Blaming teachers’ incompetence as the main cause of the crisis in Philippine education is a direct insult to the country’s teaching force.
The recent results of international standardized tests came out as a disappointment to most of us, as we ranked lowest among the 64 countries that participated in them. The Philippines ranked at the bottom in terms of creative thinking ability, with similar poor performance in science, mathematics, and reading. Such results have resulted in finger-pointing, with teachers and the present educational system blamed for the dismal ranking.
However, being a teacher for 15 years with extensive experience in both private and public schools, I’ve seriously thought about why we are not performing well in global assessments. Based on my analysis, the competencies included in the lessons and topics are sufficient for learners to be promoted to the next school level. Further, the need for learners to complete performance tasks in every subject gives them the platform to develop skills way beyond mere memorization and comprehension. This means that analytical thinking and creative thinking are already being practiced by the learners as they plan and strategize on outputs that they are going to present and submit.
During the presentation of outputs, verbal communication, and logical thinking are also demonstrated by the learners. In this output creation, the learners are genuinely trained in many ways. This is in line with what the Second Congressional Commission on Education (Edcom II) Year One Report pointed out about the need for Philippine education to shift targets from “perfect on paper” toward “doable in practice.”
I think what the present education system offers is more than sufficient. The question is, what went wrong?
The responsibility of the learner. While it is the main job of teachers to educate children on what they should know and how they should behave, this is not the sole responsibility of educators, but also of the learners themselves. No matter how complete and sophisticated our curriculum, and no matter how dedicated the teachers and school personnel are, there will always be a gap in the learning process if learners don’t have the initiative to go over their lessons and reflect on what they really know.
A person who needs help must also be willing to seek self-improvement. Many learners today are more concerned about playing online games and tinkering with their gadgets, so it has become a main challenge among teachers to redirect the students’ attention to things that matter more than those that give mere entertainment.
The parents’ involvement is also crucial in ensuring that learners develop into responsible citizens intelligent and capable enough to solve problems with whatever they have at any point in their life. Parents or guardians must do a consistent follow-up on how their children are doing in school, especially since students nowadays are more secretive with their parents. Fair contributions from other members of the community can be as simple as the responsible posting of content that can be constructive to character formation.
What is currently being done. The Department of Education (DepEd) has been doing its share by providing technical assistance and the constant retooling of teachers through seminar workshops and ready-made learning materials. Its newest program is partnering with private educational institutions to help update and improve instructional materials, thus making learning more authentic and practical. While laudable, these efforts can be supplemented by making sure that teachers teach subjects aligned with their pre-service training. The quality of instructional materials must also be examined to ensure they are still in line with the competencies that we are trying to teach.
While I revere the work of university professors and other experts, I think public school teachers must also be regularly consulted since we are on the frontlines of this so-called quest for quality education.
As teachers, we can also make the learning experience more professional, intentional, and purposeful, with activities that can be put to practice in real life. I once watched a TV show where young Japanese learners were immersed in a real-world simulation of work and business transactions. In the program, some were engineers and accountants, while others were entrepreneurs. Students thus experienced how the real world works, and learned of work ethics they need to have to survive in the workplace and deal with all kinds of people.
Putting all the blame on teachers and schools for the poor performance of our students is an exaggeration and overstatement. Filipino teachers, no matter their level of capability, are selfless heroes who have guided future generations and continue to do so.
Reynald Alfred A. Recede is a master teacher at Marikina High School.