The sixth Jaime V. Ongpin Annual Memorial Lecture on Public Service in Business and Government put the spotlight squarely on education with Senator Edgardo Angara delivering the keynote presentation, Education is Our Future.
During the lecture, the Senator emphasized the need for further invesment and support for the education sector because the Philippines has fallen behind in the areas of science, technology and innovation (STI), crucial elements to achieve economic growth and poverty reduction. “STI in the Philippines does not stand on solid ground,” Angara said after citing global developments in the aforementioned fields. He went on to identify critical gaps in the Philippine STI environment such as human resource unpreparedness, the lack of information and communication technology resources (especially in public schools), the lack of science and technology innovation in the country, as well as the non-existent commercialization of inventions in the Philippines stemming from poor industry-academe linkages.
To address these problems, Angara noted that the Philippines could learn from the experiences of other countries that have had success in developing competitive advantages in STI. In this regard, he suggested that there was a need to emulate some of these “best practices”: investing more in education, research and development; upgrading all levels of math and science education; promoting greater linkages between industry, the academe and government; using fiscal incentives to encourage businesses to transform ideas to high-value resources and services; and using public policy to create an enabling environment for science and technology. The Senator concluded his presentation by citing some of the measures already undertaken by the government along these lines, and in keeping with the theme of his lecture expressed the hope that “perhaps the future is already in reach.”
Equally as insightful as the keynote lecture were the remarks offered by the invited discussants. First, Social Weather Stations President Mahar Mangahas made the point that government has yet to take full responsibility for education development along the lines implied in the Senator’s presentation: whereas in other countries the norm is to spend at least one percent of GDP for scientific research, in the Philippines only as much as one-tenth of one percent is devoted to the same. To make up the shortfall, Mangahas suggested that public funds could be allocated away from low-return public works projects in favor of research and development, in effect driving home the point that no great strides can be made without some sacrifice. He further opined that fiscal incentives may be ineffective tools to spur investment in science and technology, suggesting instead that government adhere to globally competitive practices such as aligning salaries in the education and research fields with global standards, as well as supporting private sector research initiatives.
Historian Ambeth Ocampo, for his part, offered a more sobering perspective. He pointed out that the country still faces the same problems identified by the 1925 Monroe Commission on Philippine Education. “History is not repeating itself,” remarked Ocampo, “rather, we are repeating history.” In this regard, and addressing the issue of brain drain, he opined that there is an urgent need to improve basic education in the country. He argued that doing so would not only help improve the competence of individuals keen on pursuing careers in science and technology, but also give them a sense of “rootedness” that engenders in them a desire to return home to the Philippines should they begin their careers overseas.
[Update: Ambeth Ocampo has published his comments regarding the lecture as a two part piece in his weekly newspaper column (Real Challenge in Philippine Education and Old Solutions to Old Problems via The Philippine Daily Inquirer)]
Posted by Brian L. Belen 
Posted by Brian L. Belen 
Posted by Brian L. Belen 
