Philippine Education System in 2018: Are We Moving

Forward?
By
Marane A. Plaza

Our country’s
uniqueness as the only
Christian and English-
speaking archipelago in
Southeast Asia impacts
our education system
more than we
acknowledge.
Our country’s
anglophonic culture and
religious system are all
results of colonialism,
backed up by our rich history of being colonized by the Spanish regime for
three centuries, followed by the US occupation for nearly five decades.

The US colonialism has always had a huge impact on the development of

the education system in the Philippines. In fact, the American English has
always been imposed in our schools and become second to the Filipino as
our national language.

Our strong knowledge in the English language could be a global tool in

personal economic growth, particularly if you’d consider the business
process outsourcing industry in the global landscape. Despite this, Filipinos
are still very dependent on attaining college degrees in terms of climbing
the professional ladder, as a college diploma is still a very basic
requirement or qualification in landing on financially fulfilling jobs. Luckily
though, a lot of advancements have happened in the modern Philippine
education system that is designed to empower Filipinos personally and
professionally.

One of the most notable milestones in the Philippine education is that the
government actively seeks to expand access and participation in higher
education  and, even more importantly, tries to improve the quality of
education.

Businessmirror.com
According to the Philippine National Development Plan, “the number of
higher education institutions in the Philippines is ten times more than its
neighboring countries. The Philippines’s lackluster performance in
producing innovators, researchers (81 researchers per million population
versus 205 in Indonesia and 115 in Vietnam) and knowledge producers (28
out of 777 journals, or 3.6 percent are listed under Thomson Reuters,
Scopus or both) indicates that the country has lagged behind many of its
Asean neighbors in producing researchers, innovators and solutions
providers needed to effectively function in a knowledge economy.”
Although the participation in higher education in the Philippines has
expanded in recent years, with the gross tertiary enrolment rate growing
from 2.2 million in 1999 to 4.1 million in 2016, the information from the
Philippine National Development Plan that we have a shortage in local
“researchers and innovators” should not be overlooked nor ignored.
Enrolment rates for college students are expected to expand even more,
with the bold decision of President Duterte in 2017 to make education at
state universities and colleges tuition-free, yet this does not automatically
mean that such changes can result in producing a new generation of
researchers and innovators.

On the other side, the previous administrations K-12 reforms have

inevitably led to decreased rate of college enrollees, too, at least in the
short-term, since many of the students that would usually have entered
higher education after Grade 10 now have to complete two additional years
of school.

In 2013 the Philippine government initiated the extension of the country’s

basic education cycle from ten to twelve years—a major reform that former
Education Secretary Armin Luistro has called “the most comprehensive
basic-education reform initiative ever done in the country since the
establishment of the public education system more than a century ago”.
Between 2015-2016 and 2016-2017, the total number of tertiary students
already dropped from 4.1 million to 3.6 million—a decrease that is
particularly apparent when looking at undergraduate enrollment rate,
according to data from the Commission on Higher Education.

Despite some predicaments, qualitative improvements and achievements in

the Philippine education system are still notable in a number of areas. This
includess a slight increase in the number of higher-education faculty
holding higher degrees. The percentage of instructors with master’s and
doctorate degrees grew from 38.87 percent and 11.09 percent in 2010,
respectively, to 40.34 and 12.62 percent in 2015.

Businessmirror.com
The number of higher-education institutes with accredited education
programs, which is not mandatory in the Philippines, increased by more
than 40 percent between 2010 and 2017, while the passing rates of
candidates sitting for professional licensing exams, a measure of academic
effectiveness,  jumped from 33.9 to 58.6 percent between 2010 and 2015.

Despite the shortage of innovators, researchers and knowledge producers

in the country, it is great to note that Filipinos are generally prioritizing
higher and advanced education. In fact, there have been a wide interest in
international education among Filipinos, as well as nontraditional
educational courses outside of the typical college courses.

According to the Australian embassy in Manila, Australia continues to be

one of the top preferred learning destinations of Filipinos, with more than
10,000 students coming to the “Land Down Under” for their education
every year. Australia is a global education powerhouse with some of the
world’s best facilities and educators, providing students with over 22,000
courses across 1,100 institutions. The Education Centre of Australia (ECA)
is one of the top institutions in the country that have helped Filipinos
achieve their aspirations in international education. ECA is a diverse
education group that operates at the forefront of Australia’s higher-
education sector. Over the past two decades the education center has
helped Filipinos transform their lives through English language courses,
undergraduate pathways, postgraduate degrees and targeted internships.
ECA works in partnership with quality university providers and operates
several highly successful colleges.

Locally, some private colleges-institutions and premium universities

continuously hone Filipino college students to be at par with international
educational standards.

De La Salle University (DLSU) has always had a vision for

internationalization of education in the country with its partnership with the
British Council, the UK’s international organization for cultural relations
and educational opportunities.

DLSU, a private nonprofit Catholic research university with a vision and

mission of being a leading learner-centered and research university
bridging faith and scholarship, has positioned itself as a leader in molding
human resources who serve the church and the nation. Nestled in the heart
of Manila, DLSU is home to local and international students seeking quality
education for a brighter future ahead. It is situated in a vibrant city where
culture and diversity are well manifested. With its partnership with the

Businessmirror.com
British Council in the Philippines, DLSU has expanded and diversified
academic mobility for both faculty and students, as well as has
internationalized research and academic programs. With the said
partnership, DLSU has focused on strengthening the education and courses
on innovation and entrepreneurship, digital technology and creativity,
design engineering and agriculture with its international reach.

For learners who want to pursue traditional aspirations like being medical
professionals, De La Salle Medical and Health Sciences Institute
(DLSMHSI) is still one of the go-to medical academes in the country. The
DLSMHSI is a premier higher-education institution that is committed to
teaching and forming future medical-and health-sciences professionals who
will have the commitment and dedication to become catalysts of the
spiritual, social and economic transformation of our country. The DLSMHSI
is part of De La Salle Philippines, the network of schools in the Philippines,
which are managed by the De La Salle Brothers. The DLSMHSI offers
academic degree programs in medicine, biochemistry, medical-laboratory
science, nursing, occupational therapy, pharmacy, physical therapy,
radiologic technology, and speech and language pathology. They also offer a
master’s degree in nursing and a special health sciences high school (Grade
11 and 12) curriculum. The university takes pride in offering premium
higher-educaton in the medical field.

With the efforts of the local government, the advancements of local-

educational institutions, corporate social-responsibility initiatives of
corporations and the individual pursuits of Filipinos for personal
empowerment through education, a rise on the number of innovators,
researchers and knowledge producers” in the country may not be a problem
anymore in the near future. As a nation, we just have to redirect our focus
in terms of continuously advocating higher education by support any efforts
in the improvement of our educational system.

Individually, we just have to be more open to educational opportunities, and

maximize our edge as English-speaking citizens, a major benefit in global
commerce and education. Being more pro-active in teaching ourselves to be
our own responsible innovators and knowledge producers for our own
professional and financial gain. After all, as a nation, we are also very much
into technology and the Internet. With research and a few clicks here and
there, we might actually stumble on some local grants, interesting online
courses and international scholarships that can upgrade us educationally
and economically. Continuous learning and education, after all, are still the
greatest investments we could give to ourselves.

Businessmirror.com
Businessmirror.com