The Status of Education in the Philippines
Everywhere in the world, the importance of education can be understood. However, just like societal roles, education may differ for each country. Some countries may have different core beliefs when it comes to education, and just like any important matter in life, education has and will continue to change to fit the needs of countries. Since education is an important factor in society, worldwide groups like the United Nation, have set up Global Initiative on Education. As seen on their website, the UN Secretary-General has launched a program promoting progress towards education and education-related millennium development goals. As part of their program launch, the United Nations focuses on three priorities within education: Put every child in school, improve the quality of learning, and foster global citizenship. Just like every country, the Philippines has its own set of history within the topic of education and how it is taking part in making sure that the UN’s three priorities are being met.
Every country goes through changes with the topic of education. Education in the Philippines has gone through changes and improvements over the years. As early as the pre-Spanish times of the Philippines, education was informal and children were provided with more vocational training by their parents inside the comforts of their own homes (“Historical Perspective of the Philippine Education System”). In the Philippines, education began in 1898 when English was determined to be the language of instruction and the first public school system was established. In 1908, the University of the Philippines was chartered as the nation’s first comprehensive public university along with other public universities and colleges. This is also when public education through grade seven began to be funded by the government and was free to all citizens. During the first decade of American rule, the Schurman Commission was established so that there was a free public school system. The Taft Commission enforced people who were trained for the duties of citizenship taught the free public systems and avocation. During 1901, the Philippine Commission by virtue of Act No.74 installed a highly centralized public school system (“Historical Perspective of the Philippine Educational System”).
The education system in the Philippines consists of, six years of elementary (primary education), four years of junior high school (secondary education), two years of senior high school, and further education was provided by technical or vocational schools or in higher education institutions (Basic Education Program). This system was placed in order for each student to be able to master key concepts and skills by the time they got to higher education. All the public schools in the Philippines must start classes on the date mandated by the Department of Education and must end after completing a mandated 200-day school calendar (“Historical Perspective of the Philippine Education System”). The curriculum includes language arts, math, health and science. Makabayan learning is an environment for holistic learning to develop a healthy personal and national self-identity. The makabayan subjects taught in grades one through three are civics and culture. The subjects taught in grades four to six are music, arts, physical education, home economics, livelihood, and social studies. When students successfully finish grades one through six they receive a Certificate of Graduation (Clark, 2009).
By looking at the Vision, Mission, Core values, and mandate of the Department of Education in the Philippines, it can be clearly seen that they are meeting and working on the UN’s priorities for Global Education Initiative. The vision of the Department of Education states that they dream of Filipinos whose values and competencies enable them to realize their full potential and contribute meaningfully to building the nation (“The DepEd Vision”). Through this vision, the Department of Education in the Philippines focuses in making a learner-centered public institution as well as making sure they are constantly improving to better serve the nation. The mission statement of the department of education also states the ability to protect and promote the right of every Filipino to quality, equitable, culture-based, and complete basic education where students have access to a safe and motivating environment, have teachers who facilitate learning, and have supportive administration and staff. From the mission statement. It can be well acknowledged that the Department of Education in the Philippines is making sure that all elementary and secondary education institutions follow policies and programs that will enrich the education of Filipino students. With regards to making sure that every child is in school, there are Youth Advocacy groups that are promoting, achieving, learning for all students through inclusive education perspective and practices.
Even with all these changes and modifications, education in the Philippines is still not good. Recent reports show that the Philippines has one of the highest literacy rates in the country and more students are enrolling in education. In fact, 99.9% of Philippine citizens enroll in primary school (elementary school) and 77.8% enroll in secondary school (high school). These numbers seem relatively high, but the poor economic situation in the Philippines prove that these statistics are problematic. Instead of concentrating on the quantity of education, it is rather important to emphasize the quality of education. Education relates to economic situation because someone who is more educated through a quality education is more likely to make more money than an uneducated individual or someone who had a poor education. In addition, education provides you with more knowledge to problem solve in tough economic situations (Otsuka).
On the other hand, just like all countries, there are minor bumps in the road that can hinder the quality of education in countries. A main issue in the Philippines is the lack of resources as well as its economic situation. One of the main issues studied by Professor Otsuka, who wrote about the current situation of formal education in the Philippines, explained how there are not enough teaching materials in the Philippines. In impoverish parts of the Philippines, the quality of education is different than the main cities. This goes to show how environment can go hand in hand with the quality of education a student gets. The amount of textbooks in this country is scarce. In elementary schools, two, three, or even four students must share one single textbook. There are several factors and relationships it is beneficial to consider about this textbook situation. There is a lower student/textbook ratio in more populated schools, schools in rural areas have a higher ratio than urban areas, the lack of these textbooks is the most serious issue in the education system, and students in secondary schools must share textbooks more than students in primary schools (Otsuka). This poses as a problem because students expect to get their own textbook to use. Having your own individual textbook allows a student to remain engaged and ensures that they learn the material since they can have their eyes on it at all times. Although some parts of the Philippines may be lacking resources, the Department of Education keeps an eye on what needs to be done and what changes can be made to ensure that education can be an equal opportunity for all.
Overall, the Philippines’ education structure has a great mission and vision for Filipino students. It is not designed to be perfect, but made to be changeable and improved throughout the years. Education may seem good in the Philippines due to their high literacy and enrollment rates, but it is not. After researching the status of education in this country, I realize that there’s a difference between the quantity of education and the quality of education. A quantitative education refers to the amount of students attending school whereas a quality education refers to the sufficiency of resources and teachers. It is important to improve the quality of learning. The Department of Education is continually striving to match the efforts and priorities of the United Nations’ Global Education Initiatives
Every country goes through changes with the topic of education. Education in the Philippines has gone through changes and improvements over the years. As early as the pre-Spanish times of the Philippines, education was informal and children were provided with more vocational training by their parents inside the comforts of their own homes (“Historical Perspective of the Philippine Education System”). In the Philippines, education began in 1898 when English was determined to be the language of instruction and the first public school system was established. In 1908, the University of the Philippines was chartered as the nation’s first comprehensive public university along with other public universities and colleges. This is also when public education through grade seven began to be funded by the government and was free to all citizens. During the first decade of American rule, the Schurman Commission was established so that there was a free public school system. The Taft Commission enforced people who were trained for the duties of citizenship taught the free public systems and avocation. During 1901, the Philippine Commission by virtue of Act No.74 installed a highly centralized public school system (“Historical Perspective of the Philippine Educational System”).
The education system in the Philippines consists of, six years of elementary (primary education), four years of junior high school (secondary education), two years of senior high school, and further education was provided by technical or vocational schools or in higher education institutions (Basic Education Program). This system was placed in order for each student to be able to master key concepts and skills by the time they got to higher education. All the public schools in the Philippines must start classes on the date mandated by the Department of Education and must end after completing a mandated 200-day school calendar (“Historical Perspective of the Philippine Education System”). The curriculum includes language arts, math, health and science. Makabayan learning is an environment for holistic learning to develop a healthy personal and national self-identity. The makabayan subjects taught in grades one through three are civics and culture. The subjects taught in grades four to six are music, arts, physical education, home economics, livelihood, and social studies. When students successfully finish grades one through six they receive a Certificate of Graduation (Clark, 2009).
By looking at the Vision, Mission, Core values, and mandate of the Department of Education in the Philippines, it can be clearly seen that they are meeting and working on the UN’s priorities for Global Education Initiative. The vision of the Department of Education states that they dream of Filipinos whose values and competencies enable them to realize their full potential and contribute meaningfully to building the nation (“The DepEd Vision”). Through this vision, the Department of Education in the Philippines focuses in making a learner-centered public institution as well as making sure they are constantly improving to better serve the nation. The mission statement of the department of education also states the ability to protect and promote the right of every Filipino to quality, equitable, culture-based, and complete basic education where students have access to a safe and motivating environment, have teachers who facilitate learning, and have supportive administration and staff. From the mission statement. It can be well acknowledged that the Department of Education in the Philippines is making sure that all elementary and secondary education institutions follow policies and programs that will enrich the education of Filipino students. With regards to making sure that every child is in school, there are Youth Advocacy groups that are promoting, achieving, learning for all students through inclusive education perspective and practices.
Even with all these changes and modifications, education in the Philippines is still not good. Recent reports show that the Philippines has one of the highest literacy rates in the country and more students are enrolling in education. In fact, 99.9% of Philippine citizens enroll in primary school (elementary school) and 77.8% enroll in secondary school (high school). These numbers seem relatively high, but the poor economic situation in the Philippines prove that these statistics are problematic. Instead of concentrating on the quantity of education, it is rather important to emphasize the quality of education. Education relates to economic situation because someone who is more educated through a quality education is more likely to make more money than an uneducated individual or someone who had a poor education. In addition, education provides you with more knowledge to problem solve in tough economic situations (Otsuka).
On the other hand, just like all countries, there are minor bumps in the road that can hinder the quality of education in countries. A main issue in the Philippines is the lack of resources as well as its economic situation. One of the main issues studied by Professor Otsuka, who wrote about the current situation of formal education in the Philippines, explained how there are not enough teaching materials in the Philippines. In impoverish parts of the Philippines, the quality of education is different than the main cities. This goes to show how environment can go hand in hand with the quality of education a student gets. The amount of textbooks in this country is scarce. In elementary schools, two, three, or even four students must share one single textbook. There are several factors and relationships it is beneficial to consider about this textbook situation. There is a lower student/textbook ratio in more populated schools, schools in rural areas have a higher ratio than urban areas, the lack of these textbooks is the most serious issue in the education system, and students in secondary schools must share textbooks more than students in primary schools (Otsuka). This poses as a problem because students expect to get their own textbook to use. Having your own individual textbook allows a student to remain engaged and ensures that they learn the material since they can have their eyes on it at all times. Although some parts of the Philippines may be lacking resources, the Department of Education keeps an eye on what needs to be done and what changes can be made to ensure that education can be an equal opportunity for all.
Overall, the Philippines’ education structure has a great mission and vision for Filipino students. It is not designed to be perfect, but made to be changeable and improved throughout the years. Education may seem good in the Philippines due to their high literacy and enrollment rates, but it is not. After researching the status of education in this country, I realize that there’s a difference between the quantity of education and the quality of education. A quantitative education refers to the amount of students attending school whereas a quality education refers to the sufficiency of resources and teachers. It is important to improve the quality of learning. The Department of Education is continually striving to match the efforts and priorities of the United Nations’ Global Education Initiatives
- Otsuka, Yutaka (n.d.). A. The Current Situation of Formal Education in the Philippines. Retrieved April 3, 2017 from http://www.gsid.nagoyau.ac.jp/project/fieldwork/ofw/OFW_Report/2000/WG2.pdf
- Philippines - From crisis to opportunity. (2013, November 22). Retrieved April 3, 2017 from http://www.educationincrisis.net/country-profiles/asia-pacific/item/569-philippines
- The K to 12 Basic Education Program. (2012, November 30). Retrieved April 3, 2017, from http://www.gov.ph/k-12
- Department of Education. (n.d.). Retrieved April 3, 2017, from http://www.deped.gov.ph/kto12/about/curriculum-guides
- Historical Perspective of the Philippine Educational System (n.d.). Retrieved April 3, 2017 from http://deped.gov.ph/about/history
- UN Global Education First Initiative. (2014). About the global education first initiative. Retrieved April 3, 2017 from http://www.globaleducationfirst.org/about.html
Government Newsletter
government_system_of_the_philippines_newsletter.pdf |
Economic System
~What will be produced with your country's resources?
- The resources are used as tools, food, and ingredients for food. Many different resources can be found from the ocean, in the ground from minerals, from the major crops that grow around the volcanic area, and through the many unique floras found on the islands. Agricultural products produced in the Philippines are sugarcane, coconuts, rice, corn, bananas, cassava, pineapples, mangoes and Fish. Industrial Products in the Philippines are garments, footwear, pharmaceuticals, wood products, petroleum refining, and electronics assembly.
- Ocean: the ocean produces a variety of marine life and materials that are valuable to the country’s people and others around the world. There are 65 species of the 2,400 available in the Filipino waters that have solid commercial value.
- Minerals: nickel is the most abundant deposit in the Philippines but iron and copper are also present in significant amounts.
- Major Crops: the Central Luzon, Cagayan Valley and Negros are the nation’s primary sources for main crops such as rice, corn, sugarcane, abaca, and tobacco. Rice and corn are used domestically but the rest are used as major export items along with pineapples and bananas.
- Floras: the tropical islands have more than 2,000 species of plants and several are unique to only the Philippines. These plants are used as an important natural resource as ingredients in commercially exported products.
- These goods are used by the people in the Philippines as well as exported to other countries. Crops like rice are important to the food supply in the country as well as the economy. Overall, not only do the people of the Philippines use the good produced, many products are exported to other countries in the means of trade and the growth of economy.
- Coconut oil, fruits, petroleum products, copper products, semiconductors and electronic products, garments, and transport equipment are the Philippines main exports.
Write a brief summary of the economic system of the country: Identify and explain the type of economic system-->
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Many sources stated that the Philippines is a mixed economy due to the transition from an agricultural based economy to a more manufacturing and services based economy. The Philippines is considered a newly industrialized country with a large agricultural sector. This large agricultural component is what classifies the Philippines as a mixed economy. Alongside the agricultural sector, there is large amount of overseas workers that make up the remittance sector of this economy.
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Select three key economic indicators such as poverty rates, labor distribution, use of resources, etc. and analyze what this information says about the country, how does it compare to other countries, change over time, etc. --->
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Identify the GDP - per capita for the country.->
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The GDP per capita in the Philippines is $7,700 USD (2016 est.)
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