Speak out: Is education democratic in our country?

Saturday, February 11, 2012

IT HAS been said that education plays a crucial role in the preservation, sustenance and improvement of the society. One main tasks of education in a democratic society is the proper preparation of young citizens for the roles and responsibilities they would be taking when they reach maturity. Philippines has been considered as a democratic society where the people should enjoy their rights including the right to education, housing, health care, and work. But with the current education situation in our country, can we still see democracy?

The state of Philippine education is in chaos with the long-standing crisis that lays hold our education system. This description provides a convenient transition to discuss the many woes of our education sector.

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As of 2011, data from Kabataan Partylist show that out of 100 pupils that enter grade 1, only 66 will finish grade six; 58 will enroll in 1st year high school; 43 will finish high school; 33 will enter college and only 21 will eventually graduate. And this 21 graduates are not even sure to land a job. A question worth asking is what will happen to the 79 who did not make it?

A quick glance at the outside world is enough to provide us with a concrete picture for these out-of-school youths – they are the young workers in construction sites, they are the young people involved in illegal drug syndicates and are pushed to prostitution, they are the vendors plying the streets on wee hours or battling the traffic rush under the heat of the sun.

Amid yearly tuition increases, the Commission on Higher Education (Ched) reveals that only 5.5 percent or 100 Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) can be assumed to have adequate facilities.

Despite the strong opposition of the students against tuition increase, CHED argues that tuition and other school fees increase translate to better facilities and higher salaries to teachers, but this is not true.

Even with the yearly increases, majority of the schools still have poor facilities and the salary of the teachers remain inadequate for the past years. Sadly, those who have taken advantage of the increases are the school owners who are raking in millions of profit.

It is projected that almost 400 private HEIs in the country will increase their tuition next school year. In Davao Region alone, CHED stated that 35 private HEIs applied for tuition increase, 20 from Davao City, two in Island Garden of Samal, two in Davao del Sur, three in Digos City, one in Panabo City, three in Tagum City, two in Davao Oriental and two in Compostela Valley.

Some would say that if you could not afford expensive education; get yourself into a public school. But the situation is worse.

Just recently, Davao City third district Representative Isidro Ungab proposed a bill entitled Davao Regional State University System (DRSUS) or HB 5311 that aims to integrate the only four state universities and colleges (SUCs) in the region, namely University of Southeastern Philippines, Davao Oriental State College of Science and Technology, Southern Philippines Agribusiness and Marine and Aquatic School of Technology and the Davao del Norte State College.

The merging of the said institutions is a manifestation of the incessant budget cut on tertiary education. For this reason, students of University of Southeastern Philippines (USEP) have been loud in opposing this bill.

Budget cut on education is a perennial problem of the Filipino youth. It does not only make education inaccessible, it also results to the deterioration of the quality of education.

As a manifestation, in the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World’s University Ranking 2011, no Philippine university made it to the top 300 list. It is worth noting that majority of the top Asian schools, including the leading Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, are universities funded by their respective governments. This definitely contradicts with the existing education policies in our country.

Our state universities and colleges (SUCs) are push towards commercialization and privatization.

Education is a right, not a privilege

The said education realities may no longer sound new to many. They have been plaguing most of the 55 million Filipino youth in the country for many years. Most of these youth are children of the landless peasants, demolished urban poor settlers, drivers who take the direct burden of incessant oil price hikes, low wage-workers, among others. Democracy equates justice for the many. However, the absence of quality and accessible education has been a baggage for the majority.

Truly, the Aquino government and the perennial problem on education give reason for the youth to rage. It is no wonder why youth and students across the country have been holding protest actions condemning the budget cuts on state universities and colleges, incessant increase in tuition and miscellaneous fees and many more.

As long as the government neglects its responsibility to provide quality and affordable education to its citizens, the youth and students will not stop raising the red banner of militancy to fight for rights and welfare of the deprived and the oppressed majority. The Filipino youth will continue its tasks in working for genuine social change.

(Reference: Cherry P. Orendain, Anakbayan Regional Spokesperson; 0909-1378792)