CENTRAL LUZON STATE UNIVERSITY OPEN UNIVERSITY

Doctor of Philosophy in Development Education

ED 811 – COMPARATIVE EDUCATION (due date Oct 10, 3:00 PM)

SHANE TRINIDAD VERDE Dr. REGIDOR GABOY

PhD Student I.D. 193998 CLSU Faculty

Direction: Read the questions below. Select only two (2) and answer
comprehensively.

Each item that you will select is equivalent to 50 points.

QUESTION 1.

A news article about Program for International Student Assessment (PISA)

entitled: Philippines ranks among lowest in reading, math, and science in 2018
study (https://www.rappler.com/nation/philippines-ranking-reading- math-
science-pisa-study-2018) somehow calls for examining our own educational
system against the others who performed better than us. If you were to compare
our educational system to a country that performed higher than us in PISA, what
approach/es are you leaned to adopt? Explain your answer.

Answer:

It is alarming that, according to the Program for International Student Assessment result
of 2018, our country, Philippines ranks lowest in the field of reading, math, and science.
The results of the 2018 PISA Program International Student Assessment or the PISA
revealed which nations or economies performed and achieved their education’s goal a
lot better on specific categories.

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) measures 15-
year-olds' capacity to use their reading, mathematics, and science knowledge and
abilities to tackle real-life obstacles every three years in this global assessment of
education systems. In math, science, and reading, China and Singapore came in top
and second, respectively, with Elstonia and Canada in third and fourth. "The goal with
PISA was not to create another layer of top-down accountability, but to help schools and
policymakers shift from looking upward within the education system to looking outward
to the next teacher, the next school, and the next country," according to the PISA 2018
Insights and Interpretations statement.

Every three years, students are assessed to see if they could adapt to their real lives
true scenarios what they've learned in school.  Science, arithmetic, reading, problem-
solving, and financial literacy are just a few of the topics taught. It's become known as
the 'Olympics of education,' with the countries such as Singapore, Japan, and Finland
emerging as the top winners in 2015, the most recent year for which data and resources
are being available.

It is undeniably controversial especially to the critiques in the academe and educators

such the question that on what extent of reliability does the PISA could go along with
the results as a measure for the developments and achievements in education. It is
being asked and questioned that the measurement of educational achievement is
limited, the methodology of the research and study is problematic, and also, the scores
were practically meaningless.

If I am to compare our country to the educational system that relatedly performed higher
rank in the PISA, it is the educational system of Singapore. In the context, Singapore
has had a remarkable run of good fortune. It has grown from a poor island with no
natural resources and a largely uneducated population to a country of 5.8 million people
with living standards comparable to those of the most developed industrial nations since
becoming an independent republic in 1965. They deemed and recognized early on that
achieving the ambitious economic ambitions would require an educated workforce.

So, given that there are significant disparities in classroom practices between– and
within– the top-performing countries, what do Singaporean teachers do in their
classrooms that is so unique? What are the strengths of Singapore's educational
system that enable it to do so well? What are its constraints and limitations? Is it the
best model for countries attempting to adequately prepare students for the complex
demands of 21st-century knowledge economy and institutional environments in
general? Is the Singaporean educational system replicable in other countries? Or is its
success so reliant on very specific institutional and cultural elements that it's naive to
think it could be replicated elsewhere?

In general, Singaporean classroom instruction is highly structured and consistent across

all levels and disciplines. Teaching is cogent, purposeful, and pragmatic, relying on a
variety of Eastern and Western pedagogical traditions.

As a result, in Singapore, teaching is largely concerned with covering the curriculum,

transmitting factual and procedural information, and preparing the learners for
every end-of-semester and national examinations. Teachers rely extensively on
textbooks, worksheets, worked examples, and a lot of drill and practice because of this.
They also place a high value on knowledge of certain processes and the ability to
effectively describe problems, particularly in mathematics. Classroom conversation is
dominated by the teacher, and extensive discussion is often avoided. This is somehow
a teacher-centered curriculum. Surprisingly, Singaporean educators only use a
particularly effective teaching strategies that are considered crucial to the creation of
conceptual understanding and “learning how to learn” in contemporary educational
research. Teachers, for example, only occasionally verify a student's past knowledge or
communicate learning goals and accomplishment standards. Furthermore, while
teachers monitor student learning and provide feedback and learning support, they
mostly do so in methods that emphasize whether or not students know the correct
answer rather than their degree of understanding.

QUESTION 2.

Select a country in the ASEAN Region. Compare and contrast their educational
system with the Philippines based on levels and number of years of schooling.
Highlight the mandate of these educational systems thru their philosophy
mission and vision.

The education system in Singapore is largely recognized as one of the greatest in the
world. That’s why if I get to choose to make standards and photocopy their educational
system for ours, it is the Singapore.

Singapore's educational system is world-class. Because of its performance in

international academic competitions, it has acquired the label of world's best education
system. The Department of education supervises, directs and administers the basic
education system of the Philippines while on Singapore, it is the Ministry of Education.

The education system in Singapore is the result of a unique set of historical,

institutional, and cultural influences. These variables go a long way toward explaining
why the educational system is so effective in today's evaluation climate, but they also
limit its pertinency to other countries. Singapore has built a strong set of institutional
arrangements that define its educational system throughout time. Singapore has built a
centralized (despite increasing decentralization of authority in recent years) education
system that is cohesive, consistent, and well-funded. It's also fairly adaptable and tend
to lead by their experts in the fields.

Singapore has a unique educational system that is both innovative and effective. In the
Philippines, primary school graduates take a national achievement test, the results of
which are used to determine if the student has learnt the necessary skills. Primary
school graduates in Singapore must take the Primary School Leaving Examination
(PSLE), the results of which are used to determine which sort of secondary school the
student will attend. Multi-grade programs, alternate delivery modes, Conditional Cash
Transfer, GASTPE, Child Protection Policy, and Mother-Tongue Education are among
the priority programs in the Philippine education system. On the other side, Singapore
emphasizes meritocracy, bilingualism, the obligatory education act, a focus on Science,
English, and Mathematics, "Teach Less, Learn More," ICT integration, and
internationalization of education. In the teaching-learning situation, the "Teach Less,
Learn More" method makes use of technology.

Singapore, despite its "superiority," is no exception when it comes to crucial challenges

and concerns. If the Philippines has concerns about education budget, mismatch, fly-by-
night education, and monolithic education, Singapore has concerns about over-focus on
examinations and grades, social inclusion, disregard for special education,
parentocracy, and critics say the primary school leaving examination is held too early.
Unlike the Philippines, which has a framework in place for the education of children with
special needs, Singapore has only just begun to pay attention to the issue.

Nonetheless, no one can deny that Singapore possesses the world's top educational
system. The Compulsory Education Act, gifted education program, primary school
leaving evaluation, unique, convey, and ordinary secondary schools, two years of pre-
college education, and GCE "O" and "A" Levels exam as qualifications for admission to
universities are among the best practices that make them number one.

3. More often than not, we are usually amazed by the educational system of First World
Countries. Given the chance to adopt an educational system from another country aside
from yours, which one will you select? Discuss and support your answer.