In 2004, I became an advocate for education. At that time the focus was on the state of public education. The fundamental premise of the advocacy was this
The dividing line between rich and poor in the Philippines today is education. When Filipino children live in poverty, literacy becomes a critical link in a chain that can either tie children to a life of poverty or be used to pull them out of it.
For children living in poverty, every day is filled with challenges and missed opportunities. I believe that education is the best road to a better life for most of these children. With a strong educational foundation, children in even the most impoverished and remote communities have a chance at college, a career, and a ticket out of poverty.
Poor rural communities in the Philippines are often deprived of a quality education. Lack of school facilities and equipment, dilapidated classrooms, poorly prepared teachers, lack of textbooks and good educational resources or references are negative factors that hinder children from excelling and overcoming the challenges of learning and going to school.
Today the educational disparity is no longer limited to rural areas. The contagion has spread to cover the entire Filipino nation.
- Ignorance is widespread in the Philippines
For short, education in the Philippines has gotten worse – what else is new? 
THE HEADLINES- PHILIPPINE EDUCATION 2011
Students return to schools lacking chairs, reading outdated books – http://www.gmanews.tv/story/222695/nation/students-return-to-schools-lacking-chairs-reading-outdated-books
More headlines:
» Public schools expecting more transferees from private schools
» Europeans spend billions on ‘shadow education’
» Youth solon to PNoy: Solve high rate of school dropouts in 5 years
» Public schools still accepting enrollees as classes begin
» DepEd: Report unauthorized school collections
» Almost 25% of private schools operate without licenses
» 4 of every 10 NCR public schools in flood-prone areas
The Philippine educational system – just like the Philippine economy – has gone from bad to worse.
We need money to run schools. Without money – we can’t build classrooms, pay teachers, purchase supplies, upgrade the curriculum and a whole lot of other activities. The sources and uses of money that allows schools to function are provided via the following mechanisms:
- a) The government (UP, MSU, PSHS, public schools)
- b) The local private enterprises (sectarian and non-sectarian – Ateneo, DLSU, UST, etc)
- c) The foreign private enterprises (i.e. City University of New York, University of Phoenix, Kaplan University, etc)
The budget for state funded schools were reduced by Aquino. It is expected that local private schools will take up the slack. Unfortunately – local private schools are expensive. It’s all about supply and demand folks, few private schools, high demand for good education. An efficient market will have more investments in education due to a high demand. However, the demand is vastly greater than what the current educational institutions can provide.
Given that the government and local enterprises can not meet the demand – AND don’t have enough capital – well, you now see the impact – it’s all in the headlines!
So, how come there’s not enough foreign presence in our education market so that we can drive prices down and increase access to education for more Filipinos? Here are three reasons – all from the 8TH or the -Foreign Investment Negative List -
Reason #1 – We block foreign ownership of mass media.
NO FOREIGN EQUITY (no foreigners allowed)
1. Mass Media except recording (Art. XVI, Sec. 11 of the Constitution; Presidential Memorandum dated 04 May 1994)
Impact: Foreign mass media owners who can provide educational programming are not allowed. Filipinos lose out.
*******
Reason #2 – We block foreign professionals from our economy.
NO FOREIGN EQUITY (no foreigners allowed)
2. Practice of professions
a. Engineering
i. Aeronautical
ii. Agricultural
iii. Chemical
iv. Civil
v. Electrical
vi. Electronics and Communication
vii. Geodetic
viii. Mechanical
ix. Metallurgical
x. Mining
xi. Naval Architecture and Marine
xii. Sanitary
b. Medicine and Allied Professions
i. Medicine
ii. Medical Technology
iii. Dentistry
iv. Midwifery
v. Nursing
vi. Nutrition and Dietetics
vii. Optometry
viii. Pharmacy
ix. Physical and Occupational Therapy
x. Radiologic and X-ray Technology
xi. Veterinary Medicine
c. Accountancy
d. Architecture
e. Criminology
f. Chemistry
g. Customs Brokerage
h. Environmental Planning
i. Forestry
j. Geology
k. Interior Design
l. Landscape Architecture
m. Law
n. Librarianship
o. Marine Deck Officers
p. Marine Engine Officers
q. Master Plumbing
r. Sugar Technology
s. Social Work
t. Teaching
u. Agriculture
v. Fisheries
(Art. XII, Sec. 14 of the Constitution; Sec. 1 of R.A. 5181)
Impact: As our teachers leave overseas, we have inexperienced teachers. We are also unable to hire expats who are willing to teach in the Philippines – that’s a deep reserve of knowledge and technology.
****
Reason #3 – We block foreign ownership of schools.
UP TO FORTY PERCENT (40%) FOREIGN EQUITY
20. Ownership/establishment and administration of educational institutions (Art. XIV, Sec. 4 of the Constitution)
Impact: Top flight educational institutions from overseas are hampered from operating in the Philippines. We lose out and are stuck with the same RETARDED curricula of Ateneo, DLSU, UP, and all the Philippine schools – public or private.
****
There’s a lot of organizations that are out to help – but these are temporary stop gap measures. We need to address the gap at the policy level. The alternative is we keep getting more retarded, ignorant, ill-educated, misguided, misinformed Filipinos.
RECOMMENDATIONS – With Focus on System-wide Enhancement:
1 – Reducing the budget for state-funded schools should be complemented by an increase in the number of private schools.
2 – To complement the local schools – we need to open up the Philippine economy. It is about time that we let the best schools (foreign and local) come in and help improve Philippine education.
3 – Introduce new learning pathways like homeschooling and online education.
About the Author
22 Comments on “Three Reasons for the Sorry State of Education in the Philippines”
1 – Reducing the budget for state-funded schools should be complemented by an increase in the number of private schools.
2 – To complement the local schools – we need to open up the Philippine economy. It is about time that we let the best schools (foreign and local) come in and help improve Philippine education.
>>> This is funny. Even if you invite foreign private education in the country, they wouldn’t invest here because of the economic capability of the people here. And, do you think the masses would be able to afford the tuition fee of private schools with the same standard abroad? Do you have any idea how much is the tuition fee of education abroad? If your a private school investor, you wouldn’t invest in this country for private education dahil malulugi ka. Besides, do you think an American with a Doctoral degree would volunteer to teach in college in this country with a meager salary??? LOL.
3 – Introduce new learning pathways like homeschooling and online education.
> This is ok. But, you have to be realistic. Check Internet Stats and you’ll see that only 2% of the population have Internet access (some of that 2% do not have PC at home), so how do you think that will solve the current situation? Your suggestions should be realistic, and not TOO idealistic.
[Reply]
BongV Reply:
June 7th, 2011 at 3:29 pm
Good question Glenda. Here are the answers
1. If you invite foreign educators – they will invest provided our laws allow them to invest. The Philippines has a huge demographic which is very attractive to investors – but they have been kept out by the regulations above.
2. There are foreign educators who will provide grants-in-aid, soft loans, and financing to the masses – much like in the developed economies.
3. There are very cost-effective private school business models –
Supply and Demand – Increase the supply of private schools and you lower the price of tuitionIf you restrict the number of private schools then you increase the price of education.
– basic economics
–
4. The statement “do you think an American with a Doctoral degree would volunteer to teach in college in this country with a meager salary?” is a fallacy. Are all foreign teachers with doctoral degrees? – do all Filipino teachers have doctoral degrees?
[Reply]
Glenda Reply:
June 7th, 2011 at 7:28 pm
Hahahaha! See what I’m trying to tell you about… your mind is all about the obsolete Keynesian economic theory of the Industrial Age, which is SO 1800′s pa. We’re now embracing the Information Age, so if you’re going to look around, the ill effects of the basic economic laws only benefitted developed countries… Developing countries like us do not have any hope, if you’re only thinking that you’re ONLY saviour would be global companies who would provide slave opportunities for the people.
Nakakatawa… because your idea of supply and demand in education is SO IDEAL in a VERY IDEAL FREE MARKET which does not exist. And, in an ideal free market, education is usually not included. It is not treated like a common commodity na parang lata ng sardinas. Education is one of man’s basic need so it should be free. Since you’re a BIG FAN of the outmoded economic school of thought, just think deeply why we’re in this deep **** right now. We are like this because we’re suffering from the ill effects of a globalized economic market. And now you think you could convince private global investors to build private schools in a country where only a VERY FEW handful “demographic” could afford them? You have to think like a businessman in a FREE market and not an idealist.
[Reply]
BongV Reply:
June 8th, 2011 at 12:31 am
Glenda:
reality .. not ideal – – http://www.cato.org/store/books/beautiful-tree-personal-journey-how-worlds-poorest-people-are-educating-themselves-hardback … therefore it works.
the Philippines has better demographic than this country -
Glenda Reply:
June 7th, 2011 at 7:47 pm
And since you’re also a big fan of the kindhearted World Bank “KUNO” and you’re also hoping for big grants-in-aid… they’ve been doing that for a long time now, OR maybe you didn’t know because when you study economics you stopped on the basic supply and demand page? Don’t you know that our country is well-known for being the sponsor-child of different developed countries?…
[Reply]
Glenda Reply:
June 7th, 2011 at 8:16 pm
Are all foreign teachers with doctoral degrees? – do all Filipino teachers have doctoral degrees?
> This is also a fallacy. Anong logical fallacy ba tawag dito? Faulty generalizations ba tawag dito?^^ So, with this argument, are you saying that any foreign teacher, even a high-school graduate abroad is OK to teach in college here???^^ Not all Filipino teachers have doctoral degrees, but maybe you didn’t know, in public elementary and HS & in private schools, they are promoting people with Masteral degrees. They are goaling that all teachers should have masteral degrees, at least, it’s now in the works.
[Reply]
BongV Reply:
June 7th, 2011 at 10:24 pm
what makes you think that teachers from bangladesh and pakistan will not make that move? given their respective economies – just as filipinos send ofws to the philippines ; the bangladeshis and pakistans will gladly fill in the gap.
**
also that also brings home another point – for all the Philippines masteral degrees – why does the Philippine economy suck? what the hell are these teachers with PhD and Doctorates teaching – how to suck conyo, and trapo arse
Glenda Reply:
June 8th, 2011 at 12:05 am
LOL! Would you like a bangladeshi/pakistani teacher for your Filipino child who would basically influence his way of thinking? Besides, may language barrier. And then, you also have to take into consideration their cultural influence. LOL! This is unthinkable, natatawa na lang ako.
also that also brings home another point – for all the Philippines masteral degrees – why does the Philippine economy suck? what the hell are these teachers with PhD and Doctorates teaching – how to suck conyo, and trapo arse
>>> why does the Philippine economy suck? Don’t blame them, they are just teachers, not businessmen. Oh well, you’re right on that, w/c brings me back to my earlier point, there’s something wrong with the curricula. The education models and theories we’re following now, some of those are either obsolete, or do not apply to our own culture.
Glenda Reply:
June 7th, 2011 at 8:22 pm
Using your faulty generalization logic… Are all foreign teachers with or without a degree WILLING to work in public/private/college here with a meager salary of 10,000php??? Kahit high-school graduate in developed countries wouldn’t volunteer to work with that salary! LOL!!!^^
[Reply]
BongV Reply:
June 7th, 2011 at 10:14 pm
glenda – teaching is just their hobby – they are retired – they have pensions
Glenda Reply:
June 8th, 2011 at 12:08 am
If you’re a retiree from a developed country enjoying your pension in a developing country like ours, you wouldn’t wanna teach coz you went here to enjoy your pension, and not be a/an corporate/institution slave again. Eh di pinahirapan mo LALO sarili mo hahaha! Instead of telling them to teach, encourage them to invest their money somewhere else here.
BongV Reply:
June 8th, 2011 at 12:39 am
Glenda:
it depends – todays pensions have been eaten up by inflation and the recession. Also retirees are living longer lives. Also, the retirees can own shares in schools owned by huge foreign corporations – and increase the stock value.
You know the main reason for the “ Sorry State of Education in the Philippines”??? Because the curricula of our public education, and the private institutions here were geared towards making all Filipinos to be like you… to be an AntiPinoy… they were made to make everyone of us a slave, so everyone would be like you and kiss the ass of foreigners, specifically Americans for that matter.
[Reply]
BongV Reply:
June 7th, 2011 at 3:33 pm
We are all slaves because we agree to become slaves. When we are told to vote for Aquino – we vote like Slaves – no thinking
)))
[Reply]
Glenda Reply:
June 7th, 2011 at 7:48 pm
Hehehehe! You’re just a typical Filipino thinker… your political ideas only revolve around whoever/whomever sits in the government… You cannot see beyond that… Kahit palitan pa yang nakaupo dyan sa Presidential Office ngayon ng gusto mong Presidente, we are still slaves. Because of the way people like you na naturingang mga thinkers eh ganyan mag-isip. I actually regretted reading this article because I thought I’d get something to ponder about, but I was dismayed. You’ve got a talent for writing and for philosophical arguments, but the content is not that DEEP. Sorry. Think deeply. Pinahaba mo lang yung article by copy and pasting, pero walang depth. Hehe.
[Reply]
BongV Reply:
June 7th, 2011 at 4:09 pm
Glenda – pinoys kiss Arab ass, Chinese ass, Singaporean ass, Thailand ass – not just American ass.
[Reply]
No foreigner in the right mind would ever want to sponsor an elem to highschool education in here all they do is contract scholars to work for them for a lower fee at a lower cost of training lol $2000 a year to train an IT professional for japan.
Honestly I’m more for the improvement of technical skills in school
god damn it kids these days even the poor ones don’t even know how to hold a hammer properly.
Realistically we know that not all kids cannot succeed why not teach them how to do business and real labor? mas maraming business ang pedeng mag open up kng tinuturuan ng eskwelahan ang mga pinoy kng panu magbusiness at iexpose cla sa kung anu anung industriya d 2lad ng karamihang dukha na tinatawanan o minamaliit ang mga junk shop gayung mas malaki pa ang kinikita ng mga ito kesa sa pamilya nila, anu hangang taga pulot nlng ba ang ignoranteng pinoy ng basura na d alam kng panu ang ggwn sa basura para kumita?
[Reply]
BongV Reply:
June 7th, 2011 at 3:37 pm
Puranzu – this not about sponsoring a student – this is about allowing a Korean, Japanese, European, American, Singaporean to open schools in the Philippines – that exceed Philippine standards. Not only that -these investors should not be limited to owning 40% of the school but should be allowed to own 100% so that they will not be dumbed down by their ****ed up Filipino partners
[Reply]
lo Reply:
June 8th, 2011 at 12:22 am
Silliman University, where i graduated, is actually an American school but highly Filipinized now. I think i saw 2 or 3 foreign teachers. I’m not sure if they’re American but they’re Caucasian. Still a great school nonetheless.
Anyway, i so love the picture of foreign schools being here especially Japanese. I would no longer need to go to Japan to have high quality Nippongo education and Game Development courses. But the question is, will the Koreans, Japanese, Europeans, Americans, and Singaporeans bother at all to open schools here? Is there a guarantee that they would open schools here? Maybe nobody would actually bother to come especially with the tarnished image of this damned country. The Koreans might open a school but i think it’s highly likely to be just for teaching English to Koreans and not a full fledged university.
[Reply]
Please, please, please, try and see the foundations of the problem with education here.
In developed countries the state education can be much better because there is more money to fund it, agree?
The money to fund it comes from higher taxes, in UK for example taxes amount to anywhere between 32% and 62% of salary, this includes funding for education, pensions, healthcare (with waiting lists), fixing roads, clearing your trash/refuse, street lights etc etc.
If people are taxed at lower rates like here, and many businesses and individuals pay no or little tax, then the population of that country will suffer due to lack of available funds to offer the basic needs.
Yes, I know the salaries are so very low here, but the government keep them low to attract foreign manufacturing who pay low salary but still charge huge prices for their products, Bigger profits for Pentax, Timex and others, more taxes for Noynoy and his boys….. but nothing for the citizens and their families.
Sorry to say this but I think it is “Barbaric” to see people unable to get medicine for their sick kids and education to stop turning their kids into standbys. Every kid should be given a chance to have good textbooks, talented teachers and equipment…. but cutting budgets willnot help.
Time for revolution don’t you think?
[Reply]
anonymous Reply:
June 8th, 2011 at 2:02 am
its a vicious cycle, the annual budget of ~$40 Billion needs to be better directed. Currently we spend far too much on governance that keeps failing, we have over 17000 local government officials i dare say stripping out a layer or two here would help. Budgets accounts tell the story that the bulk of the budget is spent on government, military and civil servant wages. some is paying our debts, only about 12% hits the road. Our Institutions should work within a budget allocated by the government. they should pay their staff from that budget, pay for buildings, pay telco, pay electric etc etc etc. By doing this we gain transparancy as we can easily see where we are spending our money, e.g. 20% debt repayment 10% Health, 10% Education, 20% Pork, 10% Military 20% Government etc and the departments far more accountable.
[Reply]
The Philippine government owns TV channels, but seems hard pressed regulating and enforcing (a recurring theme across all aspects of government). For television, we need balanced programming, not just Game Shows, Mini Series and Sensationalism. We have no watersheds or dedicated childrens slots let alone, to name but a few, documentaries, technology, science, nature, and current affairs. Balanced programming is a cornerstone we should demand.
Education for all children should be mandatory, and this should start at 5yrs with reading writing and arithmetic. university entrance examinations should be standardised nationally and set and backed by universities, it would seem sensible to make them internationally acceptable. We also need vocational training and standards. If kids leave school at 16yrs, they should be allowed to work full time, and employers should be encouraged to hire. Currenty many temp/contract jobs last only five months employers should also be encouraged to renew temp/contract employees. We need to protect our youth from being exploited and help them become established.
The FINL is a mess as are so many aspects of philippine governance and enforcement. Reforms are needed not inaction.
[Reply]