Skip to main content

State of national emergency (6 March 2006 People's Journal editorial)

ONLY six out of every 1,000 elementary school graduates are prepared to enter high school. That sad fact surfaced in the 2004 High School Readiness Test plied by the Department of Education.

We’re keeping our fingers crossed that those numbers might turn up less bleak this time. On March 9 and 15, nearly three million first and second year public high school students nationwide will troop to test centers for DepEd assessment tests to gauge their competencies. Thank goodness, test results won’t reflect in the students’ grades.

Per capita spending for education is placed at P7,700 per student each year compared to, say, New Zealand or the US of A which spends the equivalent of P125,500 per student/year.

In 2004, Sen. Manuel B. Villar, Jr. cited that the Philippines “allots only 3.2% of its gross domestic product for education. It is the third lowest compared to other Asian countries: Malaysia 7.9%, Thailand 5%, Hong Kong 4.1%, Japan 3.6%, China 2.2% and Indonesia 1.3%.

“Even as a percentage of the national budget, at 14% the Philippines ranks the third lowest in Asia,” he added.

The miserly fund support for what’s usually bandied about as “our nation’s future” has spawned dismal results.

Only two of evert 100 graduating high school students are fit to enter college.

The Philippines is No. 41 in Science and No. 42 in Mathematics among 45 countries.

The millions of student examinees nationwide need not worry if they flunk the tests. DepEd has announced that names of flunkers will not be made public. No sanctions will be given to them.

Examination results are also meant to push DepEd to turn up better tools for its programs and methods.

Education has always been viewed as an avenue to a better quality of life—“only the educated are truly free,” rued slave-turned-philosopher Epictetus. Education is an equalizer, opening equal opportunities to rich and poor alike. As such, development and provision of education should always be seen within the context of easing poverty.

About 40% of Filipinos barely make over P100 a day and that amount’s hardly enough to put decent food on their tables.

To the hard-nosed policymaker, such grinding poverty is the genuine state of national emergency.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

ALAMAT NG TAHONG

SAKBIBI ng agam-agam sa kalagayan ng butihing kabiyak-- at kabiyakan, opo-- na nakaratay sa karamdaman, ang pumalaot na mangingisda ay napagawi sa paanan ng dambuhalang Waczim-- isang bathala na nagkakaloob sa sinuman anumang ibulwak ng bibig mula sa bukal ng dibdib. Pangangailangan sa salapi na pambili ng gamot ng kapilas-pusong maysakit ang nakasaklot sa puso ng matandang mangingisda. 'Di kaginsa-ginsa'y bumundol ang kanyang bangka sa paanan ng Waczim. Kagy at umigkas ang katagang kimkim noon sa kanyang dibdib: "Salapi!" Bumuhos ng salapi-- mga butil at gilit ng ginto-- mula papawirin. At halos umapaw sa ginto ang bangka ng nagulantang na mangingisda, walang pagsidlan ang galak, at walang humpay ang pasasalamat sa mga bathala. Nanumbalik ang kalusugan ng kabiyak ng mangingisda. At lumago ang kabuhayan, naging mariwasa ang magkapilas-puso na dating maralita. Nilasing ng kanyang mga dating kalapit-bahay ang mangingisda-- na hindi ikina...

Cal y canto con camote

FENG shui (literally, wind water flow) lore has it root crops embody a hidden store of treasures. Say, a local food conglomerate needs yearly 35,000 metric tons of cassava for livestock feed-- the available local supply falls short of 13,000 tons. Cassava granules sell for around P9 a kilo. Demand for the same root crop to be used in liquor manufacturing is hitting above the roof. Why, raising cassava is a no-brainer task— this is one tough crop that can grow in the most hostile patches of earth, providing sustenance for ages to dwellers in sub-Saharan parts of Africa. While the hardy cassava is nearly pure starch, the lowly sweet potato or kamote is considered by nutritionists as a super food, the most nutritious of all vegetables— kamote levels of Vitamin A are “off the charts, rich in antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties.” A fist-sized kamote can supply a day’s dose of glucose to fuel the brain, muscles, and organs, so they claim. Count the country lucky...

Wealth garden

‘TWAS CRUEL as smashing a budding green thumb: some years back, an abuela warned me about letting any clump of katigbi (Job’s tears or Coix lachrymal jobi for you botanists) from growing in our homeyard. That grass with rapier-like leaves that smelled of freshly pounded pinipig supposedly invited bad luck and sorrows—why, that biblical character Job wailed and howled a lot, didn’t he? (But was later rewarded with oodles of goodies, wasn’t he?) Then, I came across some arcane text that practically goaded folks to grow katigbi in their gardens—why, there’s a starchy kernel wrapped shut in the seed’s shiny coat. A handful or more of kernels could be cooked as porridge. Too, one could whisper a wish upon seven seed pods, throw ‘em pods in running water—a river or stream—and the wish would be granted! I was warned, too, about planting kapok or talisay trees right in the homeyard—these trees form a cross-like branching pattern. Pasang-krus daw ang bahay na kalapit sa puno ng kapok, tal...