Issues and Problems in the Philippine Basic Education

Issues and Problems in the Philippine Basic Education

Teacher : Pupil Ratio Comparison

COUNTRYELEMENTARYLOWER SECONDARYIndonesia24:117.6:1Japan23.117 : 1Laos20:117 : 1Malaysia21 : 145 : 127 : 1Philippines South KoreaThailand21.5 : 121.5 : 1Vietnam30.1 : 130.1 : 1

Selected Asian Country Comparison, Teacher : Pupil Ratio

Shortages... Shortages.

Shortages2001-20022002-20032003-20042004-20052005-2006Classrooms8,44312,47044,71651,94757,930Seats2,108,1731,886,4994.87M4.56M3.48MTextbook------24.22M34.7M---Teachers37,93235,81846,35638,53549,699

Classrooms, Seats , Textbooks, and Teachers Shortages

Shortages2001-20022005-2006Classrooms8,44357,930Teachers37,93249,699

Public education in the Philippines is at a crossroads. There are large-scale shortages of classrooms, teachers, desks and chairs, textbooks, audio-video materials. Over-crowding of classrooms is standard with class sizes averaging about 80 students per class. The education system is marked by inadequate teacher training programs and declining per capita expenditure per child by the government. For every school-aged child enrolled in school, there is another who has never attended or has dropped out. These problems are particularly acute in the conflict-affected areas of Mindanao, especially in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

Teacher Shortage and Brain DrainThough the DepEd Factsheet present a good teacher : pupil/student ratio and also the class size per classroom, reality check reveals the shortages in Classroom and Teachers. As mentioned in an article made by Pinoy Teachers Network written on Novermber 12, 2006 , it says: The exodus of Filipino teachers has taken a toll on the Philippine educational system. It is not uncommon to have a teacher-to-student ratio of 1:150

Living Salary Gap

Entry Level Salary of Philippine Teachers.Year SALARYLevel : Teacher 1Cost of LivingLiving Salary Gap1998P8,605P13,438.80P4,833.801999P8,605P13,825.50P5,220.502000P9,466P14,825.50P6,359.102001P9,939P15,174.30P5,235.302002P9,939P15,975.90P6,036.902004P9,939P18,069.30P8,130.30

Family Living Salary1st Quarter 2006P19,950 ()P16,3344 (National)(P665/day; P544.80/day IBON Facts and Figures)

Teacher Exodus

1,666 Filipino teachers leave the country every yearThe shortages of teachers abroad, especially in U.S. entices Filipino teachers to migrate.gives a larger salary gap along with other teacher benefits such as free access teacher trainings/seminar.

COUNTRYAverageNet Income in US$Weekly HoursWork RequirementUnited States $ 4,05536.6United Kingdom$ 3,56832.5Australia$ 2,74239.1Canada$ 2,23631.1Japan$ 2,961No data South Korea$ 2,09639.7Thailand$ 38838.0Philippines$ 237 40.0

2005 Teachers Income Comparison with Selected Countries

Rapid Population GrowthPhilippines official population count as of 2012 is 103,775,002.More than 30% of the population is found at NCR, CALABARZON, and Central Luzon. If we are to continue our present teacher : pupil ratio which is 1 : 45, the government should strictly consider addressing the present shortages in classroom and teachers with due additional buffer for the 1.81 Million new students annually (1.81Million is the actual new borns per year).

National Toilet Bowl to Pupil Ratio

Toilet, as a basic facility is a must have for all establishments be they public or private in nature. Quoted below is the article written in Inquirer, a top Media Corporation in the country.

The national toilet bowl to pupil ratio stands at 1:51 in primary schools and 1:102 in secondary schools. In the ARMM, its 1:171 in the elementary level and 1:250 in the secondary level while in NCR, its 1:114 and 1:143, respectively... Take the case of Silangan Elementary School (Annex) in Taguig, Metro Manila. Last year, all 2,031 students enrolled in that school were provided with one toilet bowl. Thats a toilet bowl to pupil ratio of 1:2,031.

School ViolenceWhat parents can do? pay attention to subtle and overt changes in their children

What teachers can do? talk to parents, enforcing school policies, bring concerns to guidance councilors

What students can do? refuse to succumb to negative peer preasure

Ten Ways to Prevent School ViolenceTake responsibilityDont allow prejudice or stereotypesListen to idle chatterGet involved with studentsEducate oneself on danger signsDiscuss violence preventionEncourage them to talkTeach conflict resolutionGet parents involvedTake part in school wide initiatives

Alarming Increase of Drop-out and Out of School YouthEducation LevelAY 2002-2003AY 2006-2007Elementary90.29%83.22%High School59.00%58.59%

Participation Rate

Education LevelAY 2002-2003AY 2006-2007Elementary71.55%71.72%High School74.81%72.14%

Completion Rate

Drop-outThere were 75 million children who are not still enrolled in primary school, over a third of children dropped out before completing primary school.

DeterminantsHome EnvironmentSchool EnvironmentSocial Environment

PreventionOrganizational measuresPedagogical measuresIncentivesCommunity participationNon-formal education

Out of School YouthReasonsIncapable governmentPovertyUnsupportable parentsBad peer pressureBad vicesDistant parentsChild laborBad environmentTescher factorLaziness

OPPORTUNITY COST OF SCHOOLINGparents face a trade-ff between household consumption now and children's expected future income

Gender and Equity Issues

Cultural and Religious Attitudes

School Effectiveness

K to 12

ProsEnhancing the quality of basic education in the Philippines is urgent and critical.The congested curriculum partly explains the present state of education.This quality of education is reflected in the inadequate preparation of high school graduates for the world of work or entrepreneurship or higher education.Most graduates are too young to enter the labor force.The current system also reinforces the misperception that basic education is just a preparatory step for higher education.The short duration of the basic education program also puts the millions of overseas Filipino workers , at a disadvantage.The short basic education program affects the human development of the Filipino children.

ConsParents have to shell out more money .The government does not have the money to pay for two more years of free education, since it does not even have the money to fully support todays ten years. We can do in ten years what everyone else in the world takes 12 years to do. As far as the curriculum is concerned, DepEd should fix the current subjects instead of adding new ones. A high school diploma will not get anybody anywhere, because business firms will not hire fresh high school graduates.Every family dreams of having a child graduate from college.While students are stuck in Grades 11 and 12, colleges and universities will have no freshmen for two years. The drop-out rate will increase because of the two extra years.