Education - a vital part of our nation's future

We are living in an age characterized by violent conflicts among opposing political, economic and moral forces. Political parties that should stand as one, united in brotherhood and ideology are divided and entangled in their personal brawls. No one is willing to step down. Everyone believes they can save this nation. Sanamagan!

It is a known fact that Philippine political parties are not based on political platforms (although they want to believe this is true), but rather on personality. Many politicians are opportunists and are only interested in using political power for personal gain or mere preservation.

When everyone has such “narcissistic” tendencies, they will all end up in a catfight and what’s worse, they will add more wounds to an already sick nation.

Our people who live in poverty need to gain an inner strength, a good education and the moral ability to rise above the corrupt and abusive ways of our politicians who take advantage of their ignorance and illiteracy. We must have the willingness and the courage as a people to follow the path taken by our national heroes, Jose Rizal and Ninoy Aquino toward social reform. We need a David who is willing to stand against Goliath, a leader of the people, not a puppet of the rich.

When we analyze and trace the root cause of the problems the country is facing today, we are confronted by a startling discovery that these tremendous conflicts, this earth-shaking struggle, are in their origins essentially of an educational nature. We are amazed to find that the eventual fate of nations is determined not on the battlefield but in the classrooms, for the former is nothing but an aftermath, a projection, of the latter.

Europe was not engulfed in its past maelstrom because there was war in Europe. There was war in Europe because the classrooms of Europe sowed the seeds of social disorder. Europe today is reaping an educational harvest. The crop had been predicted for many years. And the harvest of hate and immorality in national and international relations has, as we see it now, measured up to, and even surpassed, the predictions. It is no exaggeration to conclude that every nation is, to a considerable extent, made in the classroom.

Education in this country has, with notable exceptions, been imperfect and deficient. This is due in the first place to a lack of understanding on the part of some educators of the scope and purpose of education, and to the erroneous methods adopted to carry it out.

Unfortunately, the quality of Philippine public education is declining continuously. How can we elevate the lives of our people who should be the backbone of this nation, when our country has not made public education a priority?

Currently, the government has been sending out indirect or subtle messages about adding an extra year in college. This they say will improve the ability and skills of the students so that they can be competitive in the national and international workforce. But I really feel that the problem lies not in the number of years in school but in the educational environment: curriculum planning and teacher training. Such radical change in the structure of the educational ladder may be a serious menace to the cause of education in this country.

Many of our public schools (from the elementary to the tertiary level) especially in the provinces are failing to produce graduates with the competencies and skills needed to become efficient, productive and self-sufficient in the workforce.

Some people believe that education consists merely in the imparting of a certain amount of information, a “pounding-in” process, as it were, into a natural vacuum, the mind of the child, of digested or undigested intellectual food. They forgot that education is more a process of formation than of information. Information or knowledge will come as an incident to and a consequence of education, but education is not merely information. It should go beyond teaching about the knowledge and skills associated with understanding the environment, society and economics. It should be a catalytic process for social change that seeks to foster – through education, training and public awareness – the values, behavior and lifestyles required for a sustainable future.

We do not blame the teachers, for they only carry out the orders of their superiors, and are as much a victim of the system as are their pupils. But we would like to see that those charged with the high duty of planning and working out the system and determining the objectives of education in this country come out and clearly state them, describe their methods and technique in detail and define their policies.

Education is necessarily bound up with the life of the nation. Through earnest, systematic, coordinated and mature study of educational problems, we can help the government and the nation carry on that vital work of giving the right kind of training to our growing generations. We need an education that will serve as the foundation of our national life, the first step of our national defense, and the guarantee of enduring prosperity and the future greatness of our country.

We need to finally resolve the issues and concerns affecting our public school systems in the light of the highest and soundest educational principles. Understanding the nature and purpose of true education, be it progressive and scientific is vital. Public school directors and administrators must always keep in mind that the pure objective of our educational system is to develop the whole man: physically, intellectually and spiritually, making him a good man and consequently, a responsible citizen.

It is not my desire to unduly criticize and inconvenience any one. I may even be wrong. All that I say here is born of the sincere desire to have our educators improve our public school system to the best of their ability so that the young people and our country can benefit from it.