POLICY

 NOTE:  10  WAYS  TO  FIX  PHILIPPINE  BASIC  EDUCATION  

Commentary
Philippine Daily Inquirer
February 2010

10 ways to fix Philippine Basic Education

by Benigno S. Aquino III

Philippine education is in crisis and we need not argue that point.

What we need is a president with a basic education agenda, willing to

make the hard decisions. This is what needs to be done.

1. 12-Year Basic Education Cycle

We need to add two years to our basic education. Those who can
afford pay for up to fourteen years of schooling before university. Thus,
their children are getting into the best universities and the best jobs after
graduation. I want at least 12 years for our public school children to give
them an even chance at succeeding.

My education team has designed a way to go from our current 10

years (6 elementary, 4 high school) to a K-12 system in five years starting
SY 2011-12. Kindergarten (K) to Grade 12 is what the rest of the world
gives their children.

I will expand the basic education cycle in this country from a short 10-
year cycle to a globally-comparable 12 years before the end of the next
administration (2016).

2. Universal pre-schooling for all

All over the world, pre-schooling is given to all young children as the
first year of basic education. We don’t solve this deficiency by renaming
day care centers as pre-schools. We need to build a proper pre-school
system and make this available to all children regardless of income.

All public school children (and all public schools) will have pre-
schooling as their introduction to formal schooling by 2016.

POLICY NOTE: 10 WAYS TO FIX PHILIPPINE BASIC EDUCATION

POLICY  NOTE:  10  WAYS  TO  FIX  PHILIPPINE  BASIC  EDUCATION  

3. Madaris Education as a sub-system within the Education

system.

Our Muslim brothers and sisters ask for an education system that
respects their culture while providing a technically sound curriculum in
English, Filipino, science and math. Madaris education with subjects in
Arabic Language and Islamic Values Education can be integrated in our
public school curriculum as additional subjects with the view to keeping our
Muslim Filipino children in school.

I want a full basic education for ALL Muslim Filipino children

anywhere in the country.

4. Technical vocational education as an alternative stream in

senior high school.

Half our high school graduates want to work upon graduation but do
not have enough technical education. We need to provide an education
alternative to better prepare students for the world of work. Technical,
vocational education must be re-introduced in our public high schools with
trade tests and skills rating (TESDA or other acceptable work standards) as
the final examination for students looking at HS as their terminal course.

I will re-introduce technical-vocational education in our public high

schools to better link schooling to local industry needs and employment.

5. “Every Child a Reader” by Grade 1

At the core of our children’s non-learning problems is the inability to

read properly. By the end of the next administration (SY 2015-16), every
child passing pre-school must be a reader by Grade 1.

Essential to this, we must build a library infrastructure in our schools,

procure reading books (from our Philippine publishing industry to support
local authors and publishers) and train our elementary teachers on how to
teach reading.

POLICY NOTE: 10 WAYS TO FIX PHILIPPINE BASIC EDUCATION

POLICY  NOTE:  10  WAYS  TO  FIX  PHILIPPINE  BASIC  EDUCATION  

By the end of the next administration, every child must be a reader by

Grade 1.
6. Science and Math proficiency

We need a strong science and math curriculum that starts as early as

Grade 1 with instructional materials and properly trained elementary
teachers. To build a culture for science and math, I will bring back the
science and math clubs movement with elementary and high school
science/math fairs.

I will rebuild the science and math infrastructure in schools so that we

can produce more scientists, engineers, technicians, technologists and
teachers in our universities so that this country can be more globally
competitive in industry and manufacturing.

7. Assistance to private schools as essential partners in basic

education

Private education must be a partner in producing quality education in

the country. I intend to expand GASTPE (Government Assistance to
Students and Teachers in Private Education) to a target of 1 million private
HS students every year through education service contracting (ESC) while
doing away with the wasteful education voucher system (EVS) of this
administration.

I will expand government assistance to private education. A strong

private school system will strengthen our public schools by providing
parents an alternative and not adding to the overcrowding.

8. Medium of Instruction rationalized

UNESCO has proven that young children learn best in their mother
tongue before moving on to English in higher grades. I fully support the
UNESCO-tried and tested formula on mother tongue instruction. From pre-
school to Grade 3, we will use the mother tongue as the medium of
instruction while teaching English and Filipino as subjects.

From Grades 4-6 (7), we will increasingly use English as the medium
of instruction for science & math and Filipino for Araling Panlipunan (social

POLICY NOTE: 10 WAYS TO FIX PHILIPPINE BASIC EDUCATION

POLICY  NOTE:  10  WAYS  TO  FIX  PHILIPPINE  BASIC  EDUCATION  

studies). For High School, English should be the medium of instruction for
science, math & English; Filipino for AP, Filipino and tech-voc education.

My view: We should become tri-lingual as a country.

 Learn English well and connect to the World.

 Learn Filipino well and connect to our country.
 Retain your dialect and connect to your heritage.

9. Quality textbooks

Poor quality textbooks have no place in our schools.

I will not tolerate poor textbook quality in our schools. Textbooks will
be judged by three criteria: quality, better quality, and more quality.

10. Covenant with Local Governments to build more schools

We need to address our continuing classroom shortages. And if we

are successful keeping more kids in school, the demand for more
classrooms will be even greater. Here, we need a covenant with LGUs not
only to build more classrooms but to establish more schools on land
provided by LGUs. We do not need more overcrowded schools; we need
more schools with smaller populations so that teachers, students, and
parents can form a real learning community.

I will build more schools in areas where there are no public or private
schools in a covenant with LGUs so that we can realize genuine education
for all.

If we fix these ten concerns, we will fix most of the problems in our
education system.

If we fix basic education, we fix the long-term problems of the

country.

And if we fix the country’s problems, we will build a truly strong

society we can proudly call the Philippines.

POLICY NOTE: 10 WAYS TO FIX PHILIPPINE BASIC EDUCATION