COMPARATIVE EDUCATION BETWEEN PHILIPPINES AND THAILAND

COMPARATIVE FRAME
1. Objectives

2. Curriculum

PHILIPPINES
The
Science
and and
Inculcate
patriotism
Mathematics
nationalism subjects are
now
modified
use the spiral
Foster
love of to
humanity
progression
approach
starting
Promote respect for human
as
early as Grade 1 which
rights
means
that the
every
will
Appreciate
rolelesson
of national
be
taught
in every
grade level
heroes
in the
historical
starting
with the
basic
development
of the
country
concepts
to
the
more
complex
Teach the right and duties
of
concepts
of that same lesson
citizenship
until
10. ethical and
6. Grade
Strengthen
spiritual
The high
school from the
values
former
system
will now
be
7. Develop moral
character
called
junior high
school,
and personal
discipline
while
senior
high
school
8. Encourage critical andwill
be
the 11th
and 12th year of
creative
thinking
the
new
educational
9. Broaden scientificsystem.
and
Ittechnological
will serve asknowledge
a specialized
and
upper
secondary
education.
promote
vocational
efficiency.
In the
senior high school,
In kindergarten,
the pupils
students
may choose
a the
are mandated
to learn
specialization
based
on
alphabet, numbers, shapes
aptitude,
interests,
andgames,
school
and colours
through
capacity.
The
choice
of
career
songs, pictures and dances,
track
will
define
thelanguage;
content of
but in
their
native
the
subjects
a
student
will
thus after Grade 1, every
take
in Grades
11 and
12.
student
can read
on his/her
Senior
high
school
subjects
native tongue.
fall under
either
the core
The
12 original
curriculum
or specific
mother
tonguetracks.
Core
curriculum
languages that have
learning
areas include
been introduced
for
languages,
literature,
the 20122013
school
communication,
year are Bicolano,
mathematics,
Cebuano, Chavacano,
philosophy,
Hiligaynon,natural
Ilocano,
sciences
and
social
Kapampangan,
sciences.
Maguindanaoan,
There
are three
Maranao,
choices
that are
Pangasinense,
available
be chosen
Tagalog,toTausug
and
by
the
students
Waray-Waray. or
so-called
"specific
the
7 more
mother
tongue
tracks".
These
are:
languages have been
introduced for the
Academic,
which
20132014
school
includes
four strands
year. These
are
which
are:
Aklanon, Ibanag,
Ivatan, Kinaray-a,
1. Accountancy,
Business
Sambal, Surigaonon
&and
Management
(ABM)
Yakan.
2. Humanities & Social
Sciences (HUMSS)

3. Science, Technology,
Engineering &
Mathematics (STEM)
4. General Academic
Strand (GAS)

LowerTHAILAND
Secondary Level
Thai
Language
To have:
Mathematics
Economy-based society
Quality
of Lifes Promotion
All-Round
World
of
work (Foreign
and Balanced
Human
Language
&
Science)
Development

Secondary Level
Upper
A society
Thai Language
Social
of Science
Morality, Wisdom and
Health
Learning
Science
(Biology, Chemistry,
Development
of the Social
Physics)
Environment
Basic Vocational Studies
Foreign Language
Basic Religious Education
Note:
SECONDARY EDUCATION IN
THAILAND
Instead of the general
education
stream,
students may
Primary
Level
choose
to
attend
vocational
Quality of Life Promotion
education.
are 4 types of
VocationalThere
Courses
certificates
that
may
Thai Language Skill be awarded:
Mathematics Skill
Local
Certificate
in Vocational
Vocation
Education
Industry (Cert.Voc.): this is a 3year
programme;
Agriculture
Home
Certificate
in Dual Vocational
Economics
Education (Cert.Voc-DVT): this
Commerce
is also a 3-year programme,
Handicraft
which combines theory and
Art
practice;
Certificate of Vocational
Education - Credit Accumulating
System (Cert.Voc-CAS): short
programmes are followed over a
period of 3 to 8 years;
Certificate in Vocational
Education - Evening Class
(Cert.Voc. - EC): this programme
is intended for people who are
already working.
HIGHER EDUCATION
Higher education in Thailand is
provided at universities,
technical institutes, professional
and technical colleges, and
teachers colleges. Higher
education in Thailand is divided
between 2 types of institutions.
Firstly, institutions which fall
under the Ministry of Education,
such as state universities and
privateinstitutions for higher
education, technical/professional
and agricultural institutions, and
teacher training colleges.
Secondly, specialised training
institutions which fall under

Technical-VocationalLivelihood, which
specializes in
vocational learning. A
student can obtain a
National Certificate
Level II (NC II),
provided he/she
passes the
competency-based
assessment of the
Technical Education
and Skills
Development Authority.
This certificate
improves employability
of graduates in fields
like agriculture,
electronics, and trade.
Arts and Design, which
is helping interested
senior high school
students in the
particular fields of
journalism, media, and
arts.
Sports, which is
responsible for
educating senior high
school students in the
fields of sports and
health.

Vocational School
Formal technical and
vocational education starts at
secondary education, with a
two-year curriculum, which
grants access to vocational
tertiary education. [35]
However, there is also nonformal technical and
vocational education provided
as alternative learning
programs.

various ministries or government

organizations
Associate degree and nondegree programmes
An Associate Degree or Higher
Certificate of Education is
awarded on completion of a
teacher training programme. A
Diploma in Vocational Education
(por wor sor) or Diploma in
Technical Education (por wor
tor) is awarded on completion of
a professional or technical
training programme respectively.
Bachelors
Most bachelors degree
programmes have a nominal
duration of 4 years (120-150
credits). The nominal duration of
bachelors degree programmes in
architecture, art,graphic art, and
pharmacy is 5 years (150-188
credits). Basic training in
medicine,dentistry and veterinary
medicine requires 6 years of
study (210-263 credits).All
bachelors programmes consist
(30 credits) of a general
education module (humanities,
social sciences, science and
mathematics), the area of
specialization for which the
credits awarded vary (84 credits
for a 4-year bachelors
programme and 114 credits for a
5-year programme) and electives
(6 credits).

Following a Diploma in
Vocational Education or a
Diploma in Technical
Education, students may
enrol into a 2-year
programme leading to the
Higher Diploma in Technical
Education. Programmes are
provided by the former
Rajamangala Institutes of
Technology (current
Vocational schools offer a
Rajamangala universities) in
higher concentration of
agriculture, business
technical and vocational
administration, education,
subjects in addition to the
engineering technology,
core academic subjects
home economics, fine arts,
studied by students at general
music, drama and liberal
high schools. These schools
arts.
tend to offer technical and
Following a bachelors
vocational instruction in one
degree, it is possible to gain
of five main fields: agriculture,
a Graduate Diploma with 1
fisheries, trade-technical,
years further study. This
home industry, and nonrequires students to gain a
traditional courses while
minimum of 24 credits.

 MASTERS
offering a host of
Masters degree programmes
specializations. During the
usually involve 2 years of
first two years, students study further study. This degree can be
a general vocational area,
gained in 3 ways: by following
from the five main fields
lectures and sitting a
mentioned. During the third
comprehensive examination (45 and fourth years they
55 credits), by following
specialize in a discipline or
lectures (36 credits) and writing
vocation within that area.
a final paper (9-12 credits), or by
Programs contain a mixture of conducting research and writing
theory and practice.[49]
a final paper. A bachelors degree
with a Grade Point Average
Upon completion of grade 10 (GPA) of at least 3 is required for
and junior high, students can
admission to this programme.
obtain Certificates of
Competency (COC) or the
Higher Graduate Diploma
vocationally oriented National It is a higher professional
Certificate Level I (NC I). After diploma, mainly awarded in the
finishing a Technicalfield of medical sciences. It is a
Vocational-Livelihood track in 1-year programme following the
Grade 12 of senior high
masters degree, and completion
school, a student may obtain
requires a minimum of 24 credits
a National Certificate Level II
(NC II), provided he/she
PHD
passes the competencyA masters degree with a Grade
based assessment
Point Average (GPA) of at least
administered by the Technical 3.5 is required foradmission to
Education and Skills
this programme. The Doctoral
Development
degree requires between 2 and 5
Authority(TESDA).[49]
years of study. A minimum of 48
credits are required, although
Senior High School
many programmes require more
than the set minimum. At least
The new high school
12 credits of these need to be
curriculum includes core
from course work. Furthermore,
classes and specialization
a thesis needs to be written and
classes based on student
defended
choice of specialization.
Non Formal Education
Students may choose a
The NFE is more flexible than
specialization based on
regular education program in
aptitude, interests, and school terms of objectives, methods of
capacity. There are seven
instruction and study duration.
learning areas under the core The content and the curriculum
curriculum. These are
can be adapted to suit the needs
languages, literature,
of individual groups of students.
communication, mathematics, This type of education is
philosophy, natural sciences,
available to all age groups.
and social sciences.
Subjects
learning skills;
SHS will be offered free in
foundation knowledge;
public schools and there will be a occupational knowledge
voucher program in place for
life skills;
public junior high school
social development
completers as well as ESC
beneficiaries of private high
schools should they choose to
take SHS in private institutions.
This means that the burden of
expenses for the additional two
years need not be completely
shouldered by parents.

For their specialization

classes, students choose
from three tracks: Academic;
technical-vocationallivelihood; and sports & arts.
The Academic track includes
three strands: Accountancy
and Business Management
(ABM); humanities, education,
social sciences (HESS); and
science, technology,
engineering, mathematics
(STEM). The Technical
Vocational Livelihood track
includes four specializations:
Home economics, agrifishery, industrial arts, ICT.
The government projects
some 1.2 to 1.6 million
students will enter senior high
school in the 2016-17
academic year.
Senior High School
"completes" basic education
by making sure that the high
school graduate is equipped
for work, entrepreneurship, or
higher education. This is a
step up from the 10-year
cycle where high school
graduates still need further
education (and expenses) to
be ready for the world. There
are 334 private schools with
Senior High School permits
beginning in SY 2014 or
2015. Last March 31, 2015,
provisional permits have been
issued to 1,122 private
schools that will offer Senior
High School in 2016.
Senior High School will be
offered free in public schools
and there will be a voucher
program in place for public
junior high school completers
as well as ESC beneficiaries
of private high schools should
they choose to take Senior
High School in private
institutions. This means that
the burden of expenses for
the additional two years need
not be completely shouldered
by parents. All grade 10
completers from a public
Junior High School who wish
to enroll in a private or non-

DepEd Senior High School

automatically get a voucher
TERTIARY EDUCATION
ll tertiary education matters
are outside of the jurisdiction
of DepEd, which is in charge
of primary and secondary
education, but is instead
governed by the Commission
on Higher Education (CHED).
As of 2013, there are over
2,229 higher education
institutions (HEIs) in the
country which can be divided
into public and private
institutions. There are 656
public higher education
institutions which account for
28.53% of all HEIs. While
1,643 private institutions
account for 71.47% of all
HEIs.
Public HEI's are further
divided into state universities
and colleges (SUCs), local
colleges and universities
(LUCs), special HEIs, and
government schools. State
universities and colleges are
administered and financed by
the government as
determined by the Philippine
Congress. LUC's are
established by the local
government units that govern
the area of the LUC. The local
government establish these
institutions through a process
and number of ordinances
and resolutions, and are also
in charge of handling the
financing of these schools.
Special HEI's are institutions
that offer courses and
programs that are related to
public service. Examples of
these include the Philippine
Military Academy (PMA),
Philippine National Police
Academy (PNPA),
Development Academy of the
Philippines (DAP), etc. These
institutions are controlled and
administered through the use
of specific laws that were
created for them. Finally,
government schools are
public secondary and post-

secondary technicalvocational education

institutions that offer higher
education programs.
Private HEI's are established,
and governed by special
provisions by a Corporation
Code, and can be divided into
sectarian and non-sectarian.
Non-sectarian are
characterized by being owned
and operated by private
entities that have no affiliation
with religious organizations;
while sectarian HEI's are nonprofit institutions that are
owned and operated by a
religious organization. Of the
1,643 institutions, 79% are
non-sectarian, and 21% are
sectarian

3. Teacher Education

Pre-service education is
commissioned to the
Commission on Higher
Education while In service
training is commissioned to
the Department of Educatio.n.

86% of primary school

teachers hold a bachelor's
degree
establishment of teaching
training in every other
provinces
offers special scholarship
program for teachers

4. Financing

The Department of Education

(DepEd), the
countrys biggest bureaucracy
1 , is given the highest budget
allocation among
government agencies each
year as required by the 1987
Philippine Constitution.

Thailand shows a strong

financial commitment to
education (5.1 GNP)
Development is supported
in Thailand through extensive
early childhood care and
education.27% of the National
Budget is allocated to finance
education

5. Administration and
Supervision

Education in the Philippines

is managed and regulated by
the Department of Education
(DepEd), Commission on
Higher Education (CHED) and
Technical Education and
Skills Development Authority
(TESDA). DepEd is
responsible for the K12
basic education; it exercises
full and exclusive control over
public schools and nominal
regulation over private
schools, and it also enforces
the national curriculum that
has been put in place since

Education in Thailand is
provided mainly by the Thai
government through the Ministry
of Education.
Administration and control of
public and private universities
are carried out by the Office of
Higher Education
Commission, a department of
the Ministry of Education.

6. Quality Control

7. School Community Relation

2013. CHED and TESDA, on

the other hand, are
responsible for higher
education; CHED regulates
the academically-oriented
universities and colleges
while TESDA oversees the
development of technical and
vocational education
institutions and programs in
the country.
Quality Assurance Strategies
through
Testing
and
Assessment. A new student
assessment scheme was
introduced in school year
2002-2003. It included a
diagnostic test administered
to Grade IV pupils at the start
of the school year to
determine learning gaps. The
test results served as the
basis for implementing
remedial measures within the
school year. Achievement
tests are administered to the
same group of pupils at the
end of the school year to
determine
progress
in
learning,
specifically for Grade VI and
Fourth Year high schools
students.
Family-school partnerships are
collaborative relationships and
activities involving school staff,
parents and other family
members of students at a school.
Effective partnerships are based
on mutual trust and respect, and
shared responsibility for the
education of the children and
young people at the school.

The relationship between

small schools and their
communities starts to
get stronger as local people
see the importance of the
existence of small
schools. The School Director
of Baan Nern Chuak School
in Kon Kaen Province
mentioned that the school did
not have enough teachers, so
local people have
volunteered to teach on areas
that they are familiar with,
such as agriculture,
sports, and religion. These
areas are all taught in
workshop in a way that
students could learn how to
do physically. Local people
also help schools with
budgets, equipments, and
labor.
Schools and communities are
helping each other out. Not
only local people help schools
running, but also schools. All
the
schools mentioned above do

8. Problems and Soultions

First of which, is the quality of

education. In the year 2014,
the National Achievement
Test (NAT) and the National
Career Assessment
Examination (NCAE) results
show that there had been a
decline in the quality of
Philippine education at the
elementary and secondary
levels. The students
performance in both the 2014
NAT and NCAE were
excessively below the target
mean score. Having said this,
the poor quality of the
Philippine educational system
is manifested in the
comparison of completion
rates between highly
urbanized city of Metro
Manila, which is also happens
to be not only the country's
capital but the largest
metropolitan area in the
Philippines and other places
in the country such as
Mindanao and Eastern
Visayas. Although Manila is
able to boast a primary school
completion rate of
approximately 100 percent,
other areas of the nation,
such as Eastern Visayas and
Mindanao, hold primary
school completion rate of only
30 percent or even less. This
kind of statistic is no surprise
to the education system in the
Philippine context, students
who hail from Philippine urban
areas have the financial
capacity to complete at the
very least their primary school
education.
The second issue that the
Philippine educational system
faces is the budget for
education. Although it has
been mandated by the
Philippine Constitution for the
government to allocate the

give back to the community

as well. For example, when
schools have Internet
connect, both
students and local people
could come and use as
preferred. When schools have
weaving looms, everyone is
allowed to use.
problem1:
vast production of teachers
resulting to low student
teacher ratio.
solution:
raise the student-teacher ratio
to 25:1 by strictly controlling
the hiring of new primary
school teacher
problem2:
some areas have limited
number of teachers
solution 2
required multigrade teaching
problem 3:
traditional pedagogy
emphasizing on rote
memorization of facts
solution 3
establishment of teacher
education reform office to
examine strategies for
enhancing the teaching
profession and improving the
quality of education
problem 4
thousands of children in
thailand remain out of school
(5th rank in asia)
solution 4:
unicef is working with ministry
of education on a system to
track out of school youth
across the country
problem 5
declining learning level over
the past 10 years among the
major subjects
solution 5
Teaching methods focus on
child centered approach
provide better nutrition and
health education at thai public
schools
receive healthier meals and
more instruction
Problem 6
Rural schools are generally
less well equipped compared
to schools in the city
Solution 6:

highest proportion of its

government to education, the
Philippines remains to have
one of the lowest budget
allocations to education
among ASEAN countries
The third prevalent issue the
Philippine educational system
continuously encounters is
the affordability of education
(or lack thereof). A big
disparity in educational
achievements is evident
across various social groups.
Socioeconomically
disadvantaged students
otherwise known as students
who are members of high and
low-income poverty-stricken
families, have immensely
higher drop-out rates in the
elementary level. Additionally,
most freshmen students at
the tertiary level come from
relatively well-off families.
France Castro, secretary of
Alliance of Concerned
Teachers (ACT), stated that
there is a graved need to
address the alarming number
of out-of-school youth in the
country. The Philippines
overall has 1.4 million children
who are out-of-school,
according to UNESCO's data,
and is additionally the only
ASEAN country that is
included in the top 5 countries
with the highest number of
out-of-school youth. In 2012,
the Department of Education
showed data of a 6.38% dropout rate in primary school and
a 7.82% drop-out rate in
secondary school. Castro
further stated that "the
increasing number of out-ofschool children is being
caused by poverty. The price
increases in prices of oil,
electricity, rice, water, and
other basic commodities are
further pushing the poor into
dire poverty." Subsequently
as more families become
poorer, the number of
students enrolled in public
schools increases, especially
in the high school level. In
2013, the Department of

Decentralizing the
responsibility of education to
the provinces
Problem 7
School violence instigated by
students among technical and
vocational schools
Solution 7
Lawlessness still remains
despite military interventions
Problem 8:
Lower ability in language tests
Solution 8:
Biligual education

Education estimated that

there are 38, 503 elementary
schools alongside 7,470 high
schools.[53]
Mismatch
There is a large mismatch
between educational training
and actual jobs. This stands
to be a major issue at the
tertiary level and it is
furthermore the cause of the
continuation of a substantial
amount of educated yet
unemployed or
underemployed people.
According to Dean Salvador
Belaro Jr., the Cornelleducated Congressman
representing 1-Ang
Edukasyon Party-list in the
House of Representatives,
the number of educated
unemployed reaches around
600,000 per year. He refers to
said condition as the
"education gap".
Brain Drain
Brain Drain is a persistent
problem evident in the
educational system of the
Philippines due to the modern
phenomenon of globalization,
[54] with the number of
Overseas Filipino Workers
(OFWs) who worked abroad
at any time during the period
April to September 2014 was
estimated at 2.3 million.[55]
This ongoing mass emigration
subsequently inducts an
unparalleled brain drain
alongside grave economic
implications. Additionally,
Philippine society hitherto is
footing the bill for the
education of millions who
successively spend their more
productive years abroad.
Thus, the already poor
educational system of the
Philippines indirectly
subsidizes the opulent
economies who host the
OFWs.
Social Divide
There exists a problematic

and distinct social cleavage

with regard to educational
opportunities in the country.
Most modern societies have
encountered an equalizing
effect on the subject of
education. This
aforementioned divide in the
social system has made
education become part of the
institutional mechanism that
creates a division between
the poor and the rich.[50]
Lack of Facilities and
Teacher Shortage in
Public Schools
There are large-scale
shortages of facilities across
Philippine public schools these include classrooms,
teachers, desks and chairs,
textbooks, and audio-video
materials. According to 2003
Department of Education
Undersecretary Juan Miguel
Luz, reportedly over 17 million
students are enrolled in
Philippine public schools, and
at an annual population
growth rate of 2.3 per cent,
about 1.7 million babies are
born every year which means
that in a few years time, more
individuals will assert
ownership over their share of
the (limited) educational
provisions.[50] To sum it up,
there are too many students
and too little resources. Albeit
the claims the government
makes on increasing the
allocated budget for
education, there is a prevalent
difficulty the public school
system faces with regard to
shortages. Furthermore, state
universities and colleges
gradually raise tuition so as to
have a means of purchasing
facilities, thus making tertiary
education difficult to access or
more often than not,
inaccessible to the poor.
However, it is worth taking
note of what the Aquino
administration has done in its
five years of governance with
regard to classroom-building the number of classrooms

built from 2005 to the first half

of the year 2010 has tripled.
Additionally, the number of
classrooms that were put up
from the year 2010 to
February 2015 was recorded
to be at 86,478, significantly
exceeding the 17,305
classrooms that were built
from 2005 to 2010 and
adequate enough to
counterbalance the 66,800
classroom deficit in the year
2010.
In President Aquino's fourth
state of the nation address
(SONA), he spoke of the
government's achievement of
zero backlog in facilities such
as classrooms, desks and
chairs, and textbooks which
has addressed the gap in the
shortages of teachers, what
with 56,085 new teachers for
the 61, 510 teaching items in
the year 2013. However, the
data gathered by the
Department of Education
shows that during the opening
of classes (June 2013), the
shortages in classrooms was
pegged at 19, 579, 60 million
shortages when it came to
textbooks, 2.5 million
shortages with regard to
chairs, and 80, 937 shortages
of water and sanitation
facilities. Furthermore, 770
schools in Metro Manila,
Cebu, and Davao were
considered overcrowded. The
Department of Education also
released data stating that
91% of the 61, 510 shortages
in teachers was filled up
alongside appointments (5,
425 to be specific) are being
processed.[53]
Issues regarding the K-12
There is dispute with regard
to the quality of education
provided by the system. In the
year 2014, the National
Achievement Test (NAT) and
the National Career
Assessment Examination
(NCAE) results show that
there had been a decline in

the quality of Philippine

education at the elementary
and secondary levels. The
students performance in both
the 2014 NAT and NCAE
were excessively below the
target mean score. Having
said this, the poor quality of
the Philippine educational
system is manifested in the
comparison of completion
rates between highly
urbanized city of Metro
Manila, which is also happens
to be not only the country's
capital but the largest
metropolitan area in the
Philippines and other places
in the country such as
Mindanao and Eastern
Visayas. Although Manila is
able to boast a primary school
completion rate of
approximately 100 percent,
other areas of the nation,
such as Eastern Visayas and
Mindanao, hold primary
school completion rate of only
30 percent or even less. This
kind of statistic is no surprise
to the education system in the
Philippine context, students
who hail from Philippine urban
areas have the financial
capacity to complete at the
very least their primary school
education.
The second issue that the
Philippine educational system
faces is the budget for
education. Although it has
been mandated by the
Philippine Constitution for the
government to allocate the
highest proportion of its
government to education, the
Philippines remains to have
one of the lowest budget
allocations to education
among ASEAN countries. The
third prevalent issue the
Philippine educational system
continuously encounters is
the affordability of education
(or lack thereof). A big
disparity in educational
achievements is evident
across various social groups.
Socioeconomically
disadvantaged students

otherwise known as students

who are members of high and
low-income poverty-stricken
families, have immensely
higher drop-out rates in the
elementary level. Additionally,
most freshmen students at
the tertiary level come from
relatively well-off families.
Lastly, there is a large
proportion of mismatch,
wherein there exists a
massive proportion of
mismatch between training
and actual jobs. This stands
to be a major issue at the
tertiary level and it is
furthermore the cause of the
continuation of a substantial
amount of educated yet
unemployed or
underemployed people.