools, for those belonging to the lower classes of Philippine society.

The combined factors of population growth and the entry of dollars sent by Overseas Filipino Workers assured not only the survival but also the proliferation of educational institutions in the country. During the beginning until the half of the 20th century, the whole educational system developed under the rubric of the public school v. private school dichotomy. The public school system built by the United States during its colonization of the country was typified by quality that can be availed of by the ordinary Filipinos. But the system having been transferred into the hands of the Filipinos, especially after the Second World War, the quality of the system has deteriorated. In the meantime, the exclusive schools where the rich children enroll have improved relative to the public school system. The trend of the poor going to the public, and the rich going to the private schools, therefore, continued but with a twist: those who are not rich but can somehow afford to pay tuition because of OFW money started to prefer to send their children to private schools.

The private school system was initially dominated by Catholic educational institutions. Eventually, however, rich families started putting up their own private schools. As the population increases and demands from the lower and lower middle classes for quality but cheap education heightened, the Catholic schools have started to offer places in school at a cheaper rate, but with more students per classroom. There are only very few Catholic schools that have maintained its quality as supported by extremely high tuition. Meanwhile, large privately owned non-sectarian schools started to compete for the lower-income population. Thus, following the model of many Catholic schools offering classes at affordable rates, these non-sectarian private schools have increased also their class sizes to recoup their investments.

In the end, the country is now faced not only with the traditional dichotomy as to public and private ownership. More pronounced now, and very disturbing at that, is the dichotomy as to quality orientation v. the lack of quality among schools. Many Catholic educational institutions have become commercialized, too, together with huge privately-owned non-sectarian schools. Thus, their quality deteriorated along the way. In the meantime, the continuous neglect of various post-war administrations assured that the public school systems can no longer be mistaken to be the same quality-oriented public school system established by the Americans. The whole educational system, therefore, is now dominated by weak educational institutions. Quality schools are more of an exception, both in public and in private schools. In the public sector, only the Science High Schools and a handful of state colleges and universities can be considered excellent. In the private sector, only a handful, too, of Catholic schools and non-sectarian private schools are quality-oriented.


In the meantime, the forces for lack of quality continue to pressure the whole educational system: the escalating population; the aspiration of Overseas Filipino Workers remitting dollars to the country to provide their children with education; and the lack of real government action to solve the lack of funding, low quality of teachers, and lack of classrooms. Now, it has become a cycle: the lack of quality produces even more lack of quality. The remaining quality institutions have become, on the other hand, more elitist as the pressure to support quality rests on higher tuition and strict implementation of admissions policies to weed out students who are ill-trained in the earlier years of their education.


What has been happening in Philippine education is a tragedy. Needless to say, mainly the rich are able to get quality education, and only very few poor students from the Science High Schools are produced yearly. With this current educational systemic reality in place, one wonders if there will be real hope for the majority of the Filipinos.





Prof. Rolando S. Dela Cruz

16 March 2010, 1:06 am

16 comments:

  1. I agree that our population is growing fast and I am also against family planning methods such as the use of contraceptives. In my opinion, if only filipinos are disciplined enough not to have sex knowing that it will affect the population growth and that they can't give their children proper education, i think we will have a better country. I believe that EVERY leader MUST think of HIS/HER area of reponsibility first, before thinking of HIS/HER own self, so i say NO to CORRUPTION.

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  2. In response to the first comment:

    Although contraception and corruption are controversial, and that they are contributors to the stratification problem, they are not the focusing points of this essay. This essay focuses more on the educational stratification itself, which many a person, including even those from the best schools, had not realized was (and still is) existing.

    What this essay is trying to point is the fact that our education has been lagging behind exponentially, and that our country's educational system in general has been producing so much incompetent individuals that these incompetent individuals, when they go teaching (molded by an incompetent education course from just any school, that is), they pass on their incompetency to students, which in turn make these students unable to qualify to schools that offer true quality education (like the Science HS's for the public, and select number in private), because those quality institutions only chose those who had sufficient (and more than enough) backgrounds.

    Since most poor children are ill-prepared due to lack of proper education, they then can't avail of the quality education offered even by the tuition-free Science High Schools.

    I mean, for example, I'm sure there are poor children whose IQ's are above average, and that they have the potentials to do well at advanced maths or sciences, and could make it to the Science High Schools given a sufficient background; but since these poor children had little or no training in preparation for these subjects, they would not be able to make it to the Science High Schools, even though their IQ's are well-suited for it, which in turn leaves them with no choice but to attend schools that are not good, so to speak. They then eventually lead mediocre lives, and that this cycle repeats throughout the Filipino generations over and over again.

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  3. Prof Rollie, I feel very disturbed about the problem of the Philippines concerning that of the differences in the quality of education in both government and private schools. I believe that everyone should be given the right to be equally educated regardless of his/her position in his/her nation state. For when a nation is well-educated, there is no purpose for the presence of indigence and mediocrity.

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  4. I strongly believe that we, Filipinos, should not be hopeless about our situation. I know that each one of us wanted to change the Philippines, but did you know that it is also important to change ourselves? To change a country is not easy but to change ourselves is something that we can easily do if we want to. Doing so is already a great contribution. What Philippines need is change for progress to come. And change, I believe, starts with us.
    - maria maureen ablen

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  5. Our population is tremendously growing which when taken for granted can lead to cataclysm. In my opinion, we should change our educational system to be able to yield quality educated schools so that Filipinos can have a vivid image on how can they amend our society. i also believe that we should not allow corruption and lack of discipline to hinder us from being a RENAISSANCE country.

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  6. I think that the Filipinos really need to have family planning. I know that some Filipinos do not agree in family planning. However, if they will not know how to control themselves, they MUST undergo family planning. They must think that the thing that they’re doing is not for fun. The future of their children depends on them. And another thing, because of the very large population of the Philippines, the value of education became poorer. We don’t have enough resources for the millions of students wanting education that’s why Filipinos must be disciplined. I am glad that Prof Rollie wrote this blog because this statement can really open the minds of people who lack knowledge about the things happening in the Philippines. ~ kester

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  7. ... what i'm trying to say is that if filipinos from the lower class stop from giving birth to a new individual knowing that they can't send their children to quality-oriented schools, then non-educated filipinos will be lessen. If government officials are not corrupt, then public schools will be able to give quality education for free. If every individual goes to a quality-oriented school, then he will have the opportunity to be in a good university. If ever they will get into college and take education as their course, when they start teaching they can make the student be prepared or be qualified for their chosen university. But in my opinion, even if teachers are great and they call themselves the greatest teacher ever, if students are not willing to learn, then efforts of the teachers, of the school, and of the paretns of the student will be wasted.

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  8. Yes, it is a fact that the education system in our country is gradually declining due to several factors. But, personally, I think the students themselves must do their roles as students as well. Because, without their eagerness, hunger, and initiative to learn, I don't think that even high standard schools will succeed in bringing forth erudite learners.
    -Abigail L. Palad

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  9. I am for this article for it reveals the major aspects of decomposition of the quality of education. I believed that the statements here would be the elucidation for us to realize and see the lapses of society and eventually the remedies that once became invisible to our thoughts and actions. This article would be the prospect and the stimulus of youth and future generations to change “tragedy” into “success and progression”.
    - Carmela Joy V. Reyes

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  10. the Philippines is now facing an education breakdown and, in my opinion, the reason behind that fact is due to our unequipped educators here in our country. and because of that reason, i believed that the quality of education being handed by the educators - who may be the fruit of not-so-good education - is getting worst every time they handed it. and we all know that it will really do no good to us.
    -carla

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  11. In my opinion, I think that it is corruption that stops the Philippines from improving. I agree with what this article tells us because it is the truth. If we could stop corruption, there will be a great improvement in our country.
    -John Matthew P. Medina

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  12. @blood.hound_08

    Indeed, you are right that people, especially those in the lower class, should minimize their births and have family planning. You are also right about the effects of the government's corruption. But this is where another problem starts: The government failed to prioritize what ought to be prioritized for the betterment of our nation.

    As for the apathy or lack of interest about education on the poor children's part, it can almost be blamed (for the lack of better word) to the uneducated background they grew up in, especially if their parents are the types who make more children in order to gain more workers for the family, which is reminiscent of those who live in informal settlements (aka squatters).

    But, indeed, if the parents and the teachers are already exerting effort for the child to learn and still doesn't, then perhaps they should mingle the child with those children who are interested. That way, the apathetic child learns to care. Sort of like a contagion of curiosity or something. Haha. :)

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  13. Education is the foundation of our great future. In my opinion, all schools, regardless whether public or private, should have high quality of education in order for the students to have high quality of learning. I think that the government should not be corrupt and just help public schools, especially in those poor rural areas, to improve their institution for a better education. -Vinna Mae-

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  14. The educational system in the Philippines is deteriorating in such a speedy rate. I believe that the deterioration is induced by many factors, such as the people’s lack of discipline, laxity in the search for knowledge, lack of care and concern for the country’s and the later generations’ future, and the government officials’ corruption. Once the government officials come clean, once the people teach themselves discipline, once the people feel the drive to search for new knowledge, and once the people start to care for the country and the people of this generation and tomorrow’s, change will initiate, the educational system will improve, and progress will come to the Philippines.
    -- Hesus Angelo N. Buluran

    (I do not have any of the accepted profiles and I am quite sure my mom would not allow me to create another account so I used Abigail L. Palad’s account, with her permission, of course. Special thanks to Ms. Palad.)

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  15. YES, students who are not interested in studying must mingle with those students who are interested. I agree that a student must be surrounded by other students who are interested in learning because I believe that a student's personality is depended on his/her surroundings or people around him/her. A student must also have goals in life and inspiration to achieve those goals. ^_^
    As what prof. Rollie told us, "dream big, mangangarap ka lang din naman, lakihan mo na"

    ... I pity those children who work for their parents, those children who beg for money. T_T

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  16. @blood.hound_08

    I've been seeing a lot of such children too, be here in Metro Manila or back there in Bulacan. Some parents' excuse for giving birth to many children is that more children means more beggers/ workers, thus more money for them to get. :(

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