Cultivating critical thinking to transform the PH

I believe that the Philippines has the potential to thrive like its progressive Asian counterparts. But this vision can only become a reality if the upcoming generations of Filipinos become critical thinkers.

Envisioning the future, Filipinos must no longer accept information at face value. Instead, they must evaluate the credibility of sources, the robustness of evidence, and the coherence of arguments before accepting or rejecting them. They must decide by carefully weighing the available options, potential outcomes, and inherent biases. In the real world, they must elect leaders committed to public service, prioritizing collective welfare over personal interests. They must possess the ability to discern political manipulation and remain steadfast even in the face of economic adversity.

Without a transformation along these lines, the reign of political dynasties will continue indefinitely, unless these dynasties self-destruct or divine intervention occurs. It is imperative that the next generations become critical thinkers. Countries like Finland and others have shown that integrating critical thinking into the school curriculum yields tangible benefits. This fosters a generation of children who mature into perceptive and analytical adults. In Finland, the education system places a strong emphasis on critical thinking, problem-solving, and the holistic development of students. The country’s education system is built on a learner-centered philosophy. The curriculum focuses on equipping students with skills that enable them to think critically, analyze information, and solve complex problems. It promotes project-based learning approaches in which students work on real-world projects and problems.

This approach encourages critical thinking as students need to analyze information, consider various solutions, and make informed decisions. Presently, the number of critical thinkers in the Philippines is dwarfed by those lacking this attribute. Many have migrated for understandable reasons, while others are engaged in promoting arts, culture, literature, and the finer facets of life. These pursuits hold merit, but they do not align with the transformative needs of the Philippines. The government can freely harness arts, culture, and literature to stifle activism and advance hidden agendas. So government-led artistic initiatives can co-opt critical thinkers, enlisting their cooperation to serve ulterior motives.

In the late 1970s, I conducted process documentation research funded by the Ford Foundation on the pioneering participatory communal irrigation system in the Philippines. The irrigation project encompassed several rice farming communities in the municipality of Libmanan in Camarines Sur province. Shortly after its inception, community organizers imparted critical thinking skills to the farmer-beneficiaries. This empowerment enabled the irrigators’ association to negotiate with the field engineers of the National Irrigation Administration on the positioning of the main and supplementary canals and other structures. They exhibited an unwillingness to accept proposals uncritically, asserting their superior understanding of the land’s contours and historical water flow patterns in the project areas.

This serves as evidence that Filipinos can transition from being easily swayed constituents to becoming resolute critical thinkers. Thus, teaching critical thinking in grade school, where children are impressionable, is certain to produce adults with critical thinking skills. It is unfortunate that nongovernment organizations (NGOs) and civil society groups have opted to keep a certain distance on this matter.

Ideally, NGOs should have taken a leading role in advocating the incorporation of critical thinking in the school curriculum. They are in a strategic position to shape a future Philippines where the adult population is discerning, analytical, and can make informed decisions. But their caution or reluctance to take risks is not without reason. Active participation in this initiative will antagonize traditional politicians who hold sway in the country, thus putting their ongoing operations in jeopardy. Should most of the upcoming generations of Filipinos prove incapable of critical thinking, the future trajectory of the Philippines will remain uncertain.

This is a scenario that warrants reflection: Quo vadis, Philippines?

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Nono Felix worked as a corporate planning, monitoring, and evaluation manager for an international NGO, covering 13 Asian countries.

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