MANILA, Philippines — By 2015, a Filipino must be academically
competitive to work without restrictions or enroll in the schools of the nine
other countries comprising the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)
as 10 countries comprising the region, including the Philippines, would become
one community with a total population of 600 million.
Sen. Edgardo J. Angara, chairman
of the Senate Education Committee and vice chairman of the Senate Finance
Committee, stressed this as senators would be witnesses to the launching of a
“very drastic change in our curriculum and school cycle by shifting to K to12”
which adds two years to basic education – primary and elementary.”
This program, with a cost
estimate of P200 billion to be added to the annual budget of the Department of
Education (DepEd), starts in 2016 and onwards, Angara said.
An equal P200 billion was
estimated to be spent by parents of pupils and students on books and
allowances, among others, Sen. Ralph G. Recto, chairman of the Senate Ways and
Means Committee, said.
The proposed 2013 DepEd budget is
P292.05 billion or an increase of P53.6 billion over the 2012 budget of P238.4
billion.
By 2015, Angara said, competition
is not just among Filipinos but with the citizens of the nine other member
countries of ASEAN.
“The Philippines with nine other
countries of ASEAN will become one community, meaning, a Filipino can work
without work permit anywhere in the ASEAN countries. A Malaysian or a
Singaporean can work or study here without restrictions. There will now be a
free exchange of people and goods across boundaries of the ASEAN,” he said.
“We should be competitive. Right
now, if two apply for a position, a math teacher from Singapore and from the
Philippines, believe me a Singaporean will get it…..because they have higher
educational standards,” Angara said.
“A Thailander might beat us.
Between a Filipino and a Cambodian, baka manalo siya (A Filipino might win) but
the idea is not only to beat but be equal with the others,” he said.
“That is the bottom line in this
educational exercise … to make the Filipino youth competitive with his peers
within the ASEAN and outside the ASEAN. The Filipino now is the most mobile and
migratory person in the world… Outside, the Filipino needs to be competitive,”
he added.
Angara maintained that there has
been progress done by education leaders “because the forecast of DepEd is that
all shortfalls or resource gaps in classrooms teachers, books, sanitation
facilities would be met or supplied by the end of 2013.”
As the debate over the past three
decades has been shortages in classrooms, books, and teachers would end by the
end of 2013, Angara said all he could say is to express “good luck” to DepEd
Secretary Armin Luistro.
“I think that can be fulfilled.
Over the past two years, the budget of DepEd has increased by 60 percent and
that’s the biggest single chunk in budgetary allocation among the different
departments of the government,” Angara stressed.
The Philippines has a student
population of 23 million that is bigger than the population of Australia and
Malaysia “and we may beat 37 other countries in the world,” he pointed out.
“But we cannot truthfully say
that we have the best education. The achievement test of grades 6 and fourth
year students of high schools is a failure because the passing grade is 75 but
their average is 64,” he said.
“There is a long way to go to
improve the quality of our education and the point of this exercise is to
improve that quality. Now that we have solved the physical needs, we move on
the quality,” he added.
MARIO B. CASAYURAN
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