The Increasing Commercialization of the Philippine Educational System

Many fail to appreciate education as an avenue where gifts of knowing and learning flourish.
This is one of the few problems that plague the Philippine educational system today. A growing
problem of the commercialization of various facets in Philippine education has been one of the
major concerns that should not be overlooked. This dilemma even horridly took away the life of
a student, along with her shattered dreams and ambitions.
Kristeel Tejada, a 16-year old University of the Philippines (UP) Behavioral Science freshman
committed suicide after knowing that she had no other recourse but to stop going to school after
they failed to pay the professed socialized tuition scheme: Bracket D of the University of the
Philippines. Tejadas suicide was considered an appalling consequence of the increasing
commercialization of the Philippine educational system that has greatly affected todays Filipino
youth.
The 1987 Philippine Constitution enshrined the right to education through Article XIV of the Bill
of Rights, stating: The State shall protect and promote the right of all citizens to quality
education at all levels, and shall take appropriate steps to make such education accessible to
all. Basically, the education in the Philippines still follows the system of free and compulsory
elementary and high school instruction. Nonetheless, the tertiary level is dominated by
institutions which entail high tuition fees.
The future is quite bleak for most of the Filipino youth. Although education reforms do have its
advantages, the economic value of education should not be limited to answering the manpower
needs of the foreign and local industries, but primarily to help the youth to reach their full
potential. After all, education is a right, not a previlage.