A DISTRAUGHT soul vented some concerns relating to the slow lethargic state of our Philippine Educational System.
An ancient Department of Education (DepEd) chairman, fuelled with grandeurs of posterity and leaving a chalk mark in Education history, came up with the K-12 idea which added another two years to the schooling ordeal of the Filipino student.
So, say you start Grade 1 at the age of six or seven years old; you finish Grade 6 and are about 12 to 13 years old; then on to High School and K-12; you will be 18 or 19 years old, then you proceed to earn a College degree to complete your education; you are now 22 or 23 years old; and a four-year course for your chosen profession plus another year for the oath-taking; and you start life pushing 30 years of age.
Unless, you take up Masteral or Doctorate degree to further enhance your educational attainmentā¦and usually, while studying you manage to have children, wedded or not.
After you have passed the Bar or Board Examination, it will take you about 10 years to settle down and establish your credentials to be addressed Attorney, Doctor, Engineer, Architect, General; Senior Police Officer 1, whatever; or worse, fail in your chosen field of endeavor. And most probably, havenāt paid the cost of your education.
There are likewise disturbing reports culled from collective academic records of schools that the current crop of Filipino students are poor and deficient in the standard ABCs, Reading and āRithmetic. If so, it necessarily follows, that they are further poor and deficient in the XYZs, Writing, Literature and the rest of the subjects that make up the School Curriculum — leading to the inescapable conclusion that we graduated poor, deficient students because of the poor and deficient teaching qualities of their teachers.
Teachers are ideally appointed in accord with standards of academic competence and excellence to instil the wisdom of the ages to the pupils. At the appointing table, however, the rule is whether you have political clout with the recommending Mayor, Governor, Congressman, Senator, Barangay Captain, etc., and this unwritten statute has not been repealed.
Another exasperated soul raised the issue of out-moded, out-dated, and moldy books being used as the medium of educationā¦and even quoted false historical and factual data containedā¦the difficulty of new authors to have their books accepted and compete in the narrow stream of educationā¦ and bombed the system with allegations of collusion and inequity.
The DepEd is not immune from graft. Your students are glued to the TV and cellphones listening to the quad comm investigation of the DepEd chairman and incumbent Vice President for alleged anomalous and questionable transactionsā¦if such be the direction of our Philippine educational system.
The guiding doctrine that Public Office is a Public Trust is but an empty gestureā¦.for as unravelled, time and time againā¦Public Office is Access to Public Fundsā¦and woe is the Public Official who does not make money while in Public Office.
That is the subtle mantra that hangs its pallor over every public office. We are a rich country but our economic growth is greatly hampered by graft and corruption in the government.
There should be a substantial and serious modification of the School Curriculumā¦to concentrate on the teaching of Moral Values of honesty, integrity and honor. Ingrain with utmost resolve and passionā¦the Biblical commandmentā¦Thou Shalt Not Stealā¦public or private funds. When that time comes ā I know we wonāt be around ā but I can dream, canāt I? (To be continued)/PN
