Swindlers

Several years ago, education authorities launched a crackdown on substandard medical schools. This was triggered by the poor performance of the schools’ graduates in the professional medical examinations. Some years later, as nursing and computer schools mushroomed to meet a demand from those who wanted to land jobs overseas, the Commission on Higher Education again had to crack down on schools found offering substandard courses.

This year, CHED officials ordered the closure of 32 educational institutions, including 20 nursing and two maritime schools, for deficient courses and programs. A few days ago, two congressmen urged the government to shut down 32 law schools nationwide. Of the 32, at least 10 scored a zero passing rate in the last Bar examinations. The schools were not publicly identified, but it should be easy to check the performance of law schools in the Bar exams.

This problem with law schools once again highlights the general deficiency in the quality of Philippine education. The deficiency is particularly unfortunate because Filipinos pin a lot of hope on education in improving their status in life. Families save or borrow to send at least one child to college. Upon graduation, the child is expected to find a job, contribute to the family’s income and help siblings finish college.

In the past years, the most popular higher education courses have been those that offered the best prospects for employment overseas. Today there is a nursing glut, but at one point, even doctors were studying to obtain a nursing degree so they could work abroad. The demand for sailors remains high, and schools continue to mushroom to meet the demand. These days culinary courses are all the rage.

As in nursing and related courses, tuition in the average cooking school is not cheap. And tuition in law schools has always been expensive. High tuition is worth it if a student with sufficient brains and proper work ethic is assured of qualifying for a job related to the course upon graduation or passing the licensure exam. This has not always been the case, and the problem has worsened with the proliferation of fly-by-night schools that are set up merely to cash in on the demand for particular courses.

Education officials must intensify their crackdown on these schools, which are little better than swindlers. The public can assist in this effort by tipping off authorities about learning institutions where hardly any learning takes place.