I jump-out from my bed today thinking about the state of Philippine Education. It almost makes me high-blood and red-faced (maybe a slang sentence to say). Let me put in your face some numbers first, here it goes…
(Data from the Department of Education (DepEd) SY 2013-2014)
PUBLIC school in numbers:
1,784,992 students will be in kindergarten,
13,306,661 in elementary
5,719,128 in high school.
= 20,810,781 students
PRIVATE school in numbers:
428,981 will be in kindergarten,
1,216,692 in elementary level, and
1,408,347 in high schools.
=3,054,020 students
GRAND TOTAL= 23.8 million*(approximate)
Higher Education Institutions in numbers:
2.6Million* (approx.). Mostly, Privately-controlled.
DepED Secretary said… all backlogs (numbers of classrooms, teachers, chairs, textbooks etc) will be solved this year 2013. LET ME REPEAT THAT, 2013. You mean this SCHOOL YEAR, okay. Write that on the books, we will remind you when the deadline ticks and clicks! And also, we started implementing K+12. We promised honey, lemons and milk in the land by implementing it. I have yet to see it, am hopeful.
Please don’t give our students high blood and high-tuition fee to pay! And please don’t keep on telling us this and not do your part. You are reading this right? Yes, you – the people. Please, give us hope.
Important questions that need your thoughts:
1. When can we start pouring “reasonable” budget in our education (6%+ of National Budget)? Currently appropriated, around 2 point something %. Why and why not?
2. Do we honestly believe our teachers are important? Can we treat them right, give them tools and empowerment (and yes please increase their pay)?
3. Do we honestly believer our kids (ages 0-17) is the hope of the future? Why not give them an investment, education and treatment they don’t only deserved BUT needed.
4. How about our 2.6 Million students in colleges/universities (ages 17-25), what are we doing right, and maybe wrong? We are not JUST asking for money/budget/alms , we are asking to give value to those who will shape our future. What do you think?
5. And hey you precious students, why again you have a boyfriend-girlfriend thingy? Shut-up and break-up. Keep calm and study hard. Give yourself a favor… Keep calm and study hard.
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The State of Philippine Education: First Day High (blood?)
@micuniversity 