As published in the Philippine Daily Inquirer on 08 January 2011
MICHELLE RHEE, former chancellor of the District of Columbia Public Schools and one of Time Magazine’s 11 Education Activists for 2011, said that “teachers all think that they have a right to be in the classroom, to get paid even if they do wrong, to be secure in their jobs because of the role they play in society. But teachers have to be accountable too. It is a privilege to educate children.”
The Metrobank Foundation, PLDT Smart Foundation and the Bato Balani Foundation, all have programs that focus on giving recognition to our teachers. The Foundation for Worldwide People Power has a Mentoring the Mentors program to enhance teaching skills. The annual My Teacher, My Hero campaign is the largest private sector effort to recognize the value of the teaching profession. Without quality teachers, and teachers who believe they are accountable and that they are truly responsible for the education of our nation’s future, we cannot have good schools and good students. Teachers are the driving force behind our education system.
Today we live in a world of information and a society focused on innovation, technology, entrepreneurship and services. Are we producing graduates that can adapt to the changing needs of society and industry today? Are we teaching our students what they need to learn to be able to be productive citizens and members of society? Do our high school graduates possess the skills needed for vocational jobs and services? Are our college graduates ready to be employed or do they need to spend another six months on improving verbal and communication skills? What kind of curriculum or mode of learning is needed to make our graduates globally competitive?
Creating new modes of learning outside of the classroom, where students can enhance their creativity and critical thinking skills and the use of technology through eLearning, are some of the steps needed to move forward in creating a new learning environment for our students. Each student has different learning needs that need to be met. Whether in arts, technology, business, services or manufacturing, we need to understand how methods for learning are changing and how we can develop and create programs in our public schools that can address global and societal demand. Community livelihood programs can be expanded to include introductory learning programs for students in arts and sciences.
The Department of Education’s planned shift to K+12 seeks to enhance the current curriculum and allow high school graduates to specialize and be equipped with skills to enter industry, a vocation or engage in entrepreneurial activity. Though reforms have been discussed since the Unesco Mission survey in 1949, it is only now that definite action on K+12 is being taken to move our education system up to international standards. But this does not end here. The move to K+12 is a gradual process that will need the time and commitment of all stakeholders, especially parents and teachers, because this kind of reform is not focused on one area alone but involves cohesive action from all sectors to address the needs of their communities.
We’ve heard the argument on the effectiveness of K+12 if the students don’t even have tables to work on, or can’t even get to school because of poor infrastructure. These are programs that the private sector, through civil society, is actively working on with the help of the government. Local government units have a large role in making sure that the educational needs of their communities are met. The Synergia Foundation has been effective in working with LGUs to improve their communities.
Are we ready for eLearning? Maybe yes, or maybe no, but if we don’t prepare for it now we will never be. The technology and the infrastructure have been introduced to the public schools through Gilas, a public-private sector initiative that has been at the forefront of providing computers and Internet connectivity to public schools nationwide. Through Gilas many teachers and students have been trained on the use of technology for learning. An eLearning program called Genyo has proven an effective tool for public school teachers and students. The software is currently being used in private schools and has been donated to public schools through Gilas and the initiative of private foundations.
The DepEd meanwhile has embarked on an ambitious program that aims to improve access to eLearning in public high schools. It will also endeavor to provide all students with laptops.
Despite the many challenges that K+12 and eLearning will face, we have to be consistent and committed in our support for this to ensure that reforms in the quality of education will be addressed. We must start developing programs that will create learning environments in the communities we serve and the industries we are in. We, in the private and education reform sector, must work hand-in-hand with the government to ensure that support is given for the programs that will be implemented in the next six years to ensure the future of education in our country.
Ching Jorge (chingjorge@gmail.com) is the vice president of Bato Balani Foundation, Young Public Servants lead convenor and an associate fellow of the Asia Society.
