FOR A VERY long time, the majority of parents believed in the inherent worth of education. Teachers and parents worked together to try to provide quality education for students.
I believe, however, that COVID-19 has generated, for a significant number of students, a sea-change which has caused a reappraisal which needs to be considered by all of us.
President Duterte implemented a policy of keeping schools closed during COVID until a vaccine became available. We cannot establish the erroneousness of Duterte’s policy. To force students to attend school when there was a reasonable chance that students could fall foul of COVID is unacceptable.
Compulsory education, at least up to and including Grade 6, has Constitutional support.
Article XIV Section 2 (2) states: – ‘The State shall establish and maintain a system of free public education in the elementary and high school levels. Without limiting the natural right of parents to rear their children, elementary education is compulsory for all children of school age’.
Agreed.
Many Filipinos value education because it increases the chance of employability. In turn, education is perceived to be a way out of poverty.
For the many who have not been able to complete the level of education that they would like to attain, the Alternative Learning System (ALS) explicitly provides a ‘second chance’. I believe that, due to COVID, ALS, always important, becomes even more significant. Advantage should be taken of the fact that those who enroll for ALS classes are usually serious students. It is appropriate for such students to have realizable goals which would encourage persistent participation. Specifically, students who have persevered in a sustained manner should be able to take the National Achievement Test (NAT) and, if shown to have achieved the requisite standard, be awarded a High School equivalency diploma.
Employers should be able to recognize such an ALS achievement to provide compatible employment for suitable students.
Many countries encourage a ‘day-release’ policy as a means of helping students who left school early to become more employable. There are many Filipinos who would benefit from such a scheme.
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As a Nation, we have become more sensitive to the results of United Nations and World Bank surveys which show that the Philippines ranks behind many other countries in terms of skills that are necessary to prosper in the world of work.
We should take these surveys seriously and cause our education system to be globally competitive.
We have a long way to go but, with a positive outlook, can make rapid strides to increase standards./PN
