ISSUES AND CONCERNS OF PHILIPPINE EDUCATION THROUGH THE YEARS

Quality education is the utmost goal of an educational system and its entire
stakeholders. Through years of improving the system, change in education has been
observed. Philippine education was challenged for multiple decades under different
governments. Each government has achieved different changes with different
motives. But, do the Philippines achieved quality education over decades? How did
past governments change the system?

After I read the whole article, I am very amazed on how the writer simply
discussed the Philippine educational system from its origin until the present times in
a very understandable way. I used to read other articles related to the topic, but this
one is something great. To add, the writer used wise words and easy to apprehend.
His article is clear in thoughts and readers can easily visualize what happened in
Philippine education. What I like the most is the arrangement of ideas and plots as
well and it is truly informative.

On the other hand, I agree with the writer’s statement “Spaniards were
successful in making the natives illiterate and uneducated.” During this period,
Spaniards were only focused on helping wealthy Filipinos. They underestimated the
natives and failed to expand education to the natives. But, as for me, it was a
blessing in disguise. Native Filipinos were ones of the Filipinos who fought for their
freedom and won that led to a better chance. After Spaniards were defeated,
Americans governed the Philippines and improved the system.

I agree with how the writer elaborated the success of the system during the
American era. Filipinos, the illustrados and the natives were given free education
and thousands of graduates were tallied. Filipinos during this time learned some
vocational and health education, which I think the writer forgot to include. Filipinos
were smoothly earning the democratic life from chaotic experience under Spanish
colonization. I like as well the negative impact stated by the writer during this time.
Americans were brainwashing the Filipinos and imposed American cultures instead
of nurturing theirs. The writer had mentioned that the Japanese destroyed the
classroom and other school materials which I somehow disagree after watching a
related video. The said statement is not given specifically. I think classroom buildings
and other educational materials used were destroyed by Japanese- American war
but were massively rehabilitated.

We observed another change in education from Basic Curriculum Education

to K-12 education in this present time. Most of the adults now were graduated under
Basic Curriculum yet, still, most of them were not landed good jobs based on my
observation. This indicates that there is still a problem with the educational system in
the Philippines. I agree with the writer’s points “Education has been looked into as
the means of alleviating poverty, decreasing criminals, increasing economic benefits,
and etc.” These may be the expectations yet are far from the reality because it was
not achieved by the most of the graduates. The K-12 education graduates are seen
as ineffective otherwise.

The writer may point good and terrible things about the system. I believe,
Philippine education at the present times is still in progress. It may sound
disconsolate, teachers and stakeholders should accept it.

Submitted by:

GRACE B. PATUNOB