Friday, November 30, 2007 Editorials: Presidential vision for education
SPEAKING before the country’s municipal mayors the other day, President Arroyo declared that “education is the biggest item in the national budget” and urged the local leaders “to match this by prioritizing investments in education in their area.”
The presidential declaration is actually in keeping with the global trend.
Nations, particularly those in the First World such as the United States, United Kingdom, Germany and Japan, place very high premium on education for their young, and very stringent motivation for them to excel.
Lack of priority
Education has generally been given very low priority in development planning, especially among local governments.
In the case of Cebu City, for example, its 2008 budget of more than P2 billion had education getting only one percent as compared to 39 percent for public services, 23 percent for debt servicing and 11 percent of health, nutrition and population control.
Going through the items, one may note a measure of politics overlaying most items.
Politics
The President, however, is on the right track in giving education top priority in the national budget.
The vow to build more classrooms and to increase teachers’ pay would give teeth to her notion that “education is the foundation of economic prosperity and individual liberty, justice and self-worth.”
It is the teachers, after all, that imbue the students with the learning needed for development.
However, the successful attainment of the presidential vision in education will be dependent on the politics of her governance.
Public administration in a democracy like ours is dependent upon the way the President plays her politics.
Unfulfilled vision
It is important that the leadership adapt its politics to the environment where its political opposition also holds a similar vision of development and growth in education. The problem, though, is the culture of politics that we have in the country.
Unless the President and the political opposition holds the presidential vision for education at the same level of priority and degree of importance in our national life, it will remain just that, a vision unfulfilled, although devoutly sought for and desired.
