Eradicating poverty with ESD in the Duterte administration

Are we getting things done in the Philippines? Are we on our way to eradicating poverty within the Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (DESD)?

How much of the 2000-2015 UN Millennium Development Goal (UNMDG) has the Philippines met? There are eight UNMD Goals: (1) Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger; (2) Achieve universal primary education; (3) Promote gender equality and empower women; (4) Reduce child mortality; (5) Improve maternal health; (6) Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases; (7) Ensure environmental sustainability; (8) Global partnership for development. The UNESCO’s deadline to eradicate poverty was 2015. But by 2025 one or more decade after, UNESCO can change the world forever. The key is not to predict what will happen but to HELP SHAPE THE FUTURE – and we believe President Rodrigo Duterte is determined to do that.

UNESCO’s crosscutting theme is the “eradication of poverty through quality education.” UNESCO was tasked to be the implementor by the United Nations of Education for All for Sustainable Development (EFA-ESD). At the same time, it raised the banner of the 21st Century Education and its four pillars to develop the “Treasures Within Man,” his ability to be self-sufficient. We must understand that within a newly born infant is his built-in capacity of self-sustainability per stages of development until adulthood.

Pillar 1 (birth to 6 years) – Learning to Be. There is a secret teacher within the child – his “Absorbent Mind.” His “secret teacher” lets him answer the “call to independence” in speech and movement. This is evidenced by the ease in speaking any European language of Filipino babies of OFWs born in Europe. Pillar II (6 to 12 years) – Learning to Learn. What conventional education has failed to do, the Montessori system has succeeded in doing. This century-old educational system has harnessed the grade school children’s enormous reasoning power and sense of morality so he can already do Geometry, Algebra and intro to Trigonometry in the Intermediate Grade level. Pillar III (12-18 years) – Learning to Work. Teenagers naturally seek economic independence. Note how European and Australian easily get employed finishing courses in technical professional high schools. Pillar IV (18-24 years) – Learning to Live in Harmony. This can be a reality for the whole country with economic progress. Self-sufficiency brings peace. Our K-12 school program properly implemented can quickly provide occupational skills that could readily employ young or older adults.

How can the newly elected congressmen and senators reduce poverty

What “performance indicators” should we use in the Philippines? Let us look back to the 1990 Education Commission (EDCOM) survey of Philippine schools initiated by the Senate and Congress. It revealed the following weaknesses: (1) alarming dropout rate of first graders in the middle of the school year; (2) irrelevant Basic Education curriculum, which results in sub-standard teacher training; (3) no more principalship; and (4) lack of monitoring and evaluation of schools since our 1946 independence.

The performance indicators measure that must be considered: (a) Stakeholders must take time to learn about the different types of indicators available for assessing progress; (b) Relevant and meaningful development of ESD indicators require indicators to be developed collaboratively and in line with national ESD goals and priorities; (c) Developing national ESD indicator goes hand in hand with the data collection process.

USAID’s Results Framework and Indicators

To understand the complex system of measuring success using performance indicators, let us see the USAID “Results Framework and Indicators used for the Access to Quality Education and Livelihood Skills increased in selected areas most affected by poverty and conflict in Mindanao project.”

Strategic Objectives (SO): Increased access to quality education and livelihood skills in selected areas, particularly those most affected by conflict and poverty.

SO Indicator 1: Number of students who transition from Grade 3 to Grade 4 Timeframe of Performance Indicator Values: Target for 2005 = 2,000; 2006 = 3,000; 2007 = 6,000; 2008 = 8,000; 2009 = 10,000 - - - 2016 to 2022 to be continued by the Duterte government.

Intermediate Result 1: Increased access to learning opportunities

Indicators: Number of students enrolled in primary and secondary schools, as well as in alternative learning programs; number of learners who completed the alternative learning programs; Number of learners awarded accreditation/equivalency credentials for formal schooling.

Timeframe of Performance Indicator Values: Target for 2005 = 200,000; 2006 = 239,000; 2007 = 50,000; 2008 = 60,000; 2009 = 70,000 ­— 2016 to 2022 care of Duterte’s governance.

Intermediate Result 2: Improved instruction quality

Indicators: Cohort survival rate of primary students; Number of students passing the cut-off achievement scores in English, Science and Mathematics; percentage increase in achievement scores of students in English, Science and Mathematics.

IR 2.1 Enhanced Teaching Capacity in English, Science and Math: Number of primary teachers/secondary teachers/alternative learning program teachers/facilitators trained, including Madrasah teachers.

Timeframe of Performance Indicator Values: 2005 = 39%; 2006 = 44%; 2007 = 49%; 2008 = 54%; 2009 = 59% - - - 2016 to 2022 care of the Duterte administration

Strategic Objective (SO) 2: Increased livelihood skills in selected areas

SO Indicator 2: Number of out-of-school youth in livelihood skills and found jobs

Performance Indicator Values: 2005 = 1,000; 2006 = 1,500; 2007 = 2,000; 2008 = 2,000; 2009 = 2,000 - - - 2016 to 2022 care of the Duterte administration

Intermediate Result 3: Out-of-School Youth (OSY) reintegrated

Indicators: Number of out-of-school youth trained in livelihood skills/technical-vocational programs.

IR 3.1 Enhanced Employment Opportunities: Number of businesses or institutions supporting employment/self-employment of OSY

Performance Indicator Values: 2005 = 1,000; 2006 = 3,000; 2007 = 5,000; 2008 = 5,000; 2008 = 5,000; 2009 = 5,000 - - - 2016 to 2022 care of the Duterte administration

Intermediate Result 4: Improved education sector policies and strengthened capacity for implementation

Indicators: Key education sector policies and guidelines implemented; Number of PTCAs, LSBs and LGUs participating in training/mobilizing communities/advocating for education reform.

IR 4.1 Increased Institutional Support: percentage increase in budget allocation to education; Number of schools with active parent-teacher-community associations (PTCAs); Number of school managers trained. Data Analysis: Consolidated data is submitted by the institutional contractor to the Office of Education to be analyzed and summarized.

Investing in the ‘hidden treasures’ of Filipino youth

“The Kingdom of God is like a treasure hidden in a field. The man who finds it hides it and so content, sells everything he has and buys the field.” (Matthew 13:44)

We were off to a good start in 2007 when the Department of Education (Dep-Ed) invested in the SEA-LLSD (Southeast Asia Lifelong Learning for Sustainable Development) Pagsasarili training for 50 public school teachers in 25 sites of Luzon, particularly in Ifugao, Cagayan, Isabela, La Union, Pangasinan, Zambales, Bataan, Cavite, Antipolo, Pililla, Binangonan, Marinduque, Romblom, Palawan, Oriental and Occidental Mindoro. It has also invested in the training of Home Economics and Agriculture teachers to make high school students upgrade their skills in small enterprises in food and horticulture businesses. Unfortunately DepEd did not provide items for the trained teachers so that by 2007-2010 four were impaired after transferring the teachers to grade school and eventually the other 19 were abandoned without informing the SEA CLLSD Foundation so that the Montessori materials suitable for the whole primary grades could have been used by the teachers. Only the Concepcion South Elementary School in Tarlac remains. Initially funded by former DepEd Sec. Jesli Lapus, it has six financially sustainable sessions fully supported by the parents of the high achieving students.

UNESCO approves Philippines as the SEA-CLLSD

To get the Philippines approved as the Southeast Asian Center for Lifelong Learning for Sustainable Development, exchange visits were made by me with my UNESCO commissioners Dr. Nona Ricafort and Dr. Ethel Valenzuela, CLLSD TWG Chair, to each of ten ASEAN countries between 2005-2010. Then each ASEAN Secretary-General also presented their various agency directors of Teacher Training, ECE, Basic Education, Non- Formal Education and Tech-Voc Education. The ASEAN secretaries general and their deputy secretaries also took part in workshops, consultations, and ESD mapping exercises witnessing the much sought after ESD teacher training and curriculum for Basic Education in the SEA-CLLSD National Laboratory of the OB Montessori Center as designated in Executive Order 483 by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo on December 27, 2005 with the consensus of her cabinet members.

Director General Koichiro Matsuura accepted the Philippine nomination as the SEA-LLSD Category 2 Center under the auspices of UNESCO as approved by the 35th General Conference in October 2009. The Paris Executive Board expects the Philippine government to continue fully supporting the Center.

‘Parang anak mayaman’ (feeling rich)

Like a light in the darkness of an obscure kindergarten (K) education program Congresswoman Vilma Santos-Recto, faithfully converted 126 Day-Care Centers to self-supporting Pagsasarili preschools for eight long years since she was mayor of Lipa and eventually Batangas governor. This project has been fully supported by parents most of whom believe that the minimum monthly tuition fee of P200 is nothing for their 3 to 6 year children could acquire the competence of third graders. As one lola (grandmother) said, “Ang galing galing ng apo ko sa lahat ng kanyang aralin. Ayos na ayos magbihis. Nag-iingles pa. Parang anak mayaman!” (My grandchild looks wonderful, excels in all her studies and what more . . . speaks English. Just like a rich child!)

If Congresswoman Vilma Recto could do it why can’t the other mayors and governors do it too. It’s the most effective way to make K to 12 work. It’s the only way to make the Philippines tread the pathway of lifelong learning for sustainable development.

We hope that the Senate and Congress can put a line budget every year to provide for quality education programs using the affordable Montessori Pagsasarili system to inject quality in education for sustainable development for all.

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