Students put forward simple solutions to country’s pressing problems

In our panel discussions at PUP Santo Tomas Batangas, students are so desperate to see most politicians grandstanding while giving too little, too primitive, and too late actions to the most pressing problems this country is saddled with today. They have cited the problems with their subsequent solutions:

Poor quality of teaching. Appoint a highly qualified and competent education secretary. Recruit only intelligent, passionate students to qualify for teaching while retraining the practicing teachers. In four or five years, a clever batch of new teachers will produce a brighter and wiser crop of students Raise the salary of teachers to the level of doctors, lawyers, engineers to attract the intellectuals to go into teaching. Drop the mass-promotion policy in public schools, especially for nonreaders.

Poor-reading habit. Reading programs and activities must be stepped up strictly every day not only on Fridays. Produce more factual, entertaining reading materials. Collaborate with parents to take the reading programs forward for their kids.

Poverty. Rich people must be prodded to sponsor free education for qualified poor but brilliant students. Provide jobs for the poor preferably in agriculture for crops mass production or in environmental-cleanliness undertaking. Train couples on responsible parenthood and natural family planning. Provide free medical and health benefits, rice, and basic necessities package instead of monetary compensation for 4Ps recipients. Use abandoned government buildings as temporary shelters for the homeless under the Department of Social Welfare and Development supervision.

Food shortage. Teach planting in schools and in penitentiaries. Use government or lease private idle lands for farming. Give technical/financial support for farmers aided by agriculture graduates and practitioners. Harness sophisticated irrigation systems in dry areas.

Climate change. Build strong housing in the most distressed regions. Plant sturdy fruit-bearing trees that could withstand the harshest typhoons. Promote tree-replanting programs. Impose strict rules against quarrying and use of plastics. Allot bigger budget for urgent cloud seeding.

Water pollution/shortage. Engage schools and communities for rivers, extant springs, and other waterways clean-up drives, and planting trees and mangroves. Devise well-protected catch basins for usage in households and farms during dry season. Penalize violators of proper waste disposal.

Transportation. Build more railroads throughout the country. Construct more elevated roads by the seashores. Build permanent bicycle and motorcycle lanes. Continue nationwide jeepney operations.

Flawed electoral system. Ban election campaign spending of candidates to thwart vote-buying, overspending, and recouping wealth by top election spenders. Impose fixed contributions for individual candidates’ overall publicity and campaign materials governed by uncorrupted NGO officials. Candidates with previous or ongoing court cases should not be allowed to seek public office. Educate and update voters about the public officials’ lifestyles, performances, and nonperformances. Sanction religious endorsements.

Political dynasty. Pass the anti-dynasty law.

Students may not be experts yet in solving our most pressing problems but as Albert Einstein said, “We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.” As the country’s future leaders, we should never ignore and instead listen to them.

Pit Malabuyoc Maliksi