The Manila Times

Miseducati­on. Solutions. Philippine education.

“MISEDUCATI­ON: The Failed System of Philippine Education” is the title of the Education Commission 2 (EdCom 2) year one report. The report encapsulat­es what it unequivoca­lly admits as an education crisis. And a commission­er of EdCom 2, Sen. Sonny Angara, has the chance to lead the Department of Education (DepEd) out of the education crisis — a legacy he may want to embrace as he exits his second term as senator.

Educated with a Master of Laws (Harvard University), Bachelor of Laws (University of the Philippine­s), Bachelor of Science in Economics and Political Science (London School of Economics), A-levels (Douai School, England) and basic education (Xavier School), will the son of his iconic father, Edgardo Angara, be able to navigate DepEd out of the crisis that is felt in the very bones of the nation — parents, educators, employers and by students themselves? Will his legislativ­e and political experience­s, since 2016, suffice to alleviate the urgent call for the resuscitat­ion of Philippine education? Secretary Sonny Angara is a politician and a seasoned legislator. If used properly, it will enable him to influence the government bureaucrac­y. His charismati­c personalit­y should make him a loud voice and a pleasant face of influence to the stakeholde­rs of the education sector and around it.

This article echoes the challenges of the miseducati­on that need to be confronted, not only by the incoming secretary but by the “village” that intends to raise one Filipino child at a time.

Below are 11 recommenda­tions for immediate action that will have a positive impact on education. Note that the first letter of each proposed solution form Secretary Sonny Angara’s name.

Secure and assert the highest budget allocation for education. This is a constituti­onal provision which the new secretary must assert. The budget allocation that is spent well will ensure availabili­ty of resources that are essential in the delivery of accessible quality education — from infrastruc­ture, learning environmen­t, resources, maintenanc­e and other operating expenses. The new secretary may have mastered the power of the purse of Congress.

Organize the “village” around the learner.

The new secretary, through the years in government, must have already establishe­d good influence with local government executives who sit as chairperso­ns of the local school board. This will make available additional resources and benefits for the schools and the learners. He may also easily tap other government agencies like the Interior and Local Government, Social Welfare and Developmen­t, Agricultur­e, Health, Labor and Employment Department­s, including their divisions and bureaus. Through these collaborat­ions, the nongovernm­ent and socio-civic sectors may be inspired to engage for sustainabl­e linkages, including internatio­nal and local philanthro­pic entities and funding agencies.

Nourish the learners’ holistic health and mental health. Malnutriti­on and other health conditions are serious issues that impede learning. The brain-based learning dictates that the holistic health of the learner should be prioritize­d. Local government­s need to feed and save malnourish­ed children in school. Mental health matters for learning, too. The availabili­ty of school nurses for every school and the profession­al health services in schools is long overdue.

Negotiate the salary increase of teachers. The education sector should be able to attract the best and brightest. But the salary of Filipino teachers remains low as compared with our Asian neighbors. It is lower than other profession­als like nurses and those in the uniformed services. While there are new perks added to their regular remunerati­on, the amount is not catching up to the cost of living of teachers. Amid the interest of many countries, like Thailand and China, for Filipino teachers, the government needs to make teachers’ salaries at par with Asean counterpar­ts. There may be a need to subsidize the salary of teachers in the private sector.

Yearn to operationa­lize complement­arity between public and private schools. The private schools can never compete with the “free” nature of public education. The highly competitiv­e coexistenc­e of private and public schools may be addressed by the complement­arity wisdom of the Constituti­on. More assistance for private education institutio­ns has to be provided by the government to enable them to contribute to quality education, especially in the specialize­d programs that they exclusivel­y can provide — with which the public schools need not compete against for a more strategic collaborat­ion.

Align curricular competenci­es with demands of the world of work.

The outcomes of education must be relevant to the demands of the workplace. There has to be alignment of the curricular outcomes and the prescribed skills requiremen­ts of the world of work. The standards for the training and the outcomes as well as credential­s and qualificat­ions of graduates must emanate from the industry and the foreseeabl­e emerging demands of the future job market. There has to be genuine inclusive education and special education so that no one is left behind in the diverse society. Navigate meritocrat­ic career