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Friday, June 23, 2006
Editorial: Where have all the teachers gone?
YEARS ago the country saw the exodus of school teachers to work as domestic helpers in nearby countries. There just wasn't enough income from teaching anymore. Although teaching can be considered a vocation and one of the great professions, teachers and their families have stomachs to feed too.
Many of our teachers then can no longer afford the humiliation they have to go through when they go to school with an extra bag in hand, the other containing what can be sold for the day, including raffle tickets, junk foods and a few clothing and hygienic items, to augment a meager income.
The number of schools which have to take in neophyte teachers to fill in the vacuum were not exactly few.
There was also a problem on the devolution program of the government, many of the teachers that were hired were not exactly because they were the most capable but because they were close to some politicians.
Ultimately, the decrease in the standards took its toll. International tests showed a consistent lackluster performance among our students. The test results then showed a picture of an erosion of academic excellence among Filipino students.
Although the problem could not be entirely attributed to teachers, they play a major role in this scenario just as the National Government and its focus on concerns other than improving the educational system must receive the brunt of the blame.
From the Cory administration down to the present, the budget for education is among those that received the least.
Now, the National Government is humiliated in the international community as thousands and thousands of students flunked the international exams.
The records showed a decline in the excellence of Filipino students in terms of Mathematics, Science and English.
True, the Philippine schools have produced so many great scholars. However, it is also true that thousands more barely made it to the finals so to speak.
With the release of the $200-million loan from the World Bank to improve the country's educational system, we can only hope that the money will really
uplift the educational system and does not just fall into the wrong hands again and in the pockets of a few.
(June 23, 2006 issue)
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