Other youth also complained of the perceived incompetency of their teachers. Participants from Region 6 cited the experience of HRM students in their area, “Students are trained to become waiters rather than to become professionals. ” They added, “Schools do not teach us to become self-reliant.” This, and a host of other problems, has greatly contributed to the decline in the quality of education. This has prompted In-School Youth from various regions to become frustrated with what they call the system of “miseducation” in the country.
The decline in quality is also evidenced by poor results in standardized examinations like NEAT, NSAT and professional examinations. In SY 1999-2000 the actual achievement level for NEAT was 49.19 (versus target of 52.58) and for NSAT 53.34 as against target of 48.62. For higher education, the average passing percentage in national board exams was 44.38, which fell short of the government target of 50. (NEDA, April 2001) Unfortunately, there is a dearth of statistics that can provide a clearer and comprehensive picture of the state of higher education.
Other than accessibility and quality, students must see the relevance and applicability of education in their everyday lives, so that they will be motivated to remain in school. This is especially true for poor families and indigenous and/or non-Christian communities. Unfortunately, the curriculum development policy largely takes on a “one-size-fits-all” approach.
This gap in policy has been deeply felt by the youth. Participants in the Youth Summit in Region 2 articulated their need for more skills and livelihood training in schools. For them, education is their only hope for a better future, so it is imperative that education should be improved, and geared towards the real lives of the students. Region 1 participants share the same sentiment. For them, education should become more relevant to their needs.
These same concerns were echoed by other participants in different provinces. In-School Youth from Region 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, CAR and CARAGA complained of the degradation of education, the irrelevant curriculum, and insufficient facilities and classrooms.
These problems in the education sector have devastating and far-reaching effects in the lives of the youth. Education equips the youth with the necessary skills and weapons to enable them to live their lives to their fullest potentials. But as the results of the Regional Youth Summits show, the youth are molded by a program of inaccessible education that is highly expensive and of poor quality. Philippine education if not improved upon in the immediate future, could be one of the biggest, if not the biggest, threat to our youth’s development.
Below is a table of education issues manifested by the youth in different regions:
EDUCATION REGIONS AFFECTED
Curriculum not suited for students / irrelevant 1, 3, 5, 6, 8, 9, 11, NCR
Education not accessible (formal/non-formal) esp. in rural areas 1, 3, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, CAR
Education cannot cope with demand of info technology 1, 3, 5, 6, 8, 10, NCR
High tuition fees / expensive tuition 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, NCR
Lack of competent teachers 2, 4, 11
Lack of education programs for Youth with Special Needs 3, 10, 11, NCR
Laziness of teachers / supervisors seldom visit the school 3, 9
Low achievement in NSAT 6,
Low budget for education 5, NCR
Many students drop out of classes 6, 8, 10, 12, CAR
Most children cannot go to college level 6
No system of education/lack of consistency in school policy 2, 6, 8
Only first class provinces have good colleges/schools 6,
Poor learning capacity of students 6, 12
Poor quality of education / low standard 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 12, CARAGA, NCR
Poor ventilation in classrooms especially gov't schools 2, 3
Scholarships given to not fairly distributed 1, 9, 11, 12, CAR, NCR
Grade requirement to avail of scholarship program too high 1, 9, 11, NCR
Schools do not cater to students from low income groups 3, NCR
Shortage of textbooks and school supplies 3, 8, 11
Shortage of facilities/buildings/classrooms 1 ,3, 4, 5, 6, 9, 10, 11, CAR
Shortage of teachers/ low student-teacher ratio 6, 11
No literacy program/low literacy rate 6, 10, NCR
Unequal opportunities for educational assistance in gov't offices 3,
Commercialized education 8
Lack of teacher training 8, 10
|
