Graft and Corruption in Education Ø BRIBE

By: Shane Jay G. Fabugais Ø NEPOTISM

Ø PLAGIARISM
Honesty is very much a part and parcel of the Filipino culture. Ø GHOST AUTHORSHIP
This trait was one of the endearing qualities of our ancestors. Ø FAKE DIPLOMAS
In fact, the Code of Kalantiao, one of four earliest legal Ø UNDUE POLITICAL INFLUENCE
compendiums, considered it important so much so that Ø EDITORIAL MISCONDUCT IN ACADEMIC JOURNALS
whoever was found to be dishonest in dealing with others Ø EMBEZZLEMENT OF RESOURCES AND GRANTS
was meted out with appropriate punishment. That is why
even trades with foreigners like the Chinese then went on OTHER PRACTICES OF CORRUPTION
smoothly because the early Filipinos never cheated them. ❧ „buying” positive grades
Such trait has been passed on to us from one generation to ❧ “buying” entrance examinations to secondary schools and
another. (Garcia, 1994) universities
❧ “selling” tests, final examination forms
At our contemporary times, however, honesty seems to be a ❧ giving additional private lessons
rarity among us Filipinos. Probably because of the pervasive ❧ system of incentives for selecting specific text book
effects of materialism and the worsening socio-economic
conditions, we only put premium on honesty theoretically.
Our excessive desire to own more wealth and money is so Corruption in the Education Sector
overwhelming that such virtue of honesty seems to be a thing Corruption in education is more detrimental than corruption
of the past already. in other sectors because of its long-term effects.

Corruption, as most scholars have found, is more rampant or Corruption threatens equal access, quantity and quality of
uncontrolled in newly independent states. It is marked and education.
prevalent during the period of rapid social and economic
growth. Thus, this condition is attributed to the discrepancy Its consequences are particularly harsh for the poor who,
between the cultural norms and the legal norms. without access to education or with no alternative but low-
quality education, have little chance to escape a life of
According to the Sage’s English Dictionary, a software poverty.
dictionary, it says that corruption is the inducement (as of
public official) by improper means (as bribery) to violate duty CAUSES Of CORRUPTION IN EDUCATION
(as by committing a felony). Ø HIGH STAKES OF EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITY.
Ø ALLOCATION OF FUNDS
On the other hand, graft is a form of corruption but is an Ø COMPLEX ADMINISTRATIVE LAYERS
individual act. It is the illegal appropriation of public resources Ø INADEQUATE MONITORING
by a single official or a group of officials. It does not involve Ø LACK OF AWARENESS
transactions among officials or between officials with clients. Ø AUTHORITY POWER IN WRONG HANDS
Ø BRAIN DRAIN
Forms of Graft and Corruption Ø LACK OF AFFECTIVE POLITICAL LEADERSHIP
• Dereliction of duty or failure to discharge one’s Ø DIMINISHED PATRIOTISM
official function legitimately; Ø LOW LITERACY RATE
• Bribery or utilizing one’s public or official position as Ø INFLATION
a means in performing an unlawful act in exchange
of any offer, promise, gift, and money consideration; SOLUTIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
• Malversation of public funds or property in which he Ø STRONG MONITORING AND ACCOUNTABILITY
appropriates, takes or misappropriates public funds Ø STRONG LEGISLATION
and/or allows another person to do the same; Ø TRANSPARENCY IN APPOINTMENTS AND ADMINISTRATION
• and Committing frauds against the public treasury Ø ACTIVE CIVIL SOCIETY
and be involved in illegal evictions and transactions. Ø ZERO TOLERANCE FOR CORRUPTION
• Ø WHISTLE BLOWER LEGISLATION
What are the implications of graft and corruption in
education? Corruption is incompatible with one of the major aims of
education: producing citizens that respect the laws and
If corruption is left uncontrolled in the education system, and human rights.
students are able to bribe their teachers to get good grades or
pass school exams, there are no incentives for them to work If children come to believe that personal effort and merit do
as hard as they should. not count and that success comes through manipulation,
favoritism and bribery, then the very foundations of society
PRACTICES OF CORRUPTION are shaken.
Ø GHOST TEACHERS
Ø GHOST SCHOOLS MONEY IS THE ROOT OF ALL EVIL!
Ø ABSENTEEISM

POVERTY
The education system is unified but fractured.
The Filipino education system has been heavily influenced by
the US, which is a legacy of its time under American control.
Many Filipino university lecturers completed their training in
the States.
Although primary school enrolment reached 100% in the
1970s, and today in Manila almost all primary students
complete school, there are huge regional variations. In some
areas, less than 30% of students finish school.
In 2013, 19.2% of survey respondents said, “insufficient
family income” was their main reason for absence from
school. While some areas of the Philippines benefit from
excellent education facilities and teaching, others –
particularly rural areas – do not.
The reasons for continued widespread poverty in the
Philippines are many and varied. Its roots can be traced back
to the destruction and upheaval caused by the Second World
War, while subsequent policies of Presidents Ramon
Magsaysay, Ferdinand Marcos and Gloria Arroyo did not
improve conditions for the poorest Filipinos and widened the
income equality gap.
The percentage of the population living below the poverty line
is decreasing, but only slowly. In some areas, such as
Mindanao, the figure stands at more than 30%.
The Filipino economy is growing, but that growth is not being
felt by those on the lowest incomes. Some of this can be
attributed to the country’s rapid population growth. The
country simply does not have enough money to take enough
people out of poverty. An income tax rate of 32% puts
pressure on those who earn precious little to start with.
In Manila, for example, where figures for school completion
rates are higher than anywhere else, there are far fewer
people living below the poverty line, showing a direct
correlation between education and living conditions. At the
other extreme, in the Zamboanga-ARMM region,
where 50% of inhabitants were living in poverty in 2012,
dropout rates are reportedly as high as 90%.
Income inequality correlates with educational inequality
In the Philippines, unemployment is high, inflation is high and
there is huge income inequality. A 2009 report showed that
the poorest 20% of the population had only 4.45% of the
national income.
The income disparity between the rich and poor has been
described as, “the highest in Asia” and in 2014, Forbes
reported that the wealthiest families were worth
around US$72.4 billion.
One of the key findings of a paper prepared by National
Statistical Coordination Board Secretary General Jose Ramon
Albert directly correlated income equality with educational
inequality. “Education correlates with living standards:
practically 19 out of 20 poor persons in 2009 belong to
households where the heads have little or no schooling. Lack
of education of the household head limits earning potentials
of the household,” he wrote.
A more critical eye needs to be cast on the Filipino education
system. At its best, it works very well; at its worst, it fails
those who need it most.
More resources are desperately needed. They need to be
channelled into the poorest areas. Low education and skill
levels of the poor already hinder the Philippines’ economic
growth capacity. Corruption means the status quo is
maintained.
As the population continues to grow, and government
spending on education continually falls short, the rich will get
richer and the poor will get poorer. Inevitably, literacy rates
and other measures of education standards will fall as more
people are sucked into poverty.
Just how far do they need to plummet before the government
acts?
Emotional Effects
Feelings of:
• Alienation from peers
• Inadequacy
• Depression
• Anxiety
• Aggressive behavior
• Impulsive behavior
Social Effects
ØStudents who live in poverty tend to move much more
frequently than those who do not live in poverty.
ØThis makes it difficult to make friends.
ØSocial skills are not well-developed due to a lack of
friendships.
ØA feeling of “not belonging”.
Educational Effects
*Student may not have any prior school records accessible for
new school. *Difficulty placing child due to no records.
*Child may be very far behind other students in the
district/school.
“Schools can have a powerful impact on the academic
achievement and success of all children by viewing them as ‘at
promise’ rather than ‘at risk’ and preparing them to reach
their full potential.”

MALNUTRITION
Hunger is one of the extreme effects of poverty in the
Philippines. With little money to buy food, Filipinos are having
to survive on very limited food; even when food supplies are
stable, they are most accessible in other areas where people
have enough income to purchase the food.
And with such an unequal distribution of income, there is a
low demand for food supplies in less developed areas that are
home to low-income residents. The quality of food is also
decreasing — rice used to be the main source of food for
Filipinos, but now it has largely been replaced with instant
noodles, which is cheaper but less nutritious. As a result,
malnutrition has become a lot more common.
Malnutrition is the result of other factors, including
socioeconomic challenges like high unemployment. In the
Philippines, over 2.9 million people are struggling to obtain
stable employment; a rate that has increased from
6.8 percent in 2012, to over 7.1 percent in 2014. Moreover,
due to high food prices, 28 million people cannot even afford
to purchase enough food to satisfy their family’s food needs.
In order to improve food consumption within households,
dietary concepts that stress cooking vegetables and proper
hygiene practices should be encouraged. This knowledge
could help reduce the amount of underweight and stunted
children.
FORMS OF MALNUTRITION
• Underweight
• Wasting
• Stunting
• Overweight
Underweight
-is a term describing a person whose body weight is
considered too low to be healthy
-refers to people with a body mass index (BMI) of under 18.5
or a weight 15% to 20 % below that normal for their age and
height group.
Wasting
-weight is less than the normal amount for one’s height
Moderate Wasting: Girls and Boys = 12.1 – 13.7 kg Severe
Wasting: Girls and Boys = below12.1 kg
Average weight: (5 yrs. Old) Girls = 18.2 kg Boys = 18.3 kg
Stunting
-height is less than the normal amount for one’s age
Moderate Stunting: Girls = 95.2 to 99.9 cm Boys = 96.1 to
100.7 cm
Severe Stunting: Girls = below 95.2 cm Boys = below 96.1 cm
Average height: (5 yrs. Old) Girls = 109 cm Boys = 110 cm
Overweight
weight that is higher than what is considered as a healthy
weight for a given height
CAUSES
• POVERTY
• LACK OF SOURCES OF FOOD
• LACK OF BREASTFEEDING
• DISEASES
• LACK OF SAFE DRINKING WATER
Philippines: malnutrition hinders children's school
performance
An estimated seven million children across the Philippines
suffer from serious malnutrition. This problem is largely driven
by inadequate access to nutritious food, lack of nutrition
education, as well as poor health and sanitation services.
What happens when children aren’t fed properly?
They become sickly and unable to perform well in school.
They lose their fighting chance to live a better life and to
contribute to the country’s development.
Our country cannot survive on a starving stomach. The good
news is that we can still solve this problem right now. But
everyone – from the government, to private companies, to
citizens – should do their part.
Recently the government of the Philippines has put
in frameworks to support a program of school level gardening,
bringing together agencies such as the Department of
Education and the Department of Agriculture. The school
feeding program is receiving increased attention in the past
two years. Overall the opportunities for leveraging the
nutrition contributions of school gardens have been
considerably enhanced.
In the past few years the Philippines has a national program
on school gardening. The International Institute of Rural
Reconstruction (IIRR), Food and Nutrition Research Institute
of the Department of Science and Technology (FNRI) and the
Department of Education are working on a program to
demonstrate the value of linking three related areas of school
nutrition: gardening, feeding and nutrition education. This
IDRC supported program is designed to generate evidence on
the value of school gardens and to establish on the ground
demonstrations of the value of linking feeding programs to
school garden programs.
The school gardening program uses an environmentally sound
approach to produce a diverse range of vegetables with no
chemical inputs of any kind. A diverse garden guarantees
good nutrition providing Vitamin A and C, Iron, Calcium,
Protein and various other micronutrients. To link gardens and
school feeding program, standardized recipes that are
appetizing to school kids were developed by FNRI.
Indeed, fighting malnutrition in the Philippines is a difficult
task, but it should not be considered unimportant. The
betterment of the Philippines’ future relies on its children;
children that need proper nutrition to grow into healthy
adults. Government funding and continued education are key
to fighting malnutrition in the Philippines.
– Rachel Cannon