Bridge Program?
July 29th, 2004 at 4:39 pm (Education)
The fact that more than 50% of all public grade school graduates nationwide failed miserably in the high school readiness test points to a very big problem in the pulic grade school system. To note, the passing score was lowered to accomodate the overwhelming number of studetns who failed. Another year level in the grade school or high school system is not the solution to this problem. The problem is far bigger that just a lack of a school year spent in high school or grade school.
The failure of the graduates in the readiness test is symptomatic of the avalanche of problems ailing the system. First of all is the lack of resources: effective educators, good books, conducive classrooms, etc, etc, etc… Then, there the alleged politicization of the hiring process of teachers and the corruption witin the system. I can point out a lot of problems in our public eduation system and not one of it would be solved by forcing the stuents to study for one more year.
It would be unfair to penalize the students who are actually the victims of a faulty and inadequate public grade school system. Forcing them ans their families to cough up money for an extar yuear in school is not the right solution, it only compounds the problem. Delaying their graduation consequently leads to the delay of their ability to earn money. Wrong it may be, most Filipinos think of education as nothing but a means to escape poverty and desolution. It is not uncommon for graduates from the lower socio-political classes to work not for themselves but for their families and to pay for the education of their younger siblings.
The solutions to glaring reality of inadequacies in the public grade school system should start with the evaluation of the system and the proper management of the system. If indeed Jose Rizal’s words are true that “The youth is the future of the motherland,” then based on the results of the high school readiness test, we should either lower our hopes or get ready for 50% chance of failure.
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