Issues in Education

EDUCATION
ISSUES IN EDUCATION
7 Key Issues And Problems Of
Philippine Education
Across the years our educational system has been
rocked by controversies which have remained
unabated up to this day. Amidst the welter of issues,
two of them have managed to stand out in
importance: quality and relevance. The major
difficulty in education in the Philippines is the short-
sighted policy of sacrificing the quality and quantity
of education for reasons of economy.
The key issues and problems in Philippine
education which need further debate and
depth analysis as well as immediate
resolution include the following:
1. Deteriorating quality of education
It is uncommon to hear college teachers decry the quality of

students that come to them. They lament the students’
inability to construct a correct sentence, much less a
paragraph. Private schools have been assailed as profit-
making institutions turning out half-baked graduates who
later become part of the nation’s educated unemployed. All
these are indications of the poor quality of education.
2. Colonial, feudal, imperial, commercial, and elitist
orientation in Philippine education
A rather sweeping indictment is that the Philippine

educational system has been and still is basically American in
orientation and objectives. Even now, despite years of
independence, our educational system has not succeeded in
eliminating the chronic colonial mentality which abounds like
a mental blight within or without the academe. At present,
quality education is financial-capacity based, making higher
education more of a privilege rather than a right.
3. Shortage of school buildings, textbooks and equipment
Since 1960, elementary enrolment has been expanding at the rapid rate
of 4% a year owing to increase in the number of children and in the
enrolment ratio.
The shortages of classrooms and textbooks are particularly severe. The
nationwide classroom shortage is estimated to be 40,000 and the DECS
(now DepEd) operates two shifts in many schools. The textbook problem
is even more serious. A survey done in preparation for a World Bank
education loan found that the pupil-textbook ration in the public
elementary schools is 10:1 and 79% of the textbooks are more than 5
years old. This situation has persisted for many years.
4. Overworked and underpaid teaching staff
Teaching has often been referred to as the “most notable of

all professions.” To many teachers, however, the noble image
of their profession has been transformed into an illusion.
Over the last three decades, we have come to think of the
Filipino teachers as overworked and underpaid professionals.
5. Bilingual policy and the problem of a national language
The bilingual policy in education aims to develop a Filipino who is

proficient in both English and Filipino. For the past 20 years, since the
DECS adopted the bilingual policy, Tagalog-based Pilipino has been used
to teach over half of the subjects in the elementary and secondary
curriculum of both public and private schools. Mathematics and the
natural sciences continue to be taught in English. Despite the findings of
6. Mismatch
The major problem of the tertiary level is the large proportion of the so
called “mismatch” between training and actual jobs, as well as the
existence of a large group of educated unemployed or underemployed.
The literature points out that this could be the result of a rational
response to a dual labor market where one sector is import-substituting
and highly-protected with low wages. Graduates may choose to “wait it
out” until a job opportunity in the high paying sector comes.
7. Globalization issue in education
It is in the educational sector where the concept of

globalization is further refined and disseminated. It comes in
varied forms as “global competitiveness,” “the information
highway,” “the Third Wave Theory,” “post modern society,”
“the end of history,” and “borderless economy.”
Top 5 problems and issues in Ph
educatinal system
1. GRAFT AND CORRUPTION
HE CITED EVELYN CHUA'S BOOK ENTITLED "ROBBED" BY PHILIPPINE

CENTER FOR INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM (PCIJ) TELLING HOW THE
CORRUPTION IS GETTING WORSE IN THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION (DEPED).
HE SAID THAT LEEWAYS FOR CORRUPTION IN THE AGENCY ARE THROUGH
BOOKS AND TEACHERS' SALARIES. THE BOOKS, HE POINTED OUT, ALSO HAS A
LOT OF PROBLEMS SUCH AS WRONG INFORMATION AND TYPOGRAPHICAL
ERRORS. "THE BACK PROBLEM IS CORRUPTION. EVEN THE SALARIES OF THE
TEACHERS ARE BEING CORRUPTED".
2. REALITY IN THE PHILIPPINE BUDGET
EDUCATION AS A SECOND PRIORITY IS THE TOP PROBLEM IN THE

EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM. EVEN THOUGH THE 1987 PHILIPPINE
CONSTITUTION ARTICLE XIV SECTION 5 (5) STATES THAT " THE STATE
SHALL ASSIGN THE HIGHEST BUDGETARY PRIORITY TO EDUCATION AND
ENSURE THAT TEACHING WILL ATTRACT AND RETAIN ITS RIGHTFUL
SHARE OF BEST AVAILABLE TALENTS THROUGH ADEQUATE
REMUNERATION AND OTHER MEANS OF JOB SATISFACTION AND
FULFILLMENT," IN REALITY, MOST OF THE BUDGET OF THE GOVERNMENT
GOES TO THE PAYMENT OF DEBT.
3. LOW OF SALARY ON THE TEACHING WORKFORCE
THE LOW OF SALARY FOR THE TEACHERS "DEMORALIZES" THEM.

"IF YOU WANT THE BEST MINDS TO TEACH, YOU MUST GIVE GOOD SALARY
TO THEM. " EVEN THOUGH PRESIDENT BENIGNO AQUINO III SAID THAT
THERE ARE NO BUDGET TO RAISE THE SALARIES OF THE TEACHER,
SALGADO SAID THERE ARE ADEQUATE FUNDS BUT THAT THERE IS
MISAPPROPRIATION LIKE THE P10 BILLION PRIORITY DEVELOPMENT
ASSISTANCE FUND (PDAF) CONTROVERSY. "WE DO NOT HAVE MUCH
MONEY IN THE WORLD, BUT IT COULD BE DONE BY THE GOVERNMENT,"
HE SAID ABOUT RAISING THE SALARIES.
4. TUITION AND OTHER FEES INCREASE
HE POINTED OUT THAT THERE IS A PROBLEM ON THE

COMMERCIALIZATION OF EDUCATION THROUGH THE
CONTINUING INCREASE OF TUITION AND EDUCATION
BECOMING MORE EXPENSIVE. HE CONCEDES THAT PRIVATE
SCHOOL RAISING THEIR FEES IS JUSTIFIABLE BUT THE
QUESTION LIES NOW ON THE JUSTIFICATION AND
APPROPRIATION OF THE FEES COLLECTED.
5. BULLYING
STUDENT RIGHT VIOLATIONS, HOWEVER, DEPEND ON THE STRICTNESS OF A

SCHOOLS DIVISION OF THE STUDENT AFFAIRS, HOW TIGHT THEY ARE IN SCREENING AND
COMPOSING A STUDENT ORGANIZATION. THE PROBLEM ON BULLYING, FOR HIM, ALSO
LIES ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE LAW IN SCHOOLS. "IF SCHOOLS CAN'T
IMPLEMENT IT, THERE IS SOMETHING WRONG WITH THE SCHOOLS, HE SAID". IT WOULD
BE GOOD IF THE SCHOOL WILL INSTANCE CLOSE CIRCUIT TELEVISION (CCTV) CAMERAS
IN THEIR AREAS TO MONITOR THE ACTIVITY OF THE STUDENTS. TEACHERS MUST ALSO
BE TRAINED TO HANDLE BULLYING. "THE LAW IS THERE, BUT THE LAW IS GOOD AS
THOSE WHO IMPLEMENT IT".

Issues in Education

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Issues in Education

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Issues in Education

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

EDUCATION

It is uncommon to hear college teachers decry the quality of

A rather sweeping indictment is that the Philippine

Teaching has often been referred to as the “most notable of

The bilingual policy in education aims to develop a Filipino who is

It is in the educational sector where the concept of

HE CITED EVELYN CHUA'S BOOK ENTITLED "ROBBED" BY PHILIPPINE

EDUCATION AS A SECOND PRIORITY IS THE TOP PROBLEM IN THE

THE LOW OF SALARY FOR THE TEACHERS "DEMORALIZES" THEM.

HE POINTED OUT THAT THERE IS A PROBLEM ON THE

STUDENT RIGHT VIOLATIONS, HOWEVER, DEPEND ON THE STRICTNESS OF A

You might also like