By Chloe Mari A. Hufana
THE GOVERNMENT of President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. should decentralize the country’s school system by allowing local governments and communities to play a key role in education, amid a crisis that continues to widen the education gap and leave millions of students behind, according to the Philippine Business for Education (PBEd).
“We should let local government units and communities play a more central role in education so they can act on challenges and provide solutions closer to where the problems are,” PBEd Chairman Ramon R. del Rosario, Jr. said at the group’s annual meeting in the business district of Makati on Monday.
He said industry leaders, national and local governments, academes and civil society should work on urgent solutions to the problems of the education sector.
“We need to understand that a one-size-fits-all approach cannot realistically address the needs and solve the problems of our education system,” he added.
The Philippine basic education system has 21 million students taught by about 900,000 teachers in 60,000 schools.
“Our current education crisis still demands more from us,” Mr. Del Rosario said. “Overcrowded classrooms in scorching heat, persistent malnutrition, lack of resources and teacher support, inconsistent assessments and quality checks are not just inconveniences. They are pitfalls that continue to widen the educational gap and leave millions of students behind.”
Mr. Del Rosario noted that Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam benefited by decentralizing their education system.
Senator Sherwin T. Gatchalian, who also attended the PBEd meeting, cited the declining relevance of the senior high school system.
“A senior high school graduate will look for a job that will earn P316, much lower than the average or the nationwide minimum wage,” said the lawmaker, who heads the Senate basic education committee.
He also said there’s not much difference between Grades 10 and 12 finishers because both will end up getting below minimum wages. A Grade 12 finisher would get a P14 advantage, he added.
“A Grade 10 person or a Grade 10 learner would rather stop and work because the additional two years will not give them value.”
He said participation rates for senior high school improved to 49% from 37% but that is still low.
One of the reasons for the decline is that students don’t see the value of senior high school, Mr. Gatchalian said.
He said 20% of those who took curriculum exits in senior high school go to work. “The rest go to college or… mid-level skills, meaning tech school. And 10% actually are jobless.”
“Vietnam doesn’t mandate senior high school,” the senator said. “It focuses on early childhood education, from ages 3-4, “because that’s the most important age range for improving education and outcome.”
He said college participation has improved dramatically to 40% now from 28%, before a law that mandated free tuition in state colleges and universities. “This is something that we’re proud of.”
The Philippines ranked second in Southeast Asia for participation rates in tertiary education.
The government allotted more than P900 billion in education funds for 2024 or 3.8% of economic output.
Spending money on the right policies and programs is key in accelerating education, Mr. Gatchalian said. “It’s not about how much we’re spending, but what we’re spending on. It’s important to invest in our teachers.”
PBEd is a nonprofit group that advocates for education reforms to improve learning and the employability of Filipinos.
