Money = Quality Education?
December 5th, 2005 at 8:32 am (Education, General)
The Philippine Star reported last Sunday that the Department of Education needs about PhP133 billion to “improve” the quality of education in the country. Reportedly, more progressive countries, notably Thailand, Malaysia, USA, New Zealand and Japan are spending as much as PhP47,700 (Thailand) to PhP293,440 (Japan) per student. Meanwhile, the Philippines spends only about PhP6,000 per student. Although I agree that education should be a top priority in all aspects, I do not think that we should think that money is the best or only solution to the dismal state of the Philippine Education System.
Undeniably, the Philippines is a third world country, struggling to get on its feet towards progress. We do not have the money. Simple as that. It might be because we don’t actually have the money. Or maybe our government deems it unnecessary to invest in education. Or maybe the money falls into the wrong hands. No matter the reason for not having money, it is not a good enough reason to fail.
Quality education is not borne from first-class, hi-tech expensive materials. It comes from creativity, passion and a culture of excellence. If only we choose to see beyond what is not there, we are sure to triumph over the lack of money.
Although it’s not bad to ask for more money for education, I believe that it has hindered us in so many ways. There are a lot of cost-efficient ways and resource-conserving paths to quality education. Why don’t we use newsprint and other recycled materials instead of bond paper? Why don’t we use cheap materials to use as classrooms for the meantime? Why don’t we actually impart knowledge to the students rather than giving/renting out books that they don’t read anyway? Why don’t we stir up the passion for learning and zest for knowledge instead of forcing facts and figures into the students’ memories?
Yes, I believe that our education system needs more money, more financial investment. But I also believe that even without the material stuff, quality education is possible. What we lack in the material stuff, we can compensate for with our passion and creativity.
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Major Tom said,
December 5, 2005 at 11:30 pm
In my mind, the problem on education in our country is really a combination of things and it is just more apparent that money is foremost. Everyday we hear complaints of lack of classroom or textbooks and even lack of teachers so the main concern really is the lack of resources. However, I agree with you that despite not having the resources, our educational system can still be revolutionized thru passion and determination. I don’t know how it can be done, but with inspiring leadership and dedication, everything is possible.
Rizalist said,
December 7, 2005 at 5:12 pm
Hi. I am a first time visitor to your great site, so I hope you will indulge a longish comment…
IMAGINE that you are the CEO of Fedex (the package delivery leader). But you hire 400,000 truck drivers, give them guaranteed lifetime employment contracts, but because you’ve spent most of your budget on personnel you are unable to buy trucks, planes, computers, telephones, or electricity and running water. Now you also believe that the public actually has a right to free package delivery, so you announce to the world that for the first 10 years as an account holder in Fedex, you get your packages delivered for free. A few months later when the company has totally failed to deliver the packages being sent, what do you think the Board of Directors will think of your request for an increase in your overall budget?
In 2006, the DepEd budget may top P125 billion. Of this amount, it is estimated that at least 93% will go to paying salaries of the 400,000 teachers, administrators and bureaucrats that run the Deped, with the meagre remainder paying for everything else: school buildings, classrooms, textbooks, desks, computers, etc. I think the analogy is quite exact, and so is the action of the Board of Directors. Fire the CEO, sell the company off to cut losses, and allow someone else to deliver the packages at the correct market-driven cost.
Privatization is a viable strategy for Philippne education because the “ideal” of free public education is as wrong as the idea of “free package delivery.” Proof of that lies in the dismal, abyssmal scores of Filipino students in 3 takings of the Trends in International Math and Science Study (TIMSS), where Philippines in each of three times it participated scored third from the last. The public education system at the elementary and high school levels is producing mainly tricycle drivers and gros, and that is for the lucky few who get even those jobs.
I submit the public school enterprise should be sold off to cut losses. Public education should be privatized to allow the proven educators, the religious schools and commercial successes like STI and even AMA, Without the socialist education system competing against them unfairly by offering “free” public education, the masses of people will actually end up getting a better deal. Private school fees will drop immediately and precipitously when 20,000,000 new customers become available to La Salle, Ateneo, Assumption, and grades and achievement conversely rise to global standards. I say again: PRIVATIZE PUBLIC EDUCATION.
Jon said,
December 25, 2005 at 6:38 pm
Education, and the solution is….private education.
urbano dela cruz said,
January 9, 2006 at 8:16 pm
mr. rizalist,
you’ve been spouting that nonsense all over the blogosphere.
maybe you should ask which countries topped the TIMMS in 2003 (http://nces.ed.gov/timss/TIMSS03Tables.asp?Quest=1&Figure=1)
Singapore, Hong Kong SAR, Japan, Chinese-Taipei, Belgium-Flemish and the Netherlands.
ALL OF THEM invest heavily in FREE public education.
“The budget allocated to education in Singapore is quite high in comparison to other countries, standing at least at 20% or more, (the United States on contrast, only allocates around 4%) although this fluctuates on an annual basis. This allows for a wide implementation of many education programs.”
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_in_Singapore)
You are an idiot.
JDEspaldon said,
July 19, 2006 at 11:37 pm
You said that lack of funds can be overcome by imagination and creativity. Well, will you please provide us of concrete plans on how such concepts would be implemented in real world. Use banana leaf for paper? a charcoal for pencil? grasskirts for uniforms? monobloc for chairs and tables? walls for writing boards?
It is as easy as saying that a person should think out of the box to solve a problem, the problem is if the box is empty as does the outside of it.
What a “creative” suggestion to solve lack of funds for education. Why not tell a hungry a person who has no money to just imagine that he is having a feast in his mind.
What a crap idea!
Maria said,
July 22, 2006 at 7:34 am
Mr. Espaldon, I am not saying that money is not a necessity. It would be stupid of me to say such a thing. Of course it is necessary for the public education system to suceed. But the reality is that there is not enough of it. One example of a creative solution is the effort of the RockEd (http://www.rockedphilippines.org/ ).
joyce said,
December 11, 2006 at 3:38 am
as a student, i agree that whether our country is lack of money for our education we can still have recycled materials. i believe that filipinos are creative people, so just what the saying goes ” kung gusto maraming paraan, kung ayaw madaming dahilan”. if we want our country to “improve” we can do it as long as the people in our country have unity. and our country is rich in raw materials so we can create more cheaper materials. the important thing is “may magamit tayo kesa naman wala”. ^__^V
teddy said,
December 26, 2006 at 2:54 am
Maraming gago na principal na hindi NEAP trained at hindi pumasa sa principal test ay hindi alam ang ibig sabihin ng visionary skill. Ang galing nila sa reimbursement scheme, at sa cheating ng national assessment test just to please the superintendent of their division. Dapat pa nga nakatipid and Deped dito dahil mataas ang resulta ng walang maraming pera. If we want to improve the educational system with value for money , we should troubleshoot this uncanny principal. In the frontline they have a different interpretation of a DepEd National Memo. Mistake is already a waste of time and a waste of govt money.
hoodwink said,
February 6, 2007 at 11:57 pm
although creativity is needed inorder to achieved quality education, FINANCIAL BUDGET is HIGHLY AND BADLY NEEDED!!!!!
How can a teacher make his/her lesson better if the environment in the calssroom is not conducive to learning?
Lenie R Luana said,
July 26, 2008 at 11:57 pm
for me education si good for every individual, but in reality,we need two thing in education money and brain ” excellent” and maybe and to make our path succesful. most people said that it just a matter of decision
Lenie R Luana said,
July 27, 2008 at 12:00 am
for me education si good for every individual,that brinf us to be succesful someday, but in reality,we need two thing in education money and brain ” excellent” and maybe, to make our path succesful. most people said that it just a matter of decision, and for me its a matter of God on how we follow him and make our path strenght,to their own view.