Trends In Philippine Education

VIRTUAL UNIVERSITY -\VHEN HIGHER EDUCATION

GOES TO CYBERSPACE

eana4t/1i,4zn 74Rt& S. Rkarh'?,

A Sage once said ..Whether we are conscious or not, educatign is

the for:ce ttat will, more than any other, shape the world's future." This

statement underscores the great mission placed on every educational

institution in this century.

This new millennium has brought many cliallenging changes by leaps

and bounds, most especially in the field of education'

For instance, The P.hilippine Higher Education Syqtemat present is

confronted with formidable challenges. lt has to undergo radicaltransfor-

mation and renewal if it is to effectively play its unprecedented role in the

present day society, and more so, to be a vital component of economic,

iecnnotogical and political development in the national and international

scenar:io.

ln a world of turbulent changes, there is a need.for a new vision and

paradigm of higher education calling for major changes in policies, prac-

ii""r, r.n""n" oi service deliveries and linkages with local and global insti-

tutions. To realize these vision and directions.it is necessary to re-engi-

neer curricula using more focused and appropriate methods so as to go

beyond cognitive mastery of disciplines and apply new pedagogical and

didactical approaches

The 21st century has aptly been called the "century of inventions","technological developments" and "globalization" Thete has been ah in-

cessant bombardment of new terminology, like internetware, group ware,

body neta, hyper-organizers, digital libraries,'virtual.classroorns, chat- rooms, automated tutors, cookies, pbrtals, cybercafes, e-commerce and

cyber schools. These teffns stream across the attention of every student,

worker, computer user everydaY.

We are indeed, in a NEW generation being awed by the ravages of

. igqhnologY. As a .prqof of this imp.agt, lipg.tt{aga4ine's person of t.he

21st Century Trends, lssues and Challenges in Philippine Education

century was not a great political leader or an economic GURU; instead

the honor went to a scientist, probably the greatest science genius the

world has ever produced, ALBERT EINSTEIN.

This goes to show that the world as we know it today, came about

because of the advances and innovation in science and technology' the

fast changing requirements of communications technobgy, the advancesin computer, internet highway, and virtual campuses. They are all impor-tant products of the century that you and I belong to and it would be hard

to deliver quality and relevint education withoutthem.

Higher education has always had an important international dimen-sion, and allthese scientific adrlances ushered in new modes of learning,greater mobility, and global competition creating a new world for learningdnd teachinq.

The qubstion is, can we meet the challenges in the global arena,now that higher education institutions and their students are facing a worlddominated by significant changes thatwe have never ever experienced inrecent history, a kind of global seismic shift in human history.

As we get deeper into the 21st century the advancement of cutting-edQe science and technology, usher us to an accelerated globalization in

every aspect of our lives. We have entered the so-called global age and ih

this ever-shrinking globe, we are all rapidly becOming global citizens, re-'quired

to develop a global mindset if we are to succeed.

Thegreat challenge to mankind, who are sharing one globe, criticalfor its survival and prosperity, is to think and work globally, as we arefacing a globalworld where people are interdependent and where individu-als of various origins, societies, and cultures are bound to meet, to mix,and to compete.

The 21st century educational inStitutions stand in dire need of aparadigm shift, calling for a revolutionary and fresh approach. As timepasses from the old industrial age to the new information age, the issuesand challenges facing University leaders are increasingly transcendingnational borders.

Theexistence of diversity in nationalsystems moving towardqualityassurancil in.an age of innovation, globalization, global student mobility,transnationaleducation, online learning are some of the common issuesfaced by our leaders in Higher Education. Subh issues demand cross-border solutions, knowledge sharing, and collaboration in order for solu-tions to be identified

NJ

The Trends

It is nqt sufficient for future leaders to be well prepared only in the

academic and technical fields but to be prepared also to think and act with

global leadershiP qualities.

Thd 21st century is called the age of 3 cs - competition, change,

and customer. To survive, ed ucational institutions must implement changes

geared toward this future society, continuously and rppidly so.that.cus-

iom"rs of education, the students, may compete in the world stage-

And the paradigm shift requires fundamental changes in 3Ps: per-

sonS; processes, and products. The persons (i.e. teachers) must adop!to

the new age, adjusting the processes of education, in order to create the

Products 6.e. new human resources,)

An example of this is the. Quezon City Poltytechnic University

(ocPU). Moving on the right direction it has tied up with TESDA and the

industries in uiing the KOICA (Korean Organization for lnternational Co-

operation Agency) lcT infrastructure. Not to mention, the Polytechnic

university of the Philippines (PUP) that introduced some innovative ap-

proaches like putting up the ICT infrastructdre massive training and devel-

opment of teachers and including the lcT in the syllabi of practically all

disciplines. ICT being an enabler in education becombs a great tool for

the institution to become efficient and effeclive in its education endeavor.

The COAwas able to change the Philippine government accounting

and automate it by getting the assistance of about thirty faculty members

from PUPwho weretrained on lCT.

Perhaps it is not too much to say that if the business firms were the

key institutions of the past hundred years, because of their role in organiz-

ing production and mass creation of products, the universityln partnership

with industries will now become the central institution of the next hundredyears because of its role as the new source of innovation and knowledge"

The government's education agenda must be aligned with these chal-lenges.

The bigger challenge now aside from building ICT awareness amongthe populace, is the issue of not really the demand for skills but the supplyof skills. lt is in this critical period that'the government's education agendamust be aligned with these challenges. Education institutions aSide fromcreating awareness of lCT, mu5t also be encouraged to focus. on thepotentialof technology, in designing and providing education based onthenew learning needs of tomorrow'sworld citizens.

The task of reformitlatirrg education frt for the'21st century.individuals is.being .denrandeci, at the sarne.time. potentials of ICT in

21st Century Trends, lssues and Challenges in Philippine Education

cducaiion promises to broaden access to educational opportunities to

larger numbers of people who would othentvise be denied that opportunity.

It is noteworthy to acknowledge that our Philippine president Gloria

MacapagalArroyo, in her 1 O-point government agenda declared, all public

high schbols to, at least have computer laboratories and all state universi-

ties and colleges to have internet cafes to have it accessible to the com-

munity they are serving and for call centers to be accessible in the re-

gions. This will enhance communications facilities. lt is the universities

ind colleges that are expected to meet this challenge head on'

The call center industry is an emerging industry in the Philippines

anci.is regarded as one of the fastest growing industries in the world led by

the demand for offshore call centers. lt is estimated that 112,000 people

were working in call centers in the Philippines in 2005, bringing in rev-

enues of US$ 1 .12 billion for this year.

The growth of call centers continues to be rapid' up fro'm the 72

regrstered in late 2003 when the Asian Call Center Review reported that

the Philippines ranked first in the offshore call center industry for theAsianRegion, surpassing I ndia.

. Since 2000, the call center industry has grown by leaps and bounds.

The Philippines Board of lnvestments (BOl) estimates the growth rate ofthis lndustry since 200'1 at 100 percent annually, with less than 1,000

seats in 2000 to more than 69,000 at the end of 2004.

ln2004,the Philippines already captured 20 percent of the totalworld nnrketshare in contact center services. The Philippine governmentestimates that the Philippines could capture 50 percent of the total worldenglrs[speaking market in 2008. Aside from contributing 12 percent tothe Ph*ppines gross national procluct (gnp); the industry is also the fast-est grorring job provider for filipino college graduates.

lhe information and communications technology division of the BOI

reporid that the call center industry experienced a growth rate of 70percer{in 2005, making it the most dynamic of all sectors in the Philip-pine irbrmation technology indusiry. lt has been estimated that as manyas '13C$00 would have been working in all call centers in the Philippinesby the:nd of 2006. According to industry forecasts, more than a millionfilipinmwould be employed in the call center industry with more thanusdl2billion in revenues in the year 2010.

l-bweverwhile it is rmpressive and encouraging to continue quotingsuch stistics, there is a need to be cautious about tlre communication

. aspecrof the call center incJustry.

The Trends

The call center industry is basically a service industry that serves as

a vital bridge between caller:s and business clients of the centers. Call

lines are handled by individual personnel who need to understand the

needs and peculiarities of callers, identify the solutions to problems, and

answers to questions. ln short, it is a service that is critically dependent

on effective communication, and in the case of the Philippines, communi-

cation in english.

lmportance of effective communication in enqlish for call center personnel

ln order to ensure that the call center industry in the Philippines

achieve and maintain a level of excellence and continue to grow at its

impressive pace, we must ensure that the communication skills of our call

center personnel are adequate, if not exceptlonal.

As english is the medium usqd by the call center industry here,

proficiency in english and theacquisition of communication sktlls are im-

portant to ensure effective communication, satisfied callers for the indus-

try to gain credibilitY.'

Effective communication is not just about being able to speak or

write english lt depends on how english is spoken or..written. There can

be effectrve communication only if callers understand what center person-

nel are trying to convey, whether spoken over the phone, written in email

or through any other form of electronic transmission. lf there is no under-

standing, there cannot be any communication.

ln the globalised context of the call center industry, the need to be

able to communicate effectively is even more critical. lt is therefore im-

perativ,.: that call center personnel constantly seek to improve their profi-

ciency ;*','els of english, and at the same time learn the basics of busi-

ness comnrunication - a willingness io listen, the curiosity to ask anci

probe, r-naking ihe effort to know your audience and accommodating crosscultural differences for better understanding and eventually more effectivecommunication.

Most times, call cenier personnel are dealing with faceless strang-ers rvho impatiently demand answei's to questions and solutions to prob-

lems Fiiiding these answers and solutions is just part of the responsibility

Comnrunicating effectively these answers and solutions to the call-ers who need them is the other part. Working in a call center should not

be viev;ed as just a matter of answering phone calls and enrails or redi-

recting ihem lt is about facing tne constairt challenge of bringing a satis.-

faci,:)i\i' rluicome.tQ every queiy tir'-ough clear, adequate, anci effective coi-t.r-

21st Century Trends, lssues and Challenges in philippine Education

munication skills using the english language, rierein lies the challenge. ltis the responsibility of every call centei peisonnel to rise to that challenge.

. 'ln sumnraiy, education nowand in the future, shourd strive to pro:duce peopre who have iil the principres and varues tn"i*irr

"rpo*Jn"rnto be themselves, to design their own destiny, to make their own choices,to safeguard diversity and to live in harmony iftogl"in"r.'

-: --- - '-

More than the skiils and abirities of how to make a livinq, a specialefrort'shourd be made to teach tnem now to ri";;;;;i;r"fri.it#r, inthe.broadest and most profound sense ot tnat teim, t" 6E

"irl t" iltu""a citizen proud of its identity and curturar regacy, peace-roving,'r"rpon-

sible and tree; a generation prepared to rive urideiine rute ottawi, glnur"-tion guided by the tenets of t'uth, justice, f'eedom, rovb, equity, ,nd"p"".u.

The challenge is ours, the work too is ours but ret us reme^mber, weare not alone in the pursuit of what is offered in the world. rogethei let usall move on and make the difference. tr

A I(ARUNUNGAN FESTIVAL:,SCHOOLS OF THE PEOPLE AS A

PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION FORTHE 2IST CENTURY

Background

':ir'::'"'- You have heard enough about our situation in science and"math-ematics education, that we rank number 36 out of 39 in the TIMSS, thatperfonnance on the NationalAchievement Test (NAT) is below 50% in so

Mean Raw Math Scores: PSHS vs selected countries

o- oto 12

Moan Rtw Soloncc Soottc: PIjHS v! lel€ct€d countrlog

10 21st Century Trends, lssueg and Challenges in Philippine Education

many ichools and school divisions anO so oh. The following slides fromthe presentation of Dr. Vivian Talisayon during the NationalAcademy ofScience and Technology roundtable discussion las{ February 16,2Q07,'special Scierice Classes: Summary of Findings" showthat even Philip-pine Science High School (PSHS), ourtop science high school, performsonly atthe mean of Singapore, Korea and Hong Kong in mathematics andsignificantly below the mean in science.

At the same time, we hear good news: our young people winningprestigious competitions abroad in science and.mathematics. At theroundtable discussion of the NAST last Febrirary 16, 2007, we were in-spired'by the work of the Mathematics Trainers' Guild (MTG) and theoutstanding achievements of the students in theirtraiping programs.

. There have been many conferences like ours and many resolutionsthat have been made.' But the same pattem emerges - a few bright lights and victories

and a mass of poor performance. While we are proud of the bright lightsend victories, lwould like to recall a quote from a Japanese mathematicseducetlon colleague, who said, "We believe that a country can only march

'es fest eS its slower members.'

, The Philippines will march as fast as the majority of our studentsend not at the pace of the few at the top.'

ior the last five decades, there have been numerous large-scalelntoryentlons to improve the Philippine School System. There was theItgrrMeth ln 1960s, the Secondary Education Development Project (SEDP)lnthe'1980s;the recent Revised Ba.sic Education Curriculum (RBEC) andotho]8. :

The dominant approach in'these projects has been through the fol-lowlng steps: , .

1- to bring ln the new approach whlch was usuelly theory de.,rtvedandfrorntheUnltedSletos.,, ,".,.'i

The Trends 11

2-to develop materials based on these approaches

3- to do pilot studie's on small, selected scales, which usuallyconclude that the new approach is better, and,

4-given that necessary funding is available, implement on a na-tionalscale.

ln this implementation scheme, teacher training is done followingwhat is called the cascade model. This means cascading the trainingaccording to the organization of the Philippine school system, through thefollowing levels of training:

. nationil level training for regionaltrainers

n,,,,*. . regional leveltraining foidivision trainers

_,.,..:. division level training for district trainersl o district level training for school trainers

. school level tiaining. for teachers in the schooli

Because of the number of students and teacher-s in the Philippineschool system and financial and time constraints, thb training periodstended to become shorter and shorter as the training cascaded down,until at the level cif schoolteachers, the training was just too short. Whilethe tfaining of the regional trainers might be for six months, by the timethe training gets to the schoolteachers it might be justtwo weeks. Worse,because the training had to be compressed into such tight schedules,harassed administrators would send teaqhers for the training just to com-ply with quotas, even if theywere not going to be teaching the subjectmatter that was the tofic of the training.

ln previous talks, I have compared the impact to thatof a flash flood,too much in so short a time. The new curriculum and textbooks wipe outthe past but are not absorbed.

As one reflects on this mode of educational reform, one notes thefollowing: the focus is on the intended curriculum: The greatest amount oftime is given to the development of textbooks and materials and the hiqher-leveltrainers. lt is also from the top, from education experts from universi-ties and from abroad. The timb frame is too short.

.. lt is quite clear that ihis typical approach in educatiohal reform in thePhilippines.has npt succeeded to move our educational system fonvard.

The Way Forward on the Mass (Some Relative Succgss Stoiies). , ln thle addrsgc, I would like to,ehare eome rElafile Euccesd stofles ",l

,l22lstCenturyTrends,lssuesandChallengesinPhilippineEducation

on a relatively large scale. I shall use as a frameworr "

p"p"r lwrote in

1983 for a conference in JaPan.

Addressing the social Gontext of Philippine schools: Macro-Prob-

lems and Micro-Problems

. After a decade of working on math educatidn, I shared my reflec-

tions in a 1983 paper for a Regional Conference on Mathematics Educa-

tion held in Japan:,,we.can classify problems of mathematical education into two lypes:

the first'we might calf micro.problenis or problems internal to mathemati-

cal educ€tion. These would relate to questions o{ curriculum, teacher train-. ing, textbooks; use of calculators, problem solving ahd the.like. The,sec-

r ont we mightcall macro-problems. These are problems affecting ppth'ematics education because of pressures from other sectors Of society:

economy, politics, culture, language, etc. One of the features of a devel-

oped sotiety is a reasonable differentiation of sectcirs and functions ofsociety. While given sectbrsare, of course, interdependentand affectoneanother, they also have some reasonable autQnomy. School budgets may

, increase or decrease, but they have some stability and so it is possible toplan. Teachers get a sufficient (though not high) salary so thely can con-

centrate on their teaching chores. But in contrast, strqctures in develop-ing societies are not sufficiently developed to provide (for example) educa-

tion and culture with sufficienifreedom from the pressures of politic's and

economics. Teacheis may be called upon to perform many civic duties -to the detriment of their classroom work. Their salaries may not be suffi-

cient for them'to be able to concentrate on their work. Budgets may be

unstable and information and opinion tightly controlled. o

' ln the firstsituation (of developed countries), it makes sense to con-

centrate on internal problems of mathematical'education. One has enough

scope and freedom within the educational system to study and plan

changeswith hope of implementation. ln the second case, however, theproblems which one experiences most intensely are not internallo math-ematics education, but due to pressures from outside society. Until some

structures are established to provide some scope and freedbm for theeducational system, it is less usefulto concentrate studies and plans on

curriculum or other internal concerns. ' , .

. I then went through a more'detailed analysis of the challenges of.

mathematics education from this perspective. ln that same paper, I con-cluded as follows:-;---

.1 , :.:

: . . . ."The.improvernent of mathematics education in developing countries

The Trends 13

such as those of SoutheastAsia requires contin uing impr:ovement of teachertraining, curriculum, textbooks (the internal concerns of mathematicaleducation). However, their improvement is only possible if mathematicaleducation has enough space and freedom (within the pressures of eco-nomics, culture, organization of education) so as to be able to plan andimplement. lt is the experience of developing countries that pressuresfrom other structures of society (economic, political, cultural) are often toostrong for the system of mathematics education to work reaiistically on itsinternalconcerns." .

From the experiences that will be described below, we can look atthis approach to improving education in the social context of philippineschools as:

creating the absorptive capacity of schools and clusters of schoolsto take in and implement significant reform and improvement (attending tothe macro problems)

Targeted and focused interventions to address priority nebds, bothacademic and non-academic (attending to thd microproblems). This meansmeeting the schootswhere they are, letting next level targ"is;ith tnem,and moving them to the next level.

Some PromisingApproaches and Lessons Learned From Them

l. The Third Elementary Education project (TEEP)and School Based Manageme;rt (SBi,l)

our first example of a"large-scale reform project that tackled themacro-problems (creatbd absorptive capacity in the school andcommunity} and micro-problems (teacher trainlng, textbooks, les-son guides, etc.) is the Third Elementary Education project (TiED.

The Third Etementary Education project (TEEp) is a nine-year php12.78 public investment project (1998-2006)of the Department of Educa-tion with externalfinancing from the world Bank and Japan Bank for lnter-national cooperation. The project supports the goalof improving ftre quai-ity of public elementary education through decentralization. spJcificaily, itaims to: l

' improve rearning achievement, compretion rates and access toquality eiementary education in 23 of the poorest provinces in thecountry

buitd the institutional capacityjoi the DepEd to steer reformsthrough teacher effectiveness and better rnanagement at all lev-

J

142lstCenturyTrends,lssuesandCbaltengesinPhilippineEducation

. actively involve the community and tfie localgovernment in a large-

scale effort to attain quality education'

Engagingthecommunityandcreatingabsorptivecapacityandbringing in taigeted inputs. The Third Elementary Education Project

defin-es ichool blsed management (SBM) as the decentralization of de-

cision-making authority frori central,'regional, ahd division levels to indi-

vidual school sites, uniting school heads, teachers, students as well as

pardnts, the local government units and the community in promoting ef-

fective schools. lts main goalis to improve school performance and stu-

dent.a.chievement, where decision-making is made by allthose who are

closely involved with resolving the challenges of the individual schools so

that the specific needs of the students will be Served more effectively' lts

obiectives were to empower the school heads to provide leadership and to

moUitize thd community as well as local government units to invest time,

money and effort in making the school a better place tQ learn, thusimprov-

ing the educational achievement of the children.

ln practice, the Schooi Based Manage#ent approach means:

starting from where the schools are rather than where they ought to be

.adopting school based management to the '"terrain" Or contexts of the 23

divisions

School Based Management is a frameWork that integrates several micro

factors at play in SBM schools, namely,

' leadership (e.g. dynamic school heads)

' strong LGU-school or school-PTCA partnership

. fund managemenVtransparency measu res and resou rce'genera-

tion

access to basic inputs llke classrooms and textbooks

' focused teacher-competency developmenUlNSETs

. . support system at the districVdivision levels

, The community has to be involved and TEEP would not proceed in agiven community, unless the community raised 10% counterpart fundiirg-

. This wotrld bmpunt to about P10,000.00. There is a very touching story in

Romblon. Acommuhity wanted so badly to get a School lmprovement andlnnovation Fund for their school (this was the. overall name of the projectsupport fund) that they.each contributed funds from their own meagerincomes. Theircontribution was mostly in coins. Unfortunately, aftercounting

. .allthe coins,on the deadline for approving proiects, they had'only P9000 of'

nl

The Trends 15

the expected 1 0000. The district supervisor was so mo.ved by the commu-nity efforts that she gave the remaining money.

lmpact. For the TEEP schools, school based management hasresulted in a bigger share of schools crossing lhe75% mastery levelandthe 60% near-mastery level in the NationalAchievement Test. TEEP andnon:TEEP schools started on the same level in SY 2002-2003 but rela-tively more TEEP schools attained mastery tevel ih SY 2005-2006. pleaserefer tgAppendix 1 for the comparator groups as well as the tables show-ing the percent surpassing the 75% mastery level as well as the 60Yqmasteiy level, in terms of overall performance aS well as specific perfor-mance in Math and Science.

It is worth noting the following' , , , ''

With the exception ofAklanl all clusters experienced a decline in scoresand rankings from SY2004-2005 to SY2005-2006. Nevertheless, TEEpSBM provinces sustaided their lead relative to all other clusters (cf. Ap-pendixl).

There is a relatively stronger improvement in mathematics:22.6%9ELSand 18.2 Non-ELS achieving 75% mastery level, allothers are lower, withPampanga cldsest at 16.6%. At 60% mastery level, the performance gapis even clearer, with TEEP ELS at 59.5o/o ?nd non-ELS a|46.3% (cf .Appendix 1).

The improvement in mathematics ib much stronger colnparqd to improve-ment in science (cf. Appendix 1).

The importance of addressing the implemented c&rriculum,the day-to-day work of teachers. what accounts for the significant im-provement in mathematics? I received a phone call in August last yearfrom Dr.,Cynthia Bautista, excited about some results of their end:.project evaluation of the Third Elementary Education project. Therehad been significantly greater improvement in mathematici in the Na-tional Achievement rest (NAT) in several divisions of the TEEp. Theresource persons in the study conducted by the Japan Bank for lnter-national cooperation (JBlc), "Lessons from the Third Elementary Edu-cation.Project: Transforming Education cjn the Ground" attributbd thevery.good p6rformance of TEEp in Mathematics,rto the Math Teach_ers' Lesson Guide series prepared by Dep Ed and Ateneo which rEEpprinted and distributed to all its teachers. written by Master teachersin elementary and.high school, the series drew fiom.existing,text-bPqksand improved on them.. ,

,I

16 21st Century Trends' issues and Challenges in Philippine Education

' Mathematics and ScienceTG foltowing tables showthe scory:I

ratorin the NationatncnieveriJniilstottneTEEP

schools and the compa

groups:

Math

200213 200314 200415 2005/6

, TEEP SBM 46.1 54.1 62.0 59.0

AKI.AN+ 49,9 52.O 58.2 56.4

CAGAYAN+ 46.6. 51.2 57.1 53.1

-llolLo+ 42.1 47.5 54.6 49.7

55.1 61.3 56.2PAIllIPANGA+ 46.9

NCR 420 50.7 60.5 47.7

M.1 44.5 41.8ARMM 38i4

52.3 58.9 il.7Total 46.0

Science

200213 20a314 200415 2005/6

TEEPSBM 44.7 50.0 60.4 50.2

AKI-AN+ 46.7 47.5 58.2 49.1

.GAGAYAN+ 44.7 46.8 55.7 45.3

ILOILO+ 41.3 4.4 il.5 44.7

PAMPANGA+ 45.0 50.2 60.5 48.2

t{cR 43.2 47.9 60.3 43.1

ARMM 40.5 .40.2 46.7 37.2

Total 44,4 48.1 58.0 47.1

Ulirat are these Lessgn Gu'ldes? The Lesson Guidbs in Math-

emat#il; ;jiil -oir;in

g th; t"ttn.of.f:T"t Dep Ed seqetary,Ra u I

Roco. He invited u. to J*"&ing in .luty 200:l to discuss what might be

il;ililffiGGdorrnance. of, students,in the different zubjeot'areas.

The Trends 17

We shared with Secretary Roco that the central problems gontlnue-to be

the lack of teachers, n"",0 to.t".cher-training, lack of textbooks, class-

rooms and other basic needs'

We then suggested that considering the situation in public schoolg'

e.9.,

' lack of textbooks

' lack of library facilities or library materials for teachers

' . absence of experts teachers may eonsult'

' the need is to provide textbooks for students and a self-contained

reference material (guide) for teachers'

The Dep Ed was able to provide Math textbooks foi all high school

students (1 : 1 ratio) ouring ir," iime of former secretary Roco. The series

il;;; i"pioJu"bo tor iti stuoents was the onry complete series avail-

able. Moving trom tne preuiou. seop aplroach (spiralapproach) to the

diScipline based "pptJ""n

(Elementary'Algebra - 1sr year' lntermediate

Algebra _ 2nd yeaq e"olll*"iry - 3io ysarlnd Advanced 4lgebra and Trigo-

nometry _ 4h year), meant iiteratty tearing apart the existing books and

iliffii"dtlilnl algebra parts, tne geometry parts' and.so on' (Later

on, we realized now fiuin improvement is necessary for the GeometrY

p"lt. in" o"nciencies in Geometry were not very evident in the SEDP

lpiral curriculum.)

This move could not be done for the elementary level since no com-

pf"t" i""todo[ series from Grade 1 to Grade 6 was available'

The Lesson Guidis prepared by Dep Ed and Ateneo were designed

to help thateachers in iniit iay+o-ciay teaching. Each lesson Guide in-

cluded:

objectives for the lesson

develoPment of the lesson

suggested examPles and exercises

suggested teaching strbtegies with provisionsfor higher order think-

rg"ir.irr. (HoTS), niuttipte inteltigences (Ml) and values integra-

tion

Allwork in the preparation of the lesson guides was a team effort among

tn" fri"it"r t""'"h"r, from public schools, the Dep Ed curriculum speciaF

i.t "il experienced,teachers from theAte.neo de Manila Grade'School

ind Hrgh School'asv'retl'aq the other''lesuit schools'' ' ' ' -: '' ' | '' '

tt218tCenturyTrends,lssuesandChallengesinPhilippineEducation

The preparation of Math Lesson Guides was a large-scale effort

wlthin a shoritime frame. The Lesson Guides for High School Math-

ematics were completed within August 2001 - March 2002 while the

Leeeon Guides foi Elementary were prepared beginning December

2002 untilApril 2003. Teacher training was conducted for 1,971 high

lohool mathematics teachers in 2002 and 2,210 elementary math-''cmatics teachers in 2003.

a

, The leeson learned from this initiative on Lesson Guides is worth

notlng:

Focusing'on prioviding anough textbooks, teacher guides or work-

bOOkS.and working patiently with the teachers to use these well (teacher

Frlnlng) is a way of nnaking progress on'a large t""li;,' lt lS also important to note that the success of the TEEP schools

Wlth ho Math Lesson Guides depended in great part on progress in'the.

aOOhl Ovironment of TEEP schools brought about by school-based man-'

fgCmd. School Based Management created the environment for reform,

,hd aborptive capacity to make change.

ll" C4rclty Building for Schools in Payatashru Pt{ect ssPEEd and ACED

fb gecond example is a smaller scale effort by theAteneo Center

fOf Bbttonal Development to see what it takes to help bring up poor

ihintry schools, mainly in Payatas, Quezon City. I

' From rdsearch Ateneo had done iri the early 1990s (led by Dr.

PftrhtLicuanan), it was seen that what differentiatefl high perform-

,lng ptilc elementary,schools from low performing ones' given the

lamaFnomic and demographic situation; was the leadership of the

ednctsl and the support of the community. We used this as a frame-

*otltl'our work with delected public elementary schools.

, iZOOf , Mr. Washington Z. Sycip, Mr. Alfredo Velayo and Fr.

, lhhtJdo F, Nebres, S.J., initiated Project SSPEEd or Sectoral Sup-'j.glt 3Public Elementary Education. Concerned with the'declining

, $tths of education in the country, this project aimed to provide'lttitltto particular public elementary schools patterned after thelltUhtent and experience of Ateneo de Manila in the Third Elemen-

!$;:3.,,0n Project (TEEP). Project SSPEEd provided supportto,,lmf0lng partner schools from 2001 to 2004 : P. Burgos Elernen-

,"i$fy'lhoi'iManila), Payatas Elementary School (Quezon, City),

,'TU{iisltangan Elementary Schooj (Quezon City),.Payatas B:An:

The Trends {9

nex EbmdntarySchoot(Quezon City) and Kalayaan elementary School

(Caloocan CitY)-

From this project theAteneb Center for Educational Development

(ACED) leamed significant lessons and insights on'how to fuse macro-

Lvel goals and micro-levet initiatives and involvement. Project. SSPEEd

proviJeO a framework on how institutions can assist public schools de-

velop and atthe same time create impact in the surrounding urban poor

communfies

\lvhen Project ssPEEd ended in 2004, ACED pursued a closer part-

nership with four public elementary schools in the 2nd district Of Quezon

City -Payatas BAnnex Elementary School

Payafias G. Elementary School'

Lupang Pangako Elementary School

Bagong Silangan Elementray School

Given the population of Payatas, these are very large schools.

This closer partnership with the schools Ueganbitn data gather-

ing. Much workw?s then done to bring thecommunity together (prin-

cipal, teachers, parents, baringgay officials, students) and do strate-gic planning and prioritizing of goals and objectives with them. Thispartnership, which ACED has carefully nurtured these past years has

led to notable results- Because the need for buildings aqd classroomscarne from the shared and careful planning by the whole community,Mayor Belmontewas impressed and moved fonrrrardto build the needed

buiidings, classroorns and comfort rooms. Thd private sector alsocame in with other needed inputs; like textbooks, workbooks, etc.

The principals and teachers have become more confidentand effectivein their areas of responsibility as a result of empowerment programsand teacher-training programs. Student achievement has improved in

differen{ degrees. The most dramatic improvement is in Lupang Pangako

Elementar| School where the ranking of the school in the divisionievel has moved up from rank 94 in 2003 to rank 18 in 2004 to rank 16

in 2005 and to rank 9 for 2O07.:

From Projiect SSPEEd and thb work of ACED in Payatas schools,we have seen two things: th€ crucial role of the school principal and the

community and the importance of a holistic ahd collaborative approach in

schooldevbloprrnent and improvement We have also seen that local govern-

Tgrlt,.e,spgcially Mayors, area majol qar$er in ipproving the schools.

I

tr

I

20 21st Century Trends, lssues and Challenges in philippine Education

The lesson tearned from the work with the public scnoos in projecttSPEEd and ACED is quite ctear..

. The way forward on the mass is to invest in capacity building for allmaJor players: the principal, teachers, parents and barangay omcianlWnehthc principaland the community are organized ano navJgood plans, therecen be very good response from local government and t[e private sector.

lll. Bylldlng Leadership and community support rhrough synergeia

Thr thlrd exampie is the work of Synergeia Foundation.

. synergeia Foundation, lnc. is a coalition of individuals, institutionstnd organizations working together to improve the quality of basic educa_tlon, synergeia and its partners implement systemitic programs to im-prove the provision of basic education in more than 115 muiicipalities inthr country.

. ..Synergeia has focused on building leadership and community sup-pott through the foflowing :

FOcue on Local Schoot Board (provincial, City, Municipat)

. . . .Engage whole community in assessing the situation, setting goars,drcldlng on priority objectives - ' - - --"'e -

Focus on elementary schools, beginning at Grade 1, esp EnglishmdMathematics

Provision of basic instructionar materiars (resson prans for day todry ure of teachers, workbooks for children,,auoio-vlsuai r"tlri irrlln-rcrvice training for teachers and principals

The programs of synergeia have arready resurted in significant im=provcments in the reading and mathematics proficiency ofllementaryItudents, and rnore importanfly, in local governance. tn monitoring the

, pcrlbrmance of participating schocirs, syneigeia ,r"r tf'" roriJrinl-rn"trl.r.NrtlonalAchievement Test (NAT) for Grade Schoot of Deped .

DOLCH Basic Sight Words Test :

Engllch Comprehension Test developeO Oy Synergeia

--^^ gynergela in Buracan.'synergeia began working in Buracan in

2000 under the readership of Govern'or.Josie: de ra cruzl over 620,000?lqlll fror grades one to six in 496 etdmentary ,"noois in e;6J-n;;;

,i, , , ltllcfryUng il the Qvneroeia n1ogr31n .ll {',9 z_ooo rrra-tionaiRl,rieve*ent

t

L-

The Trends 21

Test (NAT), pupils had an average score of 39.40% in Mathematics and40.23Yo in English. Six yegrs {ater,'after interventions of Project JOSIE,pupils achieved a MT average score of 64.39% in Mathematics and 65.45%in English.

Synergeia in Lipa City, tsatangas,Among the 17 communitiesthat pioneered the reading proficiency program, the most dramatic gainwas achieved by Project K in Lipa City, Batangas. At the siart of theproject, $rade one pupils' proficiency was measured at 25 percent. Thismeant, children could read only 1 out of 4 words conectly. Mayor VilmaSantos-Reclo.was floored upon geeing the results. Fueled by the urgencyof the education crisis, various stakeholders.including De La Salle Lipa,the local DepEd, local school board and parents, worked togetherto im-prove the way children learn how to read in school. After one year, theDivision Achievement test result$Sh0ped that on the average, grade onepupilscould already read at 54:0 percent, doubling theirscore in the pre-vious year's exam.

\n2002-2003,. Lipa City's NAT.average was 44.85, in 2006-2007, it was73.55. The English average in 2002-2003 was 40.15, in 2006-07, it was73.06

Synergeia in ARMM. The most challenging area of work forSynergeia now is in ARMM. Allow me to give you some numbers fromour most challenging. areas in Maguindanao : Upi, Datu Paglas andBarira.

Diversity in Achbvement of Grade One Pupils in BariraMaguindanao in Reading

22 21st Century Trends, lssues and Challenges in Philippine Education

Reading Levels of GradeOne Children in Maguindanao.a yearBefore and After the DIWA{QUALLS Program

90

80

70

60

50

40

30

410

0

2006

Garde One reader Adanced reades

Once again, the way forward on the mass is to invest in capacitybuilding forthe entire community.

Tfie Upper End of the Challenge

How can we close the gap between our top schools and thetop schools in the region? Let me now turn to the upper end of thechallenge. we have the toportne line, philippine science High school,other science high schools and leader schools. ln ESEp, we-worked toprovide laboratories as well as a stronger curriculum and programs forthese schools. we can add a list of private schools to these science highschools and leader schools.

As we saw earlier, based on the data given by Dr. Talisayon, evenour best schools have a.way to go to reach the levels of schools amongour neighboring countries. The best way to move forward is to expliciilybenchmark with the best among our neighbors.

A framework might be a proposal sent recenily by Dr. DJ.de Jesuspp benchmarking the top schools in the region: Singipore, Thailand,vietnam, Philippines..on the initiative of the Minister of Education ofsingapore and the Deputy Minister of Education and rrai'ning of Viet-1am' .the proposal is to benchmark the top science schools ofSingapore, Vietnam, Philippines and Thailand. This could be done bythe students from the three other countries competing in the nationalexams for science and math conducted by Vieinam. singapore hasalrgady accepted the proposal. This benehrnin<ing.witt also"bi rn opp*.

tunity to compare the performance levels that the, different schools expect

from their students and to see if there are significant differences among

them., You might be surprised to know that the country l woutd expect to

top the group'will be Vietnam. From my experience of gomparing the

developmeni of top talent in the Philippines and in countries like Vietnam,

china, etc., what emerges is that, we have to develop a much stronger

problem-soiving culture. ln mathematics, this means problems on.the level

of the Int6rnational Mathematics Olympiad. When we benchmark our top

.tuo"nt with say, Vietnam, we will find that we cannot compete at their

level. Vietnam even during the wars with the u.s. qontinued to produce

teams that would rank among the top in the lMo. I checked on the rankings

of the foui cou ntries and f rom 20t02to 2006, Vietnam ranked 5, 4,4,1 5 and

13 reilpectively; singapore ranked 30, 36, 18, 14 bnd 27; Thailand ranked*

21,19,35,23and i6;the Philippinesranked 74,79,79 and 68 (we did not

participate in 2006).

we should encourage participation in mathematics and science

competitibns. We should encourage the work of the Mathematics Train-

ers' Guild and support its spread to all our sciencp high schools and

leader schools. I personally teach a mathematics problem solving course

in Ateneo college and we try to develop competitive teams in our grade

school and high schooland annually hold a competition between them

and teams from MTG.

Postscript-Focus on the Day{o-Day Classroom (the implemented cur-

The Trends 23

riculum)

. Teacher Training for Day-to-Day Teachingr We established tlfe

Mathematical Society of the Philippines in 1972,[he same year as the

establishment of the SoutheastAsian Mathematical Society. These soci-

eties from the stprt were involved in helping develop both university and

research mathematics as well as mathematics education and teachertraining. ln ourteachertraining, I soon realized thatourapproach of provid.

ihg generic training and enrichment materials or talks was not addressing

the needs of the teachers. They needed something they could use in their

day-to-day delivery of their classes. So, together with Sr. lluminada Coronel,

we began to work with their textbooks, providing support exercises, etc.

MTAP continues to carry on this work and it was along the same lines thatwe carried oui tne work with textbooks and Teache.r Guides under thenSecretary Roco in.20q1. As a side note, when we were discussing thisrecently with USecs and ASecs of DepEd, they laughed:and said'thatteachers have a comment about generic arld enrichmenttype.serninars,


their Three T's: Tanggap, Tiklop, Tago. That is, they take the handouts,pack them and then put them away. :

. Benchmarking Using Tests Like TIMSS. One way to move for_

ward is to use exams like TTMSS or college Entrance Testl in the philip-plnes or School Leaving Exams in other countries (like the primary SchoolLeavlng Exams, o-Level Exams and A-Level Exains of singapore) not justto compare performance, but to use them as a diagnosti-".'rnis meansualngthe exams as a toolto identify the key areas wliere improvement orprogress is most needed. Diagnose why students oo poorly in these ar.cao. Then, using the data, develop interventions: approprtateieachertrain-lng, workbooks, lesson guides, etc. to address these probrems. Measurewhether the interventions are working.

.0. '

we have found it important to engqgg the teahers in this exercise:gct th6 teachers to do the answer key (this helps them engage the chal-lcnges.coming from the tests)get themio corecl the studentl' papers orIt lgast,some of them (they will get a lot of "aha" experienbes- seeingthat what they thought they taught did not reaily sink in)

, thgn lnvite reflection on howto move forward

A'FlnelWorO

As we celebrate developments in Basic Education in the philippinesln.thle Karunungan Festival, we would like to pay speciar attention to thelntcruentions that have addressed priority needs of our schools and schoolfyltam on a relatively large scale. while depressing statisticaifigurestnd reports on the state of education in the philippin-es"continue to dis-courage us, we look forward to a betterfuture through the inspiring results'frcm lnltiatives like the TEEp schoot Based ManajementAppiolch, theMrth Lesson Guides, the focus of synergeia on buirding readership andoonlmunity support, the work of project sspeeo ano tn-e ncED and thedcdlcation of MTG in developing talent among the youth. we oraw inspira-llon, too, from the many other success storijs wer,ave ristenelio in tnisoonference.

' . w-e realize the importance of giving attention to the sociai environ-

mont of oqr schoors if we are to impr.ovl and deverop ou.r"nooi, "norducational system. we have seen that to move fonvaid on'tn" *""., it i.

lmportant to invest in capacity buirding for the "nti1"

,"nooi "oriirnity,fl i:.!1,-q?chers,

parents an d oa ran ggay. offi ciaIs. ror tne Oeveropmentot our top targnt, we see that we need to benchmark expricifly *itn ft,",brrt rmon g,oy q nerg frbo.rs

The Trends 25

Finally, to move towards a better situation for basic education in the

Philippines, it is important thatwe focus on the dayto-day classroom (thtr

implemented curriculum). We can do this through teacher training and

other interventions that give attention to the dayto-day delivery of lessons

and benchmarking activities like learning from best practices of other

schools and using reputable examinations to improve the standards of our

schools.

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank Dr. Cynthia Rose Bautista for sharing the report

and experiences of TEEP. I personally directed the planning that led toTEEP, the development of the Division Elementary Development Plan

(DEDP) 1994-98 and it is a tribute to those who carried out the work,especially Dr.. Malou Doronila, thatwe have achieved such signiftcant re-

sults.

I would like to thank Ms. Anne Lan Candelaria for the outstandingwork with the Payatas Schools. The work has now been taken over by

Mrs. Carmela Oracion, who also led the lvork for developing the LessonGuides for Mathematics.

Finally, thanks to Dr. Milwida Guevara, President of Synergeia Founda-tion, and her team for the outstanding work of Synergeia Foundation in

engaging mayors and the community, revitalizing the local school boards,and truly improving educatiOn for public elementary school students in somany municipalities and cities. lwould liketothank Ms. Trissa Manalastasfor her patience in organizing the data for me forthis presentation.

Appendix 1 : TEEP Comparator Groups and Pe.rcentage of StudentsSurpassing 75o/oand 607o Mastery Level(Overall, Math and Science)

To determine the comparatorgroups forTEEP/SBM, the Team examinedhow each province fared along four poverty indices:

The Human Poverty lndex (HPl),

the 1997 and 2000 Fixed Level of Living or qonsumption-based measuresand the 2000 official poverty line.of the National Statistical CoordinatingBoard.

Comparator groups:

ARMMBasilan, Lanao del Su r, Magtrindanao. Sulu.and Tawi-Tawi.

AKLAN+ the clearly poor provinceS that satisfied the following criteria:province HPI > median HPI for the country:fdll's betoii,fhb pov'erty line based on ionsumpti<in levels in 1'g97 :

2'tst Century Trends, lssues and Challenges in Philippine Education

falls below the poverty line based on oonsumption levels in 2000falls beiowtheofficial NSCB poverty line.

Aklan, Camarines Norte, Lanao del Norte, Northem Sama, Sarangani,Sorsogon, Westem Samarand Zamboanga delNorb

CAGAYAN+ provinces that satisff two orthree of the above criteria:

Agusan del Norte, Albay, Bohol, Cagayan, Camarines Sur, Camiguin,Catanduanes, Cebu; Gompostela Valley, Davao Norte, Davao Oriental,lsabela, Oriental Mindoro, Occidental Mindoro, Marinduque, MisamisOccidenlal, Quezon, Siargao, Siqu[or, South Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat,SurigaodelNorte

ILOILO+ provinces that satis$ onlyone of the above,critefa

Bukidnon, Davao Sur, lloilo, Negros Occidental, Nueva.Ecija, NuevaVizcaya, Occidental Mindoro, Palanvan

ln addition to the poor provinces, TEEP schools were also ompared tonon-poor provinces, cities and the National Capital Regkrn:

PAMPANGA+ Bataan, Batangas, Bulacan, Cavite, lloos Norte, llocosSur, La Union, Laguna, Misamis Orbntal, Pampanga, Pangasinan, Quirino,Rizal, Tadac, Zambales and allcities outside NCR

r{cRI

Note tre relatively stronger improvement in mathemalics: 22.6%9ELS and18.2 Non-ELS gchieving 75% mastery level, all others beloq withPampanga closest at 16.6%. At607o mastery level, the perbrmanoe gapis even clearer, with TEEP ELS at 59.5% and non-ELS at 46.3% .The

. i mprovement is also m uch stronger compared.to improvement in Scbnce.

PercentSurpassing 75% Mastery Level: Overall

GROUPs 2ffi3t4 2trJ/,t5 2m5r6

TEEP ELS

TEEP NON-ELSAKLAN+CAGAYAIII+

llotlo+ '

PAMPANGA+NCR

ARMM

2.63.24.73.51.0

3.50.00.9

7.34.93.32.91.0

6.71.3

o.2

16.1

13.6,9-4

9.1

5-315.86.1'

1.4

15.011.2

8.7

.7.01.9

11.O

. o.a0.5

3,i 4.1 11.3 8_3 15.5 2s.6 43.3 320

The Trends

Perc"entSu'rpassing 75% Mastery Levet: ilath

GROUPS 2W2t3 2ffi3t4 2ffi4t5 2005t6

TEEP ELSTEEPNON-ELSAKLAN+CAGAYAN+ILOILO+PAMPANGA+l.CRARMY

7.38.0

10.88.34.1

8.81.1

0_5

15.013.4

10.510.1

5.615.67.4

5.4

32.624.318.517.8

12.O

26.517.3

4.3

2..618.2

14.4'11.8

4.7

J6-62.22.2

Total 7.7 11.7 20.8 13.5

i

':!- i.tl"-:

Percent Surpassing 75% Mastery Level: Science

GROUPS 2ffi2r3 200/,ts 2005/r5

TEEP ELSTEEPNON.ELSAKLAN+CAGAYA,ITI+

ILOILO+

PAMPANGA+tlCRARMM

22.0 5.917.2 '3.714.7 2.111.8 1.88.1 0.619.5 3.411.7 0.0'2.9 0.2

2.92.83.92.9

.0.93.1

0.91.4

4.72.91.91.50.63.31.8o.2

2.2 14.8

Percent Surpassing 60% Mastery Level: Overall

Grot.ry ZWZ! ZWllA, ZOMTS 2005/6

2.7

TEEP SBM ELS 15.5TEEPSBMNOI*ELS 15.8

2..416.5

8.9

39.329.324.422.!14.731.919.513.6

65.1

50.343.3

37.5

32.3

49.949.811.1

59.546.3

14.o32.324_9

4Q.3

19.7

10.4

AKLAN+CAGAYAN+ILOILO+PAMPANGA+ 16.4rcR 6.1ARMM 11.6

:

2A 21at Ccntury Tronds, lsluc! and Ghallenges in Phitippine Education

Frrcent Surpasslng 60% Mastery Level: Math

GROUP 2002t3 2003t4 2004t5 200516

TEEP SBM ELSTEEPSBM NON-ELS

AKLAN+CAGAYAN+ILOILO+

PAMPANGA+NCR

ARI\4M

5e.5 /48.e/.4.434.925.2

41.8

17.9

14.9

20.522.5

31.423.0

14.222.910.55.6

46.938.5

34.032.1

23.941.2

27.8

20.4

66.6u3.47.8

44.837.9

53.955.61'9.7

Tobl 21"8 34.9 48.5 ,.,-38.6

Pcrcent Surpassini 60% Mastery Level: Science

GROUP 2002t3 200,4t5

TEEP SBM ELSTEEPSBM NON-ELS

AxtRtt+CAGAYAN+ILOILO+

PAMPANGATNCR

ARMM

15.013.7

19.514.4

8.514.5

6.1

12.4

33.724.019.317.2

11"7

25.916.88.3

68.652.3

47.940.635.7

53.052.7

20.6

31.724.5.21.8

15.5 r

9.821.1

6.54.8

Total 13.8 20.5 46.5 " 1g.4

The PROFESSIONAL REGUT_ATIONCOMMISSTON at

Advocating Stronger politics to Ensurelntegrity of Licensure Examinations

?/i&ha

", /apaaa, p.

The professionarReguration comrirission (pRC)was created on June22, 1973 by virtue of presidentiar Decree No. 223'issu;; o}, Fresioent '

Ferdinand E. Marcos. rts firstGommidsionerwasArchitect Ert c. ruubra,who assumed office on January 2 ,1g74. rt arso siarteo ilr,iirg'.#ficatesof regishation in Firiprno with Engrish transration

"no "urpit"riring thedatabase of its registered profesiionars thilt year. rn tgzz,'tn" commis_sion conferred the first"outstanding professionar of the yea/, awards toprofessionars and started issuing rigistration cards that were varid forthree years.

^!1.De""r ber 20,i000, the pRC Modernization Act (Republic ActNo' 8981) re-defined the directions pRC

", " gou.rrent agency taskedto promote the sustained deveropment of a corps of competent Firipinoprofessionars. rn 2006, the pRC was praced under the administrative su_pervision and controlof the Departmentof Laboi;"d E;;ffi;;

The Commission supervises 43 professional Regulatory Boards(PRBs) which regurate the professions and accredit the professionar orga_n izatio n s rep resentin g the profession" rr. in "

pn es reg u rate t-n!' piacticeof more than two mition. registereo r'ipino professioiars. rnrolgn tne|:'tir." or p RC pass h un dredl or thousa iJr;i;ffi ilii.i"rJ

"ilL **take licensure examinatigns every year.

- -

The pRC marks its 36rhFoundingAnniversary in the service of Fili_pino Professionars worrdwide on Jil;;-;, 2009. The cerebration wi'showcas€ the major reforms n"iin" corimission has.initiated in year2009 and wiil feature the awarding "rin"

rvr".t outstanding professionarand Professionar Associ"Ji:l.r in iecog n ition or tnei. sig;iil".i"*tn nr_tions to the nation and thd Filipjno p".il.- -'o""'-';"'r v-"1

Adopting the theme 'strengthening the^rmage of pRC on rntegrity,Transpa rency a nd Competence, ithe enb-"iep, iq contin uously adyocat:ing'strongei potiiies to ensure triu v;r,oiiv; r"liiabitity, ahd integrity of iicen_

30 21st Century Trends. lssues and Challenges in philippine Education

sure examinations in accordance with Her Excellency president GloriaMacapagalArroyo's directive to estiablish a closer linkaie with ine eOuca-tion and industry sectors.

The new stewardship aims to sustain the progressive momentum ofthe agency as it aspires to be a resilient, pfogressive, and. respectedinstitution that nurtures world class professionals.

2009 Eiqht Kev Directions of the Commission

- Decentralization of functions,'authority and resources to regionaloffices

. Decentralization and empowerment of regionaloffices are vitalto promote the Commission's thrusts in deliv€ring services at thefield level. The regional offices account for 60 peicent of the totalcommission transactions and 45 percent of total revenue collec-tions. ln 2007, the regions accounted for.4g percent of examinees,and 51 percentoflDs processed

To furtherenhance service delivery the following are devolved' to regional offices: hiring of service contractor/job order personnel,

procurement of certain office supplies and equipment.like printers,implementiation of office systems automation, printing of professionallD cards, payment of salaries of contractual persoinel, and the re-lease of regional MOOE budget on a quarteriy basis.

Crucial to decentralization is au g mentation of. ma npower. Devo-lution of functions cannot be'a'chievJd if the regionat oifices are un-dermanned. commissioner Nilo L. Rosas is taking the lead in havingthe Rationalization plan approved. The focus iJ the upgrading oiPRC regional offices in terms of staffing. Another goal.iJto createToie field officer posilon item.s to establish more field offices in far-flung provinces.

For 2009, the Commission starts the groundwork to expand. the walk-in Examinations for other profes!ions, particurarly the

. Nurses and ProfessionalTeachers, in the regions. '

:

Restructing of the Centraldnd Regional

The restructuring of the centrar and Regionar offices wiil.in-vofue thedelegation of sorne.of the chairman's oversightfunctionstothecommissioners. For one, the centrar offices wilibe supervised: bythe commissioners.'Thisalso entails the ia'tionalization.of Broject .

The Trends 31

management over lT projects. For,the regional offices, the restruc-turing will be aimed at supporting the decentralization thrust whichwill be outlined in the regionaloperations manual.

- Resource Mobilization or Resource Generation

The fourth key Direction is resource mobilization or resourcegeneration. This means generating more income in support of thefiscaltargets of theArroyoAdniinistration. Thus, the commission isbound to set income targets and provide incentives to top rerienuegrosser.

lmproved lnstitutional image

-.:L* j1... Th.e Commission is also aiming to improve and enhance thg o

institutional image of theAgency by promoting a positive ouflook onthe commission's accomprishments, efforts, and cbnstraints. Thepublic and the stakehorders - the schools, the professionals, ac-credited professionals - should be involved to support the key direc-tions of the commission whose; positive image shourd be based onsolid accomplishment and integrity. t

- Test Development and Administration

Her Excellency, PresidentArroyo has time and again directed. the PRC to work closely with the lndustry sector in updating licen-

sure examinations. Likewise, she directed the commission io workcloselywith the commission on Higher Education to avoid overlaps,and to revise the lmplementing Rules and Regulations of the pRCModernization Act to reflect these directives.

this end, the commission wiil enhance the varidity and reri-ability of licensure examinations, by looking at best practices, hereand abroad. Technical assistance through grants should be consid-ered. Research and deveropment capability shourd be strengthenedto develop tests that are relevant to the topics covered, meaiure thecompetencies and skills that are supposed to be measured andreflect the present scientific and technical competency demands ofthe industry.

- ISO Certification -

The fifth Key Direction is towards rso certification. The presi-dent has required ail government agencies to move towaios rsocertification. This is to improve the quality of services to world-classlevel and to in stitutionar Le p RC s' rnodein ization programs.

21st Centu,ry Trends, lssues and Challengbs in Philippine Education

- PRC Modernization LawAmendment

. The objective is to put proposed amendments to the PRC Mod-. ernization Lawon the legislative agenda of Congress. CommissionerRuth Raffa Padilla spearheaded the move to accomplish thrs task.The hmendments will hopefully strengthen further the regulatorymandate and functions of the Gommission

, Completion and Closure of lSSP.Projects

, The completion and closure of ISSP Projects will up the cud-gel fot'replicating the system in regional offices in order to realize

. their intended benefits. tr

NCLEX IN MANILAOPEN BY MID-YEAR

/arurlo Sor4dnc

Pop the the champa.gne and pray in thanksgiving.The.P.hilippine bid to hold the tJS nursing licensure exai in Manila.r:t,,

succeeded. Filipino nurses who wish'to work in Ameica.no longer musttravel abroad, burning hundreds of dortars, just to take tne N"Ctex(Nltrsing council Licensure Examination). They can do it in Manila

stafting mid-2007. other Asians may, tob, as an unintended boost forPhilippinetourism.

rThe good news came Thursday evening as the exhausted derega-

tion from Manila, red by commission on Firipinos overseas head DanteA1g, was aboutto sup. presidentFaith Fieldi of.the us Nationalcouncitof state Boards of Nursing (NcsBN), as NCLEX overseer,

"nnoun."J ,

.unanimous decision. lt capped two hours of griiling earliei on philippineassurances of exam security and,housecleaning lfter,fraud marred itsown nursing board tests last June.

Ang quickry informed presidentArroyo of the event. Manira newsoutlets called to confirm. The persistence oi Filipinos on bofh sioes orlnePacific finally paid off. The first step to nursing job placement in Americawill now be cut in cost by at least harf. The ehiippine Nurr""n..o.i"ilonin America (PNAA) first broached the idea inznazof NGLEX locating inManila. The NCSBN at that time was muiling to open the licensing testoutside the'Us and its territories in two year.J. For'pNM past pres-ident

l^lllll!:y."_ry,"1d present prestdent Rosario May Mayor, it was ontyrogicar that Manira be among the pilot areas. After air, Firipinos nave ar_ways formed the burk of examinees - ovor 9,000'or 3s pe,denipei year inthe 1990s. (Thbt figure jumped to more than 15;000 or 6o percent tastyear.) The closest brio tnus cheapest to reach test site oack then r,,LsSaipan, for which examinees had to pay g200

";; f*" ;;o S-obrj i"r. r+,f3o! a1o todsins. Locatins the exam in ManiL ;;r[-;;; p"vrg

"rrv"the basic $200-fee prus $1s0 for foreign processing, but no more overseas

t4 21st Century Trends, lssues and Challenges in Philippine Education

tnvcl. Theywould be able to use the savings to review. Atl easier said than

done, though. Too frequbntwere reports of coup$ and kidnappings in Ma-

nlla, making the NCSBN hesitant Software piracy, was also rampant,

Wgrrylng NCLEX examiners abouttricksters simply memorizing their ques-

tlOng to transform into nursing school lectures. ln 2004 the only new sites

Openedwere London, Seoul and Hong Kong-

ln Mar. 2005 Ang joined the NCLEX effort, raising it to an official

Wntule with the PNA/\ and the Philippine Nurss Association in the hom+lfnd. He got the US embassy and American Chamber of Commerce in the

Phlllpplnes to support the Manila testing location. NCSBN officials werelnVlted to Manila for a first-hand took at facilities, physical and softwarelccurl$, and Filipino nursing life. They saw that notonly the US Medical

uOcnslng Examination was being given bouble-ft.ee in Manila, but also the

CGFNS (Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Sc$ools) tests toquallff for the NCLEX. Most telting was the worK ethics of Filipino nurses,

thc reaeon trey comprise 83 percentof foreign qurses inAmerba and are

thc moet prefened by hospitals, doctors. elinics and care homes-

Forgood measure, Ang suggested b PresidentAnoyo the formatonof rn lnbragency Task Force-NCLEX, Qonslsting of his CFO, and reps

lnom he PNA, the Professional Regulatory Commission's Board of Nurs-lng, the labor office, NBI or PNP, and association of nursing school dbans.

The group had just been formed on July 31, 2006, when news brokethrt Ure nursin$ board test of the previous month uras marked by question

lcakage. To make mafters worse, at least two nursing board membersrnd P}{Aofficers who owned review centers were implicated. As if thatwcre notenough, the PRC atfirst denied the leakage, and when examin-ces came forward to confess to benefiting from the leaks, GOTCHA By, JARIUSBONDOC O

ACADEMICENTREPRENEURSHIP

Seaa*o tl4a* /, 4agana.

- The lnternet search engine Lycos began as a research project by aprofessor at the Carnegie Mellon University in 1994. Five years later; itbecame the most visited site in the world, with a global presence in morethan 40 countries.

All over the world, governments are showing greater interest in uni-versity spirioffs. European governments are pouring resources into univer-sities with the goal of turning thern into engines of economic growth throughspinoff company forma(ion. The Japanese governmenf recently changedits intellectual property laws to favor spinoff company formation.

As countries,progress from agricultural economies to technologicalones, it becomes crucial for them to accelerate research and develop-

. ment led by their universities. But more importantly, they must translatetheir technological findings into industrial development. This helps thecountry shift from a productiol-based to an innovation-based economy.

ln developed countries, governments recognize thqt granting R&Dinstitutions the rights to lP generated with public finds leads to better useof research results and spurs start-up businesses that create employ-ment. This is called academic entrepreneurship: the process of creatingeconomic val ue through organizational creation, invention, and innovationthat occurs within an academic institution, resulting in research and tech-nology commercialization.

So far, the weakest link in our country'g innovation system is thetransferring and commercializing of the results of research and develop-.ment efforts, particularly those undertaken by government-funded institu.tions.

Currently, only.an estimated 10 percent of university-research out-' put are being transferred into industries because of intellectual-propertyissues. We are losing valuable intellectual properly created by our own

!t 21tt Gentury Trends, lssues and Challenges in philippine Education

ganlugss because bf an inhospitable climate for innovation. Their inven-tmr cnd up getting patented by foreign companies who have the resourcesbdevelop them.

. The US Bayh-DoreAct alows government funded agencies, such asunlvcreities, to retain intellectual property rights to inventi6ns derived fromthr frulte of government-funded research. ihis was a major factor for the

' nlnvlgoration of R&D in the us, and ushered the successfulcommercial-lutloq of research output.

The Technology TransferAct, which I recenfly co-sponsored.in theSlnatc, borrows heavily from the US Bayh-Dob Act. This bill vests the

, onmcruhlp of intellectual property rights in research institutions that con-9uat+ rssearch funded in part or in full by govbrnment. lt further autho-lEm them to use income from their reseaicir to conduct more R&D of itsofiolor.'" " "li!.

' trre ricn-Tiansfer biil wiil ensure that knowredge g;'ineo from re-lllrah flnds a usefuland practicat apptication - makifu p;nilippine indus-ttbt morc competitive. Through it,'we hope to unleash our universities'rntraprcneurial capabilities and bolster our technological competitive-nl.r, tr

THE CHANGING VISION AND MISSIONOF RESEARCH IN

HIGHER EDUCATION AMIDSTGLOBALIZATION

?aaoc Oednact

I have just beconie officially a senior citizen, marking rny sixtiethbirthday three weeks ago. Friends and relatives decided to mark themilestone with a weeklong cruise to Alaska, with much fun and merri-ment. ' ''

It was not my first cruise, but it brought back memories oi my Rrstlong boat ride, exactly fifty years ago, on a pasienger liner with my fatherfrom Manila to France. ltwas a smaller boat; and slower, nebding twdhty-eight days to complete the journey. And I remember.that, even at thattime, my ten-year-old mind brought back two lessons I have never forgot-ten:

The first was a conviction, as I returned to my schooling in Manila,that I had learned more in that summer in France.than in my first fiye years

' of formal schooling, good as that was. Learning to speak English slowlyand clearly to foreign language speakers improved it; soaking in historyfrom actual museums and monuments left indelible marks on my memory;frequent cabulations converting different currencies honed my arithmeticskills, dealing with all sorts of'peopte developed my social skills. As yousee, I have become an avid traveler since.

The.second was a dissatisfaction of hciw parts of the world seemedto be so inadequately connected to each other. Many Frenchmen did noteven know what the Philippines was or where it was; my knowtedge ofEurope was' not much better. A garbled two-minute long distance call tomy mother cost my father almost two weeks'salary.

Of cburse my smallten-year old mind, could never have imaginedthe rapidity or. scale with which interconnectedness has galloped over thelast fifty years.' Today a dissenting French vote colors the balance of'powei in lraq, an email travels all over the world for free, cell phones dial'across continents with impunity. lt has righfly been said that'the world,h99 gha.nged more fundamentaily in the last fifty years than in the five


hundredyearsbeforethat.Andinsomanywords,BillGateshaspre-oi.t"o tn"t tne next five years will see more paradigmatic changes than in .

the last fifty.

, , And what alarms me, and what should alann tfre university commu-

nity aswell, is something notspoken enouglr about Thesechangeswill

t.|oi o" logical e>,trapolati-ons of present trends; they will come fioq.out of

thi blue,-from out of a yet inchoate set of premises, they will be as itwere;un-anJicipatable; changes- The future is notwtrat it u"td P be; changes

*iii ..t just be quantitJtive, but qualitative. And our universities must

prepare societies to handle these-

It is my task this morning to suggest directions and areas that uni-

versity research must explore-to achieve this edd, in the larger context of

globa'lizatiqn, as the title given to me suggests. I mustconfess to a li6e

iiscomfort with the word globalization. lt iS widely bandied about in inter-

national conferences, but no word is more loosely defined ot' more eme

iion"rry r.o"n. The phenomenon it describes is indeed too pervasive and

far-reiching to ignore, but the woid globalization tends to reduce th's corn- '

plex realityio a-specifrc set of consequences, often negative, and often

llmited to the economic-

. 'Arld yet transnational markets and an emerging gbbaleonornic

OrdEr did bring about in the fifties'and the sixties early gains in affluene

end even equity. However, soon after, trends reversed in these sante

countries and the poverty and equity gap widened. shld'Es shottt that in 49

Of the large 77 developlng countries, whereas there was dsing capital

fhare, the.-re was falling labor shaire and increasing inequali$ ratios since

1975.

Perhaps it is also because the word globalization itsetf canieswtth it.thg lmplication that the effects and hoped fot benefib flow in basically one

dltUction, from Westto East (or North to South), as it likethatdiscredited

Wgrd Colonization, where there are the colonizers and tte colonized, so

ifio tf,'" world is divided into the globalizers dnd the gtobalzbd. Who

wlnt! that?

And yet the increasing volume and speed'of flonrs - of .persons,

gOQd! and ideas - is not only inevitable, it is inevetsible. lts effects are

ill pQrVeive, affecting not just markets and economic exchanges, but'

, tlao poltical realities and ilignm'ents and, asgur mnference theme em-' phtrized, also higher education.

I pErefore prefer ari alternbtive and moie neubal phnase to describe

tho glObatlzatiOn phenomenon. I prefer to took at it as a phenqmenon of

; , npnl*e mlrlti-Otmpngiqna! interdep.endsnee, not just amolg nE-.

The.Trends 39

'tions, butalsowittrinvarious scales of commutnity, from regionalalliances,

io "Utnl"

and religious groups, to families themselves. This interdepen-

denepermeatesans-pneres-political,economic,andsocio-cultural-andthereisnotumingbacktoalessinterdependentworld.Thechal-lengeistoassuretnattnismomentumleadstomutualrespect'un-JeritanOing and benefits for all concerned, and not to injustice, ex-

ptiptioO iitolerance, even violence, or paradoxically a retreat to con-

irontational isolationism, under the peryerse disg uise of protecti n g lo-

cal identities-

ln the past two y€rs, I have had the good.fortune of being,involved in

an initiativeat the East-West Center in Hon6lulu to explore the ways in

nni"n changing forces of society have changed, or ought to change' the

way eoucation-arers place. The center felt,. as I am certain all of you do,

nlt"rtt"r."s such sectors of today's world as finance, communication,

heatfrr care, meoia ano transportatlon have undergone paradigmatic trans-

formations in the way their activities are conducted, the education para-

dum has remained impervious to the chagrging_demands ofthe,society or

tn6 nrtgre it claims to serye. An infoimal task force invited by the Center

continues to exPlore this- r

Please understand; prerrailing education paradigms aie rational and

lrseful, but they were shaped in the past by the political, economic, and

socialworld they operated in. The emergence of the nation state de-

manded a commonnational experience and institution that could engen-' |gr; sense of national identity and unity; the industrial workplace de-

manded a bained and specialized skilled work force; and the social insti-

Mions of f;amily, church and structures demanded a venue for reinforcing

theirvalues and cornmon understandings. But when the.political, social,

and soci+culturat paradigms'of society shifted, the education paradigm

failed to adjust. The once monopolistic control of the state over the edu-

cation process was irremediably weakened by g proliferation of interna-

tional, cornntunity-based, ind ustry-provid ed, and p rivate ed ucatio n a I ven-

,us, as demand for education, of different types, giew faster than govern-

rnent budgets could provide for. The post-industrial workfbrce beams less

hrierarchical" speciaiized and rigid, requiring ever-n9w-sets of skills that

the education is never quick enough io provide. , The former anchoring

influences of church and eKended family tieb have been weakened by an

increasing secular society and de-institutionalized worship groupS, and

Uy nucleai often working-parent or single-parent families.

To responc{ tothis.changing interdependentworld, what is needed is

clearly a new vi-cion for education, not just for information dissemination,'ortor sfflted de.,.elopment, orfor'skins development; or for citizenship, but


forempowering individualsand communities to thrive in and contribute byguiding this onslaught towards greater more equitable interdependenceamong communities and counties - in political, economic, and socio-economic spheres.

But enough of the context within we must situate our work. Whatthen in particular are the praiiical implications of all this for higher educa-tion research? To provide grist for your discussions bver the next threedays, 5nd more importantly, to trigger actual nbw insights fresh researchinitiatives in your home institutions when you return, I offer you four keyideas.

Let me acknowledge my sources. I have.come up with these fourideas isa resultof synthesizing the various contributiohs from EaslWestCentervisitihg experts, and from a survey bfAsia-PdCific education minis-ters and policy makers from 19 countries which t conducted just before I

left UNESCO about four years ago, on the impact of education researchon policy and decision making. A few other readings from other leadinguniversifies and centers, eveiavailable on the internetto both you and me,of course, roqnd out my trlggers of inspiration

Onecaveat, before presenting the four: because mywork has dealtlargelywi&r policy makers more than with institutional heads and manag-ers, myperspective on highereducation research will be through the prismof highereducation system rather than higher education institutions - inotherwsds, rrvhat ministries and national governing bodies should do abouthigher education reSearch, rather than what individual un iversities shoulddo abodit. put the dichotomy is artificial; my observations throughoutthe regim tell me that ministries are far too pusy with governance prob-lems, erren emergency administrative problems, and often delegate re-Search buniversities and'institutes,

Ttrese then are the four:

1. , There is a greater need then ever to undertake university r:e-search collaboratively, rather than individually.

This of course is the reason why we are all gather here today;thdarson d'efre of our conference. Our greater interconnectednesshagiven each of us, not only the opport-i.rnity, but inOeeJ tne;li;;-tioq to seek access to the best related thinking on our researchiscns fp96 colleagues outside our departmentS, our institutions,: aniloutside our countries. This is hue whether the issue be admin-iselive (such as cost iegov.eryol{nalging.of universities) or pedf-' gigal(suchasfundamehfalcuiribdldrieform)

The Trends

I A proactive approach to this, not ius-t additional information,

but also to'actually participate in international research; is espe-

cially useful at a scanning stage, before an actual university research

agehda is decided upon. What for example are the priority issues,

pioblems, and opportunities thatoccupy education system and uni-

versities around the globe? The answers are not hard to find. Here

are a few leads:

- ln 2002, the National lnstitute of Education Resbarch of Japan

gathered eduqation planning directors of elevenAsia countries to

aconference, and asked each one coming to the meeting to list

the two most urgent pl'anning issues facing their system. The

resulting compilation was most revealing, and of course is avail=

able on theirwebsite.

- Only last week, UNESCO Bingkok organized an international

meeting reviewing progress of education programsthatwere ac-

tively recastifg their contentto focus on being agentfor sustain-

able human and environmentaldevelopment. Of course, beyond

information on this meeting, the UNESCO Bangkokwebsite is a

treasure of information anb further linkages. tln fact, there is a

section on higher education in particular, under the stewardshipof its new RegionalAdvisor, Molly Lee, who is with us this week'Traditionally t-he priority concerns have been corporatization or'financing of universities, and technologically assisted borderless'. or open campus universities, but I understand that Ms. Lee isnow reviewing these Priorities.

- ln the spring ot2004,the OEGD, in collaboration with the Learn-ing Skills and Resource Centerof the United Kingdom, was look-ing at how a changed workplace is changihg thb imperatives forskills development in their educational institutions.

My examples could multiply. On an institutional level, those of you

grappling with curricular reform could for example see how the most repu-table worldwide institutions are tackling the same problems. Harvard, forexample, is in the midst of the most radical curricular reform it has expe-riOnced in thirty yeaqs, and predictably global interdependence has emergedas a key theme. Harvard President Summers says that they are "at amoment when tl'g US misunderstands the world, and the world misunder-stiands the US more than anytime recently," and they are undertaking theinfusion of international'perspectives in all their subjects, aswellas pre-paring to have every undergraduate student spend one semester abroadstdrting in 2006.


Perhaps even more exciting is the fundamental curricular re-thinking at that bastion of conservation, Cambridge University in theUnited Kingdom. While the process is still underway, I have alreadybeen inspired by the guidelines that steer their process, some ofwhich involve integrating teaching and research, interrelating fieldsof knowledge; translating work into realcofltributions to society, andreinventing collegiality.

' And so there is no reason why those of us working in educa-tign research in this part of the world, cannot benefit from and bestimulated by similar efforts around the world, and indeed - usingnew or existing networks dialogue with partners across the seas for

. mutual benefits and insights

2. The determination of a universig reseHibh agenOa is becomingmore policy maker driven and leSs researcher or institutiondriven.

Perhaps because univeisities have always been held in high esteemby society, there has been until recenfly a complacency about its ownproblems, Up to recently, it is astonishing how litile fundam'ental thinkinguniversities were doing about their own future, even as they pioneered thefuture in the severaldisciplines within them. Gordon Graham ofAberdeenuniversity lamented last year the " one glaring omission, one topic andcontextin which academics have signally failed to engage in criticalthoughtand forthe most part shown themselves sadly lac(ing in independence ofmind. I mean the subject of the university itself." To its credit, the Britishgovernment has risen to the challenge; secretary clarke, recognizing thatuniversities and undertaking transformations as least as oxtensive as in

. any pervious period of their histories, has issued a white paper, solicitingresponses on how government can best respond to these. Needless tosay, thls has solicited a flurry of university research.

This is symptomatic of what goes on elsewhere in the world. Mysurvey of the 10 education ministers and officials of theAsia pacific con-firms this. Muih university research in now demand driven rather thans.upply driven. lnstead of individual researchers or institutions coming upwith what they think are worthwhile areas of studies, policy makers andadministrators, beset by decisions they often have to make on insufficientinformatibn oranalysis, are harnessiqg academia for assistance.'

of course, the collaboration is far fr.om problem.free. The urgenciesof the policy makers do not coincide with themore leisurelyBnd ilioroughpace of the academe. sometirnes,,ministr,ies prefer to sei up their own'institutes orptanning offiies for their resdaiih. still, havingrfiom,experi-

The Trends 4:!

ence seen both sidbs of the picture, first as Dean of Education from myyounger years where reviewing graduates theses was routine, to my laterdays as Education Underseeretary having to make policy decisions ofteninadequately supported by research data, I often longed for sturdier bridgesbetween academic researchers and harassed polby makers. And of course,conferences such as these are excellent opportunities to build thesebridges.

3. University research must detach itself from single disciplinefocus, to irivolve systemic and inter-disciplinary perspectives.

To be fair, there has been no lack of pubfications and issue paperson various aspects of higher education. The internet can quickly delugeyou with articles from academic journals on newfinancing schemes, newcurricular schemes, new ways to introduce distance education, and soon. But so long as the research is naiiowly discipline focused, whether itbe fipancial, or pedagogical or technical, it may iemain narcissistic andnot take adequate account of the environment it serves, never reaching .

the core of how universities must transfofm themselves. There may besomething to be learned from the experience in the natural sciences.They studied aspects of the environment according tb their disciplines,but only when the environment was seriously threatened did interdiscipli-nary environmental science become an established and collaborative con-cern.

. We may be ir1 a similar situation with our own intellectual environ-ment now. Universities are essential parts of the intellectual ecology ofthe world, but the world is changing and they have to redefine their roles.Whereas they used to be the only "knowledge store, in town, they nowfind themselves surrounded by alternative sources of knowledge, theinternet, corporate and on-the-job training, specialized skili.training cen-tbrs, and so on. They are merely the flagship in a megamall of informationsources, and the way they determine their product mix; their clientele,their relationship with other providers, their cost structures, and their mar-keting must take this into account, not on a discipline by discipline basis,but in an integrated way.

4. Most importantly, university research must focus on effective-ness issues rather that efficiency issues. ,

This fourth poirft is really a re-statement and the inescapable con5e-quence of the first three. lf there is one thought I would like to leave withyou today it is that the globalizing, increasingly interconnected world ouruniversities are striving to serve requires no less than fundamentalthink-ing; noi jtlst 0f h'owto do things bett'ei bdt h6\ttb do better,things. Univer-

4 21d Century Trends, lssues and Challenges.in Philippine Education

dtlfr ln the past have been well served by operations research on effi-Cfnoy mQasures to reduce cost per credit, or to maximize physical space,

lnd rc on, Academic research hasdone much to improve the pedagogy

Jld mquencing of specific subject areas. But I maintain that the time has

O0ma to shift emphasis on improving our existing systems to casting$out lor new system and paradigms to better nieet the needs of a radi-

ofllyohanged future.'At a ministerial conference and education congress last May in

,lmgkok, atwhich overthree hundred papers were piesented by delegates

iOm lt @untries, I continued to be struck by the familiarity of old themes.lnfPlnd by the presentation of the regional manager of Microsoft on theht dry, I made the analogy in my closing remarksbetween a typewriter

: llld r lrptop computer.

' Oncc'egain falling upon my newly acquired senior citizen status, I

lllllltilbcrgd how I used to hammer out my various graduate theses on a

I wlthout benefit of spell check oi cut-and-paste or automaticprlnetakingly erasing every misprint on the original and six carbonavary tlme my fingers slipped. .ln the meantime, typewriter compa-

lfbotad to lmprove typewriters, making them electric, automatic linelvtn erase ribbons, and so on.

Eut rooner or later, typewriters gave way to the computers, withgrcater flexibili$, capacity, and power, capable of doing things no

do and changing fundamentally the way we now express our-ln wrltlng. Note that the innovation did not come from the typewrite

thc'Undenrvoods and the Olympias. lt came from outside, aappoach that looked at how the same task could be accom-

: My rcnse is that much university research is devoted to improvingItf Uparrtter, the traditional university, and not enough on inventing ailmpubr, the university of the future. This is of course partly because it ishbmftty drlven in the hands of university specialists with perhaps inad-fltllla lroh lnputs. lt is partially becauge universities in many countriesItl lllllprotscted by tlre mantle of high public esteein and relatively con-'llnlgovcrnment budgetary allocations. Butl believe the time has come

| , .hOlLborate across disciptines, a-cross sectorsof society, across coun-, lll0, !o focue on invdnting the computer, to fashibn, adapted to each

, Iunlry ogntext,. a new paradigm for a higher education for the a newfllmnmcnt,

': : Lrdlo and gentlemen, I recognize that the task before me in this"'hbtnlnf 'r kiyhot5 is to paini tne briao bbckgiound dgainst which your

The Trends 45

more specific discussions this week will take place. The broad brushnature of my remarks are nebessarily theoretical in nature, and I wouldhave loved to spend more time with you fleshing out implications andnarrating case studies in which I have seen some of these ideas takingconcrete shape. But I am hopefulyour discussions this week will do justthat, and that these discussions will take on a note of urgency and scopethat I have tried to interject.

My concluding thought comes from a recollection of a scene in aclassic disaster move of a sinking ship. As the Titanic was going down,the waiters in it were still shuffling around arranging the dinner silvenvareand furniture in the professionalism which was their habit. As the hugbship of university systems in our countries navigates around the icebergsof cataclysmic changes in our soci.eties, my plea is that we do not fritterout time away by re-arranging our furniture and concentrate on saving andnavigating'ourships. tr

TOTAL OUALITY MANAGEMENTIN GRADUATE TEACHER

EDUCATION

Ra*Ea r'. Vamzao\

' l. 'Total Quality ilanagement fFauy in nre conte$ of reacherEducation

. Quality appears to be tre password to the.21s century. unbrtu-

n"t9ly' lowe-ver, authorities seem not to agree on their respective con-

Fpts,of_quality. The Briush Higher Education Gouncil admitted that quat_'ity is diffi cult to defi ne.but conduded that "quality is ne cenbal ;ystery otBritish higher education - a mystery in alithe variants of meaning andnuance of which the world is capable". The united $ates Higher Educa_tlqn Council also stated that no single lrrorkabte definitionif iuatlty ispossible and concluded that the bestapproach is to bok for ctraracteris-tics or indicators wtrich are valued by those whose neeos ne nsiiutitn sseeking to meet CF.IED Executive Oi,e"toiO. Rogerperezoffers a pag_matic definition: "ciuality is not perfection. lt is iriproving y"l'preui,ousbestand shoring thatyou areattne bading edgein ,oItL"e"G-,

At the outset, for a common frame of reference, r wish to crariff my. conceptto totalquarig management. Fqrme" quarityis degree ote*cei

lence or rerative goodness: soquarity is not erceierd pei J_- nutieters utheascending dggree of excerge-pernap n"q*mi t"J"*t qLi,tv,and high quality. Even among itenns or objects *ritfi "nijf, qualityr orre canhave higher quarig and. another o"* *iy possess fre nignest quarrty,-Management is gretting things done througir itre eror.ts bf others_ The oth-ers are he members of our respective otrLe sbtr, the facurg, te str.roentsqnd.even the arumni, the parents, the emproyeri, and the jenerar pubricas they rerate with our respective acaoemic iommunities,

s - -' -- '

. Total is a word. used to refer to tfre whole, *" "O*,*",

includinggverything and everyoqe- Tobr euarity Manage,m";iFa-M) th"iurL r* ,fers to a set of concepts, principres and

""tuiGotti,'e r,d;idUr* "f'excellence actuaily practiced. and consistenily impremenftl;

";-il;;zation from the highest officiats eascaong dourm flr.;;;irfil';bff" .

TheTrends 4T

faculty, sfudents, alumni, parents, employers and agencies with whichthe instiftrtion relates

The mncept of rotar euarig Management freM) is best appried inthe teachereducation continuum starting with the bamlaureate piogramin seondary orelementary education and continuing to tre graduate pro-gmms. This principle is implffi in CHED Memorahdum Order No. 36,serie of 1998, otheruise knourn as rre policies and $andards forGradu_ab Education. s6ction 2,'&uctrre of Graduate Education, states: "phil-ignrle,.otagate educafion shail, if fieasibte, be vertically articurated bydiscipline. Grduate programs shall emanate ftom shongundergraduatepr-ograml adoss all the heher education disciplines."-consisLnt wjththis prorbion is the requirement in seclion 3 that;Level lll accreditation ofundergraduate progrTnl-. shafl bea majorconsirlerarion in granting per-mits to open new graduate prognams...,:

ln the early nineteen nineties at lhe height of the nationwide surveyof Philiprtne Educatinn. Narano, as naticnal pnrre presioent, submifteda paperon kher education wtrich fuatured a conrprehensive mntinuumof teac{rer educatinn from pre--service thrci'gh ceriification ana inouiilirto in-seryice - (PA FTE News aN Wws,epril t SSe.;

lMren R- H Il22_creating the Gommissbn on i,onn",' Educationuas passed, then DEcs secretaryArmand Fabeila for;saw the gap itwould create in the teacher education sector whose gracuates aie auqorbed bythe Deparrnentof Education, culture and #rs pecsy anoso he spearheaded the enactnent of RA nu oeaarvr,e rL&.i eou-catircn council [rEc) s'trictr nw bridges the gap to d;;"G; Lcnereducationontinuum

2- Tolal Quarity iranagement gbul in Graduate.TeacherEducation

Having defined my onoept of reM in the context of the teachereducatbn @ntinuum, r shail non proceed t" "r""rv

r,"* iiiil'J"n o"gpplied in- graduate teacher education. To do this, itrree is"r." *irt o"dlscussed: globar perspective, andragogicarprincipres, ano-ut"ro,ig'r""rn-ng.

l

2-1. Global perspective

-^- ..-'l-lT|'-ry inllnatbnally hr4ous surueys of graduate educa-uon were cordr.lc-ted.' Surveyof frre Maste/s programs in the United$ates and Survey of.the Dodoral programs

in iour English_speak-ing oounfies: Ausfalia, Great Brihin, Cinada and the United St,_G.. ..'ln the suwey of the.United.States ;il;;.;;;;lH;:A

4.

7.

4! 21rt C.nlury Trhdr, l.ru.r.nd Ch.lhng.r ln ptrlitpptnr Educrtlon

rtudcntcrfaculty/admlnlstrators/alumnll emptoyers in 31 college andunlversltleg ln the United States connected with 4T lvlaster's pro-grams were the respondents, while in the doctoral programs survey,67 echolars from the four English-speaking countries Australia,Canada, Great Britain and the United States were the respondents.The following year, a similar survey of graduate Master's and doc-toral programs was done on the Philippines by the PhilippineAsso-clatlon for Graduate Education (PAGE) involving 65% ol the gradu-

' ate lnstitutions (189 out of the total 290) in School Yeal| 993-1 994.It le interesting to note that the three surveys independently done ofcach other yielded similar results. Among them are the following:

. 1 . The highest concentration of enrollment and graduates was inteacher education.

An ovenrvhelming opinion is the nged to improve the facultyadvising, directing or Supervising of thesis/dissertation writing.

Two cominon types of Master's proglams were'tne traOitionator ancillary also called the gatekeeper for the Ph.D. (M.A./M.S.) because those who enrolled saw them as a good prepa-ration for the PhD. programs; and the second were the careeradvancement Maste/s programs; client-centered and career-oriented (M.8.A., M. Ed., and M,P.A.)

Doctoral research should add to knowledge but may includeapplied or prpctical research.

Graduate students should be required to acquire writing skillsbefore they write their thesis/dissertation.

Graduate stqdents should,be assisted financially in thesis/dissertation writing.

Graduate teacher edueation includes a one-year, non-degreeposlbachelods program for non-education graduates to qualiffthem foi etementary and secondary school teaching.

The graduate teacher education degree program frorir maste/sto doctorate include three divisions: curriculum and instructionfor teacher career advancement (M. Ed., M. S. in College Teach-ing, M.A. in Teaching); educational leadership and pjicy stud-ies to prepare professionals to fill administrative, supervisoryand. policy-making roles; and psychology in Education whichprepares graduate students fof leadership roles as ed0cators,researchers, clinicians, counselo.rs, a nd practitioners.

The Trende

2,2. Andragogical Principles in Adult Learning

Admittedly, pedagbgy applies to child and adolescent learningand is the concern in the undergraduate teacher education. Adultlearning,'however, requires a totally different set of principles whichKnowles first advanced in 1984 as andragogy, a theory of adult learningwhich is based on research and praotice from adult education andpsychology. Applied to graduate teacher education, the followingfour (4) andragogical principles were found effective:

Adult learners prefer to be involved rather than just passivelylistening for extended periods of time.

Adult learners need to be more self-directing.

Adult learners expect that their previous experiences and knowl-edge will be respected.

Adult learners tend to be present, rather than future-oriented.

2,3. Lifelong Learning for Professional Teacher

ln 1992, Feseler and Christensen concluded from empiricalstudies over a twenty-year period that a teacher's professional ca-reer passes through,six stages:

Preservice

lnduction

Competency Building

Growth and Enthusiasm Dissatisfaction

Career Stability/Career Frustration

Career Wind-down/Bitter Exit

These six stage can well apply to Filipino professional teachers.Ieacher educators, the Department of Education, and the Teacher Educa-tion councilare advised to provide for pre-service and in-service activitiesthat will asbist the teacheis as they go through these phases of theirprofessional life.

Huberman, Thompson, and Weiland in their:article,,perspective onthe Teaching career.:' (in Biddle et. al, p.52) proposed a chart of lifelongcareer for professionalteachers. This is an integrated model showing how

.the induction to teaching from one to three years can lead to stabil2ationfor the next 2-3 year6 which !s te.mporary however, because depending on .

the lgveiopment in the tlrild. sJqgg, the bif.urcatio.n can tead eitner.to se- .

19

*

Stage 1.

Strage 2:

Stage 3.

Stage 4:

Stage 5:

Stage 6:

t0 21et Century Trends, tssues and Chailenges in philippine Education

Pne. gr satisfactory disengagement or a bifter oisengagement from thebaching c€treer.

An adaptation of a rifelong career mo$el is presented that can servera gulde in the development and continuing improvement or jraouatebachereducation.

ln conclusion, may r reiterate; "becoming b professional teacher isnoJ a destination; rather, it is a journey, a rong journey; in fact, a riferongJounny."

Years ofTeeching Stage GraduateTeacher

Education

1€

#

7-15

1&30

1m

Self-Assessment

t \-"

Specializationenhancament

I

+

Master's program

I

+CareerProgress Experimentationl Doctoral program

II

JResearch and/orTeaching skiltsEnhancement

I

+

Post-doctoralenrichment'

lISetf-Reassessment

t

I./1 I

Satisfaction Frustration Illl

Serene Bitter I

)isengagement Disengagementlfrom Professor

' frqm professor

I

. Adequacyoffacilities, funding,adminigtrative andsupportservices

Sound researchProcedures

Evaluations of the euarity of rndividuar Aspects of Graduates

Contribution ofthesis to knowledge

High percentage ofemploymentof

graduates

High levelofsatisfaction of

graduates

-I N STITUTIO NAL ACCREDITATIO N :

ENHANCING THE OUALITY OFINSTITUTIONS"

Re,pnooqaare er//4rhid,'4, tU{lat'

It is an honorto be a part of this gathering of people committed to the

tnhancement of the quality of education in our state colleges and uniVer-

flties. Our s.tate colleges and universities are the people's educational

lnrtltutions. lt is through our SUCs that our young'people hope to gain

ICCC8B to good education at affordable costs. This makes it even more

lmpcrativitor the SUCs to.maintain their quality of education- And the

AOCrgdlting Agency of Chartered Colleges and Universities in the Philip-

pln3r hep! ensure that our institutions for higher learning are. able to

bfttvor the quality of education needed by our graduates to make them

Oompetltive within our national boundaries and beyond'

TheMCCUP',s role in ensuring that our sUCs remain competitive

,lnd rglevant is very important in the light of increa5ing global competitive-

n6r, thls is impeiative becaUse no country can succeed withouteducat-

lffg lh poople; education is key to susiaining groMh and redr,rcing poverty.

while theMcc,lJP has its own role, we in the House of Represen-

htlVft are also cognizant of our responsibility to ensure that adequate'lnd rtlevant legislition is put in place to help you and our educational

lnliltUtlOne to perform your respective roles in educating our people.

wlth this in my mind, the House Committee on Higher and Techni-'gfl

Education has set forth a legisiative agenda, wh.ich hopes to address

thr mort lmmediate needs of the higher education sector'

' I To provide an overview'bills that have been filed n this 14h Congress

oo\,tr |cveral subject matter which I shall mention, not necessarily in

Ordlr ol lmportance. Some'that may be more relevdnt to theAACCUP:

1, , Open or Distance Learning

2,' Ladderized.Education

3, Continqing Teacher Edr,rcalign

The Trends 53

4.

5.

b.

7.

8.

Amending the UP Charter, which is considered priority legisla-

tion.

Student assistance or loans

English as medium of instruction

Revision of GHED Charter; and

Promotion of Science and Technology

Open or Distance Learning and Ladderized Education

Reality still shows that geography is destiny and where you are born

determines what your opportunities are. Education is a key investment to

break the cycle of poverty and provide people with opportunities'

ln a country like the Philippines where there are still largq segments

of the population who live in areas bereft of roads, electricity and class-

t.ooms, being able to acQess education through distance learning should

be made a real option..Furthermore, with very low income levels, many are

unable to irnmediately pursue college degnees that they truly desire. The

need for immediale employment often dictatbs the choice of courses'

Thusthe need fordistance learning and an efficientand effective ladderized

education which will prwide more Filipinos the opportunity to access higher

levels of education and skills not initially available to them due to limited

oooolil:; this end, my office is currenty drafting a bir that wir institu-

' tionalize and further strengthen this system. And we hope that we will be

able to gain insights and gather inputs from this summit regarding propos-

als in the improvement of application of the ladderized system

A billon open learning has been filed by Rep. Reno Lim, HB no.

1928 or An Act lnstitutionalizing ihe Open Electronic Learning School

system in the Philippines, Appropriating Funds therefore and for otherpurpoSes seeks to deliver educbtional advancement to Filipino students

through the use of altbrnative means of instruction such as print, radio,

television and other multimedia learning and teaching technologies thatallow students tb study on their own without having to attend class in the

' conventional classroom set-up. lt shall apply t6 public secondary and

tertiary educational institutions with existing distance learning programs'

and allother such institutions that shall later bb authorized as qualified toimplement the System.

Coniinuing Education of Cottege teachers

Teachers bear the responsibility of educating our youth

64 21st century Trends, lssues and chailenges in phirippine Education

fore have to equip them with the necessary knowredge and skiils to keepthem abreast with globar trends and.let fnem stalr"way ane"o of theirstudents.

with the view that an. improved quarity of facurty in the tertiary reverwill redound to an improved quarity of educaiion, three(3) hour" oit6 n"u", been filed on the suQject, to wit:

-

la !o. 113, authored by Rep Angara is An Act rnstituting a program forthe corltinuing Education of coilege Teachers;Amendiig for such pur-pose RepubricAct no.7794, otherwise known as ,,An AcistrengtheningTeacher Educaiion in the phirippines by estabrishing centers of Excer-lence, c redti n g a Teache r: eo u cation co'u n ci t fo rttre p"u rpori' Sopropr'"alng funds therefore, and for other purposes; - - ' -r

!! 1,10..1870 by Rep. tvt. oetensor is an Act rnstituting A program for the

continuing Education for coilege Teachers, amending for such purposeRcpulicAct N o.77g4,otherwise-known as .,An

act to strJngtnening Teacherlducation in the phirippines by estabrishinj c".ilr.

"iE""-"ii"n"", cr"_rtlng a Teacher Education councir rortne"purpos",

"-p;,di;d.g funds, thcrefore, and for other purposes; and

HB.No. 1576 orAnAct estabrishing a center for Teacher,s Exceilence in .

rllttie Legistative Districts tnrougno"uitne country and uppropri"tinJ'ilii,$c.1ef9re was fired by Rep. r. A-rroyo. House Biils 113 and 1870 seek tollltutg lraining program forteachers in the tertiary reueito ,iglo" tn"i,competenoe, as this wiil-contribute in improving tnd quaiity oiL-rti"rv

"or_catlon ln thb country. R.A.7794 or the "Act stre-ngthen i"l.n"igorcationln he Phttippines bv estabr ish in g centen or E*""ii"";;, ";il;; l' TeacnerEducatloncounciifor tne purp-ose,... ;

"ou"r, onry those teachers at theclcmentary and secondary levels.

LL::,il"biil proposes that section 2(a) ot RA7784be amended to in-clude teadrers in "{!! revers of instruction incruding persons performingguldanceand corGling, instructionlisipervision in ail private or pubricrducation institutions, out snatt not incruJe schoor nurses, schoor physi_ohna, schoor dentist, schoor aoministraiors and otn",",.noi

"J*ini.tr._ly":.'ppol emproyees. Graouatei oiLJucation who have o.rr"ji'n"govoln ment exa m i nation for teachers a ltho u o h n "r ""i,

_ u"-Îliilil;;n h"Aiincruoeo in this definit,o#nn lot actualll eryrRloved as '

HB 1576 sceks to estabrish a center forTeachers,Exceilence in ail regis_lrtlvc dletrlcts thrbughout tne bounirv.lhJ purpo." of such centers is toconductacontinuins training prosr", to'uilgrJo" in"',"ili.i,1J'.'i,r,. "nor @Opgtgn,cg Qf F[ tgec.hers., -

The Trends 55

A;nending the Charterof the Universityof the philippines

The legislation amending the Up charter has been certified by theoffice of the President as urgent bill and is now due to be ratified by bothHouses of congress. The proposed biil aims to strengthen Up as then1!9nal university in the country amending for the puipose its archaic1908 charter and subsequent amendbtory law. As Up celebrates its cen-tennial anniversary this year (200g), the biliis foreseen to usher the univer_sity into its next century with a new charter that will make Up moreadaptable, more relevant and even more globally competitive.

ln brief, the bill emphasizes the values of academic freedom, aca-demic excellence, sociar responsibirity, democratic participation and ac-cess, ethics and autonomy as guiding principles in the'lifeof the univer_sity of the Philippines. lt provides for better competittue pay teaihers andincome opportunities for the university tirrough tease nui no sale of its reatproperties.

Student assistiance/loans

Various biils have been fired to address the increqsing demand forfinancial assistance of students in the tertiary level.

HB 716 - student FinancialAssistance for students of Economically Dis-advantages Families which I filed in the view of the limitations and inad_eqyrJ-o_f the existing. schorarship programs of the government tcieband rESDA schorarship programs stud-y grant fo,. r#o"o or inJigenou,communities and schorarship for those speciaily gifted chirdren). "

HB 492 - "student Loan program Act" fired by Rep. puentevqila envisionsthe local government units as the p?rtnei in promoting education whichcould uptift the standard of tiving a.nd improve ihe quatitiof lire oiFiiipinosThe bill provides that each tocit Government unit can initiate a studentLoan program bv the passase of a rocar oroi*ntl o;;il;;5iro"n,Loan Fund to be administered jointly by their rocar schoor uo""ro

"no tnu

local provinciar, municipar or city treasurer. Thereafter, tne tocai gou"rn_ment shatl appry for financing.of this program from the orrc by ti"

"ro-mission to the DrLG of a copy irf their rocii ordinance creatinl inl btuo"ntLoan Fund and a feasibirity of ihe operation otin"i,,tuo"ni'rlia" pr""g*,

lB 2?7 - "Compreh"l.l":- StudpNow-pay_Later program,, by Rep. R.Rodriguez seeks to estabrish an enhanced educational assistance pro-gram courd increase the prospects of poor but deserving ;iil;;is;i";_guiring quarity education and training needeo to upFt no"1q.rr,hf or",i,yof the liveb bf th€iiifarhiiies:but theirio'nrrniti", as weil.

lrt

21tt Ccntury Trends, lssues and Challenges in Philippin6 Education

Thf n lr alag H B 2093 -' Reformed Study-Now-Pay-Later-Plan Act of 2007"ftlfC by Rcp. U. Teodoro. The bill seeks to assist and support poor butdlf0vlng atudents wanting to pursue a post-secondary education throughfif f$rngtncning of the Study-Now-Pay-Later-Plan

,Un of Englleh as Medium of lnstruction

Thc bllls on the sqbject are piimarily referred to the Committee onlfdo EOucetlon and only iecondariiy referreO to the Committee on Higherllld llohnlcal Education. This is a shared legislative agenda for educa-lCn, Undcr thls subject matter, HB Nos. 230, 305 have been filed by

,llp|,,Vlllrfucrte and Gullas.

. Tfl btttg propose thatwe regain the mastery of the English languageffi HnPfotd the total learning process in our schools, especially in our.;,

, PtDtO $hoole, to ensure better education for the Filipino students andnhJtor thclr competitiveness in the global arena.

tlf trhdlum of lnstruction in all subjects taught shall be as follows:

, Engllrh, Filipino or the regional/native language maybe dsed asnqdlUm ol lngtruction in all subjects from pre-school until Grade tt.

' Engllrh and Filipino shall be taught as separate subjects in all leVelsh hr rbmrntary and secondary.

ln dlrcademic subjects in the elementary grades from Grade lll toOndl Vlrnd ln all levels in the secondary the medium of instruction shallbr lngurn.

^. __!n thc tcrtiary level, the'current language policy as prescribed by0HED rhrll be maintained.

, ln rddltion to formal'instruction, the use of Eriglish shall be encour-,10?d m r language of interaction in school. The organization of EnglishClUbl, luch as book oratorical, debating, writing andrelated associationsfifll ba cncorJraged. ln school publications, the use of English shall beglVf4 prlortty, as far as practicable.

Pfomotlon of Math, Science and Technology l

Thc lcaps in information, science andtechnology have been enor-m0Ua ln thp past decades. 1n order for the philippines to attain gtobalO0ffiprtltlvcness, it is imperative that we provide greater focus and incen-llV,ff tO,thc study of math, science and technology. With this in view, the

' flll*vln'! blltg nave oeen fited: ' I ' ' :

The Trends 57

HB No. 442 or the Act establishing and providing for free College Educa-

tion in lnformation and Communications Technology and other purposel;

was filed by Rep delMar.

HB No. 553 by Rep. Plaza is an Act providing for the establishment of a

National Scholarship Program forCollege Students in Science ahd Tech-

nology Courses in every Municipality of every province of the country.

Amendment of RA7722 or The Act creating CH ED

By virtue of the passage of RA 7722, the Commissioir on Higer Edu-cation (CHEO) was created as an independent body, separate and dis-tinct from the DepEd gformerly known as DECS) and attached to theOffice of the President. CHED is the agency responsible for and havejurisdiction over both public and private higher-education institutions ofiearning as well as degredgranting programs inih,i post-secondary edu-cational institutions. Overthe pastyears, CHED has experienced difficul-ties in thb execution o[its functions due to its lirhitations. Thus, there iS aneed to rationalize the authority of the Commission considering the vari-ous challenges that it faces today.

Currently, two (2) bills have been filed on the subje0t by Rgps. Lacson

and Velarde. We hope to file a more adaptable bill on the subject incorpo-rating therein the inputs from the workshops conducted during the recentEducation Summit.

. I have just given you an overview of the legislative agenda of the 14m

congress. Recently, the National Consultation on Philippine Educationwas held. The globalwas to gather people from the various segments ofthe education sector in order to pollect their inputs and come up withrecommendations and programs for the improvement of Philippiine Educa-tion. Afterthat event, a syrnposium-dialo$ue between the youtliand legis-lators was held to focus on the inputs from the recipients of educationfrom our institutions of higher learning.

The outputs from these events are very usefulfor us in the legisla-ture. I am not an educator by profession and neither are most of my col-leagues in the House of Representatives. That is why we consider gather-ings like the national consultation and ybur convention important as ourresQurce. We keenly await your insights'and outputs which will enable usto craft relevant and responsive pieces of legislation. We want to hear fromyou on how'iive lbgislatdrs can do a better.job:ln helping our SUCs andagencies like ybu perform ybur roles ore effectively.

I wish you all a most productive conference. Maraming Salamat atMagandang UmaEa sa inyong lahat. ,tr

ln$oductlon

progreln,

Strengthc"ning Ouality Assurancewlth Oualifications Frarnework

7/Ca'4"(z/?, &,4'/o

Tradltlonal education normally defines quality in terms of inputs (e.g.,phyflorl faoilities, laboratories, number of ,computer units, library etc.)md procoeees (e.9., teaching methods, admission of students, contacthoun, tcctlng; etc.), Progressive educationalsystems, on the otherhand,ddlnt quallty in terms oi outputs.

Thle paper examines these two prevailing practices in qualitytalunhce (or accreditation): firstly, focusing the assessment on in-putf rnd processes, and secondly, on outputs. More specifically; itrttampt! to:

' 1, rhow the limitations of defining quality in terms of inputs andprocesses;

2. demonstr?te the need to shift to the assessment of outputs;

, 3, polnt out that quality "..ur"n.L

is significantly rendered morerelevant and etfective using qualifications framework which setsthe competence levels, and their respective descriptors, as theoutputs of education; and

, 4, flnally, learning from the problems of implembntation encounteredby the countries that have developed the qualificatiohs frameworkln the later decades of the 20m century, suggest an inciemental' epproaoh as a viable strategy especiitty unOer a given cou;rtryeetting, in this case" the Philippines.

, The reader is informed that while the schema of this study may begoncrally applicable,'its reference is limited to accreditation (used syn-'onymously here with quallty'assurance),. in philippine setting, which is by

,

The OA-OF Nexus:

The Trends

As pointed out earlier, qirality may be defined in terms of inputs andprocesses. In this system, students are advanced upon completion of therequirements of the curriculum, and usually involving a defined period oftime of schooling. The graduates are supposed to qualify to engage in

learning experiences at a higher level of education, e.g.; from basic totertiary. In many countri-es, they speak of high graduation rates but do notrefer to graduates with inadequate qualifications.

An approach to the evaluation of the quality of education is the aC-

creditation of programs. ln a traditional educational systems, quality isdetermined by evaluating the inputs which are defined in nine to ten crite-ria, namely: 1) vision, mission, goals and objectives, which are evaluatedbut not factored in the computation of the general program rating; 2) fac-ulty (teaching force), 3) curriculum and instruction, 4) support to students,5) research, 6) extension and communi$ relations, 7) library and other

, leaming resources, 8)site'and physicalfacilities, 9) laboratories, and 10)leadership and management (AACCUP. 2006).

lf the unit of measurement is the institution, the criteria used in theevaluation include: 1) governance and managemept, 2) academic stan-dards, 3) research,4) academic stiaffing 5) supportto students 6) commu-nity relations 7) management of resources, and, 8) income generation.

. Standards are identified under each criterion, and the provisions areevaluated quantitatively, as to their adequacy; and qualitratively; as to theireffectiveness. Since accreditation is recognized as aiming toward im-provement in quality, the standar{s adopted by the accrediting agenciesare higher than the minimum requirements set by the governrqent.

. Quality Defined tn Terms of Outputs

lntrod ucin g Qualifications Frameworks

The earlier section pointed out that traditional education normallydefines qUality in terms inputs. Progressive educational systems, on theother hand, define quality in terms of outputs, i.e., what the students havelearned, such as, skills, knowledge and'desired attributes that they canuse to qualify them to do cerbin tbsks on their own; Accreditation canshift to outprtts as the urlit of measurdment in determining quality..

The introductionof qualifications framewor:k in the educational scen-ery is a timely phenomenon in this Shiftto measure outputs. The develop-fnent of the national qualifications framework in the 1990s had.their

60 21st C:ntury Trends, lssues and Challenges in en;nOnln; Education

origins in the neoliberal economic policies ofthe 1980s and early 1 990s'

*nT.n uu"r" particularly dominant in the. U'K' and New Tealand (APON

project Team, 2OO7). tne aevetopment of the qualifications framework

weie motivated by certain interests created during the last two decades'

As identified Oy MicnaelYoung, these concerns included:

l.thedesiretoallowqualificationstobedeiterminedbyworkplaceperformaince.ltemphasizedtheneedtosetlearningandeduca-

' iion objectives in terms of demonstrable outputs;

2. the growing interest in life-long learning;

3.theintentionforadult-learners,particularlyt[osewhohavedroppedout of formal education before the age 16 (as in U'K')' to be able

to.accumulate credits to attain a qualification;

4.concern,inovercominginequalitiesbyprovidingaccreditationabasis for treating informal training in institutional formal leaming;

and

5. in Australia (Forsyth, 2OO7), the desire to integrate and stream-

line the requiremLnts of participating providers, employers and

. qmployees,individualsandinterestedorganizations'

The development of national qualifications framework is a major theme

esilecially in internationalfora led by the lnternational Labor Organization:

tniiiatty, the development of such frameworks was largely restricted to the

British Commonwealth qountries, such as Scotland, South Africa, Austra-

lia and New Zealand (Davies, 2OO7). lt is hotly debated in the European

Union Countiies. Over the last 20 years this interest has extended to

otherpartsof theworld. ln theAsia Pacificregion, interestin^thequalifica-

, tions iramework phenomenon is shown by a study in the "Qualifications

Framework in theAsia Pacific Region" commissioned bytheAsia Pacific

Quality Network (APON), an affiliate entity of the INQAAHE'

There are a variety of qualifications systems around the world that

have antedated the present national qualifications framework, but differ

from the latter.

what then distinguishes an NQF from previous qualifications systems?'.

The oECD definition of qualificationi framework'will be helpfut in'

u nderstand in g the. concePt.

A qualifications framework is an instrument for the development and

classification of qualification according to a set of criteria for levels of, , learning achieved. .This setof criteria may be implicit in the qualification

The Trends

desbriptors themselves or made explicit in the form of a. set level descrip-

t-". rn" scope of frameworks may be comprehensive of all learning

achievement and pathways or may be confined to a particular sector, for

"x"rpr", initial education, adult education and training or an occupational

area.'some frameworks may have mor:e design elements and a tighter

structure than others; some may have a legal basis whereas others repre-

sent a consensus of views of social partners. All qualifications frame-

virorks, however, establish a basis for improving the.quality, accessibility,

. . tint "g"r

and public or labour market recognition of qualifications within a

country and internationallY.

The APQN Project Team suggests that

NQFs:.* ,:'

1. describe qualificttions as a single set of criteria, or a single defi-

nition of what is to count as a qualification;

2. rankqualifications, usually as a single set of levels with distinct

leveldescriPtors

3. desciibe vocational qualifications usually in tetms of a compre-

hensive set of accepted fields;

4. describe qualifications in terms of learning outcomes rather than

prescriQing inputs in terms of syllabus, lengths <if teaching time,

etc.

5. provide a set of benchmarks against which any learning can be

assessed in terms of its potential contribution to qualification;

and

6. define qualifications in:terms of elernents (e.g., units, credits,

standards)

Quality Assurance - Qualifications Framework in the Philippines

The Philippines takes pride in its high graduation rates arising from

the massification of education, albeit, admits producing graduates with

inadequate qualifications. A series of btudies on the Philippine educa-

tional system conducted in the last 50 years has poinied to th€ poor and

deterioiating quality oi education as compared to thobe of other countries.

This lugubrious'state of education has been observed by various. study groups and reform bodies, and generally confirmed by practically all

sectors of society especially by the users of the products of the educa-. , tionat system.. lt is.understandable then that much premium is given to

82 21st Century Trends, lssues and Challenges in Philippine

i ndinaccreditation as.a means of measuring the quality of education, at

promoting reforms among educational providers.

' However, something is remiss. While the quali$ of education is

underpinned by the accreditation system which assesses the quality of

education.programs, the fociof measurementare the inputs which, as

observed 6adier, define quality. ls it possible then that, accreditation which

measures inputs in awarding accredited status to programs, is contribut-

ing to the deterioration, rather than to the improvement, of the quality ofeducatiOn in the Philippines: As one critic has remarked:Accreditationhas been around in this country half a century ago. But why has educa-

tion deblined when accreditation is supposed to guar{ and promote qual-

i$? .What is the accomplishment of the vaunted accreditation system?

Old age?.

. Accreditation in the Philippines is a private undertaking. The govern-

ment thru the CHED does not accredit. The oversight of higher educationprograms, including accieditation, is vested in the Commission on Higher

Education. ln the exercise of its funcfions, it issues out a series of memo-

randum{rders which invariably contain the guidelines to be followed in

offer:ing curricular programs, such agriculture, civil engineering, teachereducation, computer science, etc. These issuances specify the stan-dards on setting objectives, qualifications of faculty, curriculum, includingdescription of the courses, laboratory and library requirements, physicalplantand facilities, etc. for each of the individual programs. Accreditingagdncies use standards that are higher than the minimum requirernentsset by the govemment for the offering of curricular programs.

Assessment of programs in all government-supported an{ private

colleges and universities is assigned to private accrediting agencies. lnsum, quality is assured through accreditation of programs conducted byprivate (non-government) accrediting agencies. While accreditation iseupposed to assess theattainmentof the objectives of the institution andoftheprograms,thecriteriaofevaluationareinput-focused.

The introduction of the national qualifications framework which de-scribes qualifications in terms of learning ouicomes can bolstei the shiftof quality assurance criteria to outputs. it can also argue for the expan-sion of tib unlt of measurement from limited pockets of the institutiohcomposeil of programs, to a comprehensive review of the whole institution

in orderto gain trom the synergism of the approach.

While adoption of the national qualifications{ramework may becommendable, implementation may be hampered given the followingrealities.

The Trends 63

First, the Philippine National Qualifications Framework is a recent

phenomenon, which though for.mally approved in 2005, its implementation

is still under discussion stage and is confined only to the higher education

and tech nical/vocational education sectors.

second, there is no agreement on a single set of levels in the quali-

fications structure as is usually required as a distinguishing mark of a

national qualifications framework. The two ageneies that designed the

framework have decided to adopta 2-track ratherthan a single hierarchy

of levels: one for professional education and another, for technical/voca-

tional education.

Third, the Philippine National Qualifications Framework is not yet

_quality assured, that has undergone distillation as in the New zealand

iiamework, and the Hong Kong qualificationsframeworkwhich is undergo-

ing rigorous review involving many stakeholders (Leung, 2007). Aquality

asluieO framework fosters confidence to stakeholders, locally and inter-

nationally.

Fourth, is a recognition that a possible shift to quality assuranre

based on outputs is expected to be resisted by those using the existing

practicesef e*''"'"i::t:;sion:QAQFNexus ,

:

This paper argues for the shift of the definition of qualt$ from input to

output orientation. ln quality assurance, it would mean a change to. as-

sessing outcomes like competencies of graduates ratherthan assessing

the ad6quacy of the curricuium, physicalfacilities, number and qualifica-

tion of facul$, library, etc.

One problem to be faced is the identification of the desir6d compe-tencies or outcomes, although there are existing qualificationssystemlin the differentcountries. The introduction of the phenomenon of nationalqualifications framework which describes qualifications in terms of out-comes bolsters the move to review the outcomes of eduCation, as a mea-sur:e of qualifu of programs or institutions.

At the present stage, implementing the Philippine National Qualifi-cations Eramework could meet practicaland formidable baniers. ln'viewof the newness of the framework, it suffers from structural defects. lt isnot yet quality assured. lt doeb not holci the acceptance, not to mention

the iupport, of stafehot,iers in education, lbbor, iridustryand the commu-nity. The courntry might as well be forwarned that the developrnent of thequ-alificationsfrimeworX, asexperienced in otl.rqrpgunlri-eq, li(e, the u' K.

It 2t.t O$tury Tr'ndr' lllucl 'nd

Ch'lhngpr ln Phlllpplnc Eduotlon

rnd Nar Zsrlrnd, haa taken a long tiT* ÊY:-t,itne

European Union' the '

nrtlonll.qulllftcattons trameworfls still a live issue'

Thcoxperlcncesofcountriesthathave.earlieradopted,orarestillinu,.pii,i.i5riJ.puf#*';ffi *.Sll*ffi ff#ililT,.$ jl,,::t

ill3h.uoillff.3ffi il,i1[iitiT:t:':Tffi 'j'ff Tiler'and2)hl drcply rooted tyttH ot quality assurancu *nitn accredits

'curricular

ffijdil:ffilil*'mtg:-":",t:i::ti:Jl:ffi f '"".'J3[i;!11

buEomcs ac defineo in'ifis quatifications framework'

' Thul, ln order to attain the objectives of strengthening quatity assur-

rn.a wlth thc quarin#ii.'ti"*"*"tr, an i ncremjntal approach. m ay be

rdiPbd.bsglnnlng with:---' ,l. thc tntroOuctioh of an approach to.Jeiine quality in terms of out-

comcs ptttJil't 'iiili1";9 defined in ihe national qualifica-

,onr f rame;'oll,;; Fii;;o oy "ny

existins qualif ications svs-

iim rn the country; and

2. to promote the development of the qualifications framework by

developing the institution as is done in Sing"pott (Young' 2005)'

'ould define the obiec-

ln this scheme, the qualif'rcations tr.lflwjiflrr rre of oualifrcations.ln this scheme' Ine quarrrrvarrv' 'e r'

er '| '- -

cnitecture of qualifications-'

tives oi:;i"t;;ti;; ;ioitte191t"^'1:l'-'ig:,il'icurar and rearning experr-

+l'": :'ff :ffiJ':l ;'J ffi e,! ;:* if :*: * ilfr11:a rn i n g expe r -

These o'leurrvr'- '' " ;;tu;;riG ny education providers'ences made available'

Q u a I ity ass u ra nce wi r! n9 .stre 1S-t1"T:":t^?:?:1ff

inq thatthe compe-Quality assuranue wrrr uv srr Yr rv!! '-" -

i aril followed by the educa-

t"n.i"i oliiieJ in tne quatifications fra1,llojl,*" is satisfactory and ac-

l9ffi;iiJ$:: sff.:i ?n ffi "i'iv "i

in!.'" rv ice i s s ati sf actory a n d ac-

cePtable. O

References

' ' lodel of accreditation whichThle would suggest the adoptior "l ?i ^-âanr ,,ca nf nroorams to

.,o.nTi#",13;J3i;:i!!;i":i':L*:n::::l,x::il:':ffi ,l;ill,ilff .T:"T::$':';fi lil;{d::-::::1":H:i:'"'l?,."il:illl?lnrtltutlgns. To cusnton tr rt.' , I rvsv' -' - -

u" side by iiOe witn institu-

i'iiilil .r plog.lam accred itation m av conti nt

ilonrl aocreditration'

Thelinkageofthefunctignsofqualificationsframeworksandquality.aaart.il. t.i be schematicLlly reflected in this manner'

QF QA

AACCUe 2005: "Manual on Accreditation" (Manila' Philipines: Accredit-

,ing Asencv of charter#b"Jifi'#1 uniuetsities in the Philippines)

APQNProjeciTeam,200T:"Qualifications'FrameworkinTheAsia-PacificRegion" Asia- e""in" -61"Jritvii"*"tr

itq""i r'r o' 2' f orthcomi n g pu btica-

tion..,..-neNewZealandNationalQualificqtionsFramework'',Davies, A. 2007: "The New Zealano l\arrerrdr vuqrrrrv\'-"-

unPublished'

Forsyth,J.2007:"TheAustfalianQualificationsFramework"'unpublished'

Leung, F.2OO7:"The Hohg t<ong QuaiiRcat'tons Fram"-":" ::::::tn*

Young, M. 2005: "National Qudrlifications Frameworks: Their Feasibility

For Effective tmptemeir'taltil,i"ii"rJlping countries" (lnternational Labor

btg""it"i.": Geneva' Svrdtzerland)

EducationProviders

iF

F.

Iil

F,Fp,

rIrlil,Fi.

&v

EDUCATIONAL SERVICE CONTRACTING:

PAST. PRESENTAND PREFERRED FUTURE

4/na/rarao'1. /eh/".\. \

ll4hen t heard for the first time someone ipeakof a govemmentroholarsh ip program in private schoo/s, it took me time to realize thatfftc speakerwas refening tothe ESC. The reason: ESCwas never atcfrobrdhip program to me. To me, it has atways been a scheme -

' 'EducatbnaL Service Contracting Scheme'l, not"Educational Seruicefuttncting Scholarship Program". Not even "Educational Servrbe

Co ntrc cti n g G ra nts-i n -aid Prog n m

"Scholarship'connotes two players, the sponsor and the recipient(Tho rcholar). "Scheme" may have more. ln "scholarship" here is a recipmOflobllgation between the two parties. Usually, the sponsor providesfundf whlle the scholar's duty is to maintain, a certain l6vel of schoolgndu plus, sometimes, a commitmentto renddrdutyafterfinishing hisrtrdbr,

ln the ESC scheme, there was no grade requirement other thanttltl puUtlc school require. Just keep on passing, or else repgat the failedaUblrot. There was also no com mitment to render duty after fi nish ing one's

' fidlO, ESC was a public school system in a private school setting. The' hfmf olagreement among the parties in the ESC flov.,ed from tne oO;ec-ilVO lhrt the scheme sought to achieve.

ln hc original ESC scheme, there were at least four regular players:, hl $Onmrwtrich was government, one partnerwhich was a private school,

frul thO bcneficiary who was the student. ln the originalschem6, the stu-dlnt hfd to be a public school student no less. Both the sponsor and itspfthfn had roles aimed toward achieving a number of objectives, thefdUoitton of the (pubiic dchool) student being onty one of them. The roleOl hf prlvate school partner was to provide instruction. The role of thepUbllo rchool partner was to provide the sti.rdents. Thatwas th'e scheme.Tln fOhcme wes not one between the governmentand the student alone,

, Of.bai,V.an thg,private qc|gql g4q stider-rt. atqnp. lt Was. q partnership

tir

!

!

The Trends

amongst government and the schools, wherein all partners, including theteachers and students of the participating schools, stood to benefit. ln theminds of many nowadays, the ESC scheme might have already evolvedinto something else. This was the case with the speaker I mentioned atthe start - he saw the ESC as an arrangement between students in pri-vate schools on the one hand (NOTE: not public school students anymoreas they used to be) and the DepEd as a government agency on the other.To him, itwas justa government scholarship program in private schools. ltwas not like that at the start. ESC's purpose had been lost to him, itseems.

THE PAST: THE SHAPING OFTHE ESC

The ESC was a product of its times. ltwas a response to stressesand strains at the high school level in.both the public and private schoolsectors in the 70's up to the'mid-8O's. lt is not yet difficult to recallthose'times. They were still too recent to be forgotten. There were atleast three mutually-reinforcing stresses and strains to the publicschools - a looming congestion, a question of quality and an allega-tion of not being cost-effective. ln addition was a liquidity problem inthe private schools.

Congestion in Public High Schools

, The firstwas the looming congestion problem, if itwas notthere yet.Over a span of several years in the mid-7O's the student groMh rate at thesecondary levelwas almosttwice thatatthe elementary level (which wasabout 2.5%). lt was an unusual case that was bound to have an effect.There were numerous reports of overcrowded schools, forcing teachers tohold classes figuratively under mango trees. Philippine population wasonly around 50 million.

The demographic reasons were nuclear. No mini - "baby boom"had ever.been reported. The education budget under the Marcos gov-ernment had been blamed for,a lagging infrastructure. I have a suspi-cion that th'e adVocacy for barangay high schools of the well-kn.owneducation Pedro Orata (he of the 'Better tugaw that nothing at.all"fame) had unleashed wide interest in going to nign schools, aiOing tothe problem. lmmediately afterthe Marcos government, secondaryeducation in public schools was made. free. The immediate result wasa surge in the high school populdtion, prompting a need for more teach.ers, classrooms and other facilities. Local. governments did not haveyet the rheans to help. Understandably, the government turned to pri-vate.high.schools-

aS 21rt Century Trends, lssues and Challenges in Philippine Education

AllcAed Low Quality of Public High School

Orata's advocacy tor lugawmight have made people look for bet-tfr,nutrition.,Many eipressed misgivings about the quality of public

hlgh echools. Siudies of the NCEE results repetitively confirmed an-lOdotal reports of private schools,being academically superior. Politi-Ollnt were nadged by their constituencies aboitt these NCEE findingsthrt they, surprisingly, aboliihed the NCEE instead. lf you need aQflctf killing the messenger instead of acting on the message, re-mtmber this one. r

The alleged better educational quality of private schools suggestedI folutlon, Why not use their teachers, facilities and instructional prac:tlOm'for public school students? This solution was not original. lt firstlppcared in the fight against segregatiori in the United States. At thattmo, though, it appeared in a differentform.

Meanwhile, the private schools had not been disinterested aboutthe

FfOblcm. They had been eyeing a public-private sector collaboration in

0rllngwith it.

{lre.O Higher per Capita Cost

lnthe mihd-7O's, therewas a story (unverified) of a Mindanao Gatho-llO blrhop who was said to have dared the Ministry bf Education Culturemd Sports (MECS then, DepEd now) to give him just one half the govern-fnfntbudget perstudent, and in return hewould produce graduates betteipnnrcd academically than those in public schools. "Dare" might be tooftOng b callthe bishop's action; others said thatwhat he only did was torbol!t", an act that wodd not be beneath a bishop specially if done among

. pLn, The story attributed to the bishop was a double charge that publicl0ltOolr were not cost-efficient and were of'poor quality. The story hadbOn going the rounds at.that time and it actually gavq the push.for theFAPErtafftodoanESCpilotprojectattheelementarylevel

ln the late 70's, I was present whep a Visayan bishop made a realCllf durtng a private educators' conference, and I was sure it was a dare

$ft tlmo and not a boast only.,Whether in response to a dare or a boast,llWff f good idea for MECS.to involve its critics in the search for solutionsh lffucr that beset it. ln the case of the bishops, invotving them wouldhflp glto life to certain molal; social and patriotic intentions they had forpun! Fllipinos. peginning the BO's, Minister O.D. Corpuz of MECS un-.thttOok q pilot for high school students. About eight years later, this pilotllNd rs thE model to what became known as Educational Service Con-$mlhg(ESC).Scheme. :

I

The Tiends

Liquidity Problems of Private Schoo/s

ln the minds of private school operators, their main problem was a

poticy putting a ceiling on tuitibn increases. They believed that this policy

had made their viability (survival in some cases) a ieal issue' They be-

lieved that this problem was exacerbated by the law providing free secondl

ary education, which made them unable to compete for students vis-d-vispintic nign schools. Their need was for government financial support in a

legally acceptable form.

THESOLUTION

The solution to the dilemma of the public and private schools wasstraight-forwaid. No brainer, as they say now.

lf private schools believed they could netp in the solution and theywanted to hetp, involve them. That was good politics. Use their allegedquality - they were said to have more to show than hide. Accept theirspace, teachers and fa:cilities. This could bq an approach to infusing qual-

ity in public school instruction. Enhance the learning environment of pub-

lic school students; those students deserved that. T[at was the main

academic purpose of the ESC. That was the bishops' dare. lf the private

schools wanted to retain supervision ever instruction in exchange for theirparticipation, give it to theqr. They could continue hiring the teachers, beresponsible over their assignments, and implement the school's academicstandards. {f those were needed to ensure their independence and perfor-mance, accept those as their terms. lt was only but fair, after all it wasthdir names that were at stake. For a final item, they should be fairlycompensated for t[eir effort. They agreed that it would be enough for gov-ernment to support the cqst of instruction. That was how the studentsappeared to be receiving scholarship grants.

However, certain terms in this emerging solution were non-nego-tiable,One, the curriculum must be approved by MECS. Trvo, there mustbe certainly that the private schools would be teaching public school stu-dents. Someone must certify to this. The plan for doing this was to requirethe principalof the public high schoolwherethe student was initially seek-ing admission, to certify.that his/her schoolwas already over-crowded. lnother words, the applicant student'\rvould-have-otherwise-been" admittedto the public school system were it notior the over-croWding: Th is "would-have-othenvise-been" reqirirembnt was more popu larly cal led the "over-flow" c-ertificbtion and was ESC's tool against the congestion problem.Three,'tne private school must acceptthei'would-have-beens" without ad-dilipna! qualifications llke edmission test resultspi "Sati_sfpq1ery'l grades..

' r0 21st century Trends, lssues and chatenges in phirippine Education

An appricant ro.1r1r,"-r"rr:ed admissiononry ifthere was arso over-crowd-. IloJt S:,pJ,HnTl""":.:ffll;*6pil?H:ff:",.,:J:,ff:ffi;bc made to reoeatiait"JrrbJi#l"" 1", ,t","0

"J;";;h" Eb"dl,,vas a puorichlgh echoolprogram in a private scn-oof s"tting.That was th-e scheme that was p:p-?:".d.to be made into taw The' propoeed scheme. was poputar ano ine crrier prp"r""i,ln'tn" s"n"t",

'rn;tor EdgardoAng""i, J"i ni"t",r'nt"rp"rt in tne loweiHouse, con_gnfrman carlos pa?irra, JiJ i,"j iJ,Ji co_authors to ensure its smooth

fi $f il jl,':HJigrrjg1,''*';E,E$ffi"*$"i",rru;:n

g#iq{f#E#':11='n';:fi ii#dft r"**J[t

ffi ffi,il;lsffi f'=.ffi .'{*fi Sitr#ffi "ff"ff :i*e?' til8l:ii: l#:.,T$xJi:#{.Tmiir;f#,j":,

:l::x,gffi"1y'u'h's was to m_are. ine mair."iai* n" guaJitv or eoucat-ion upwardrnd [r coet downward bv 9ilin;'p;r]no],",uo"ntsirre nnanJ"ime"ns to

ntrdnli[t{ffilfiilH*Jt**i*Ji=*tri,#'dggrrily thc cchemefortn" iJ""i*oni]'ii"r^r worrd

"orntri", were *sFllt$llf i,,3i1t:l :ln ", Jn''t

""" Jl.

ry, untir now "u"n

** U n *ed,ffi fl l,*LJftfl+'lJff 3,'::1f yd,yn:,1,:n1"ff lHilfl ;T"H:

ffi'filff,#ffi:rl;tff*ruxiifi;:''run

.lli.lif; J:ii:r rre education-fini l

*t**iggffjt*m*-#i#_i,,F[tr;,I",ili{#, , ,, , r . .39iu199 -schoots in the tate

S0's.and- early 60,s in the United States.q ua rity or ed u""iion or',

", J

"n ir j,; ffi , [j,l:H?Hi lj?Jtr#::,,|:risht of the American oracrs to nai,Jtoi"i

"0,i."tilr. iil.irg=irll ,o ,"s_regation as ESC was to row qualii;ffi; n,gn ,lno"l"oi;'llHere ends the,first part of the Esc story The erementary rever pirotproject was started about i g/2. il" ilEEd pirot *". about 1 98 i cnsrpewas passed in 1g'g. The first impr"m"ntltion of GASTR' was in t gg1.

ANINTERREGNUM

Soon after fneê_rSptemented *" a:g lglthe first time, a major

ffiXnff ff,",TXj j;P!:eiii"*i;J;'ourd-have-otherwise-been,,

ff ,tT::T;ff .,fT!i,il,."ii:fl Hft 15ji;:n# jl"Tfjlyii5

#h:1"#'+:!;ffi tr#tnr,,:lp*;:l*;iimrcompletely ouenoo["0 tn.t

" prin.iiff#;::ltent. Project planners

oPPortunitie" ror proiession"i srotil;;:J::9 :-ong peers, privileses,rected by sch oo r ii." e"ins p;r;;;;j ;

" ;;;ifi:trtrfJ: X,"::il:il:lThe "woutd-have_otherwis"G;;;

G rir"#"rr, n"o m in im ized rhe i_r icetiesof status and power at the schoortrlir# went with size of territory.lr"#9#ir:::

ofriciarreason in ooiectinJ't" "

.1" for FApE was the man_

lffi ",:",J1

: Xil:ilil:":tlil:?e r rej FA pE's u n d o i n s ur r n o,. ra u rtsy""J:ff :::ilXt:,il:'fi':?::::?i,:fi ;X;iiil:i'l,',"Y,li;:XXt:

fl?il"ff Xit,3;: ;ffi liii jiii:T^-"JiiHl"j;';Hj;:i:"J,"Tj;the i m p re m e n ta t i o_n n o b r i tn r" " 1,; ;[_::J :,i Xff flff

And in due time, ESC r

. tt must have been .J13:j:lTl,:g !o FAPE for FApE to administer

;:i,fr llfl:1li:i.ffi :'l'i ;".";i:;r, j1l;:ff#T?ni","x1t:,T:tyears were all that it tobkX"?:THTfi :l:i,Htpil,;#i;".'I1i#J,[?H:1ff ["ll:Tl[1

:::: tl? ?,," ;U m":;f il".Ll? 5fffi ,jt^y" : n o*h e o, d E s c an y.

:,'ff#[:.j:iil_1"#:,,""n"'sJ;;;:;#,ff,!.,H:?[ilffi :i;:iffiq u"ntrv, tn"'r';J"HJJ ?ijher0vise-been

" public schoor Ltuden ts conr"-.nation5t ;r;;;i il;,o.ecarne

a mix of several tvp". - rorn""nool"o ouenoorseJoril#:'fiffi ;#?Ti::'..,::J:!:*#;'#;,'.",":lf-tttt plahning to drop out of schoot o"..,tt'

some weie private schooloth e rs ue re wa *i n s rro m p u b r ic slnti, j"ru,.t

a.oll l,.r ruilX:H "ili

l!?I-Wlr.:n aepirationto study in private schoots, which woutd tikety actf^$lptttroae who.were at h,ome with private schootnorms and prac_Hf' Thb common dqnominatorwoutd likely be corretated with a middte-

!!LF$:gL0ynd.That many ESC grantees were by then being spon_ ,

!Sf^rynlltlclans-and schoorofficiars courd be a sign of sociarJr poriti-

il?_T$lgna, oftentimes a give-away of a middtJ-ctass backgiound

MloTfl4tla doing an adequate tesr of the enhanced rearning eiviron-

tl llrl Crntury Trcnds, lssues and Challenges in phitippine Education

ilrhhvrnt,. - - ---"-r-

; !!!l!01_q..ELE hypothesis. tn short, the hypothesis could noionger beIl F fn daquete test using the current type of ESC students.

Thl'pnrcnt type of ESC students is the type suiteO for a schotar-, The ESC feature that could help test wh,etner it has aca_llka ln the case of busing cotored chiidren naO Oeen stu;;;

Fllg::: l3,s^?g:- 1119 1o1 s e;ti o n

.p ro b re m,. p a m e I y. t n e

or the "over-flovy'' requirement, hddHlsobeenFiom then one, the ESC could not

"nyror" be assessed in

Wlth thc lssue of congestion. No wonder some call the ESC afcholarship program in private schools.

IITBENT ASSESSMENTS OF QUALITY

,ly hf tlmc the ESC was given back to FAPE, the financing issuefl!$y qhelgef. The tight regutation on increasing tuition ria" r."_I Tllll OASTPE gave [rivatJ schools the rioht toietermine ir,o].ftf,l 9ASTPE gave private schoors the right to determine theirlY*, Prlvate achools became less interested on the issue of com-|l sat'affoctlveness. with this, part of the bishops' dare had be.

f OOUptc of years after the ESC was re-assigned to FApE, there

!fl!:-:!:lt!l:iTp3:. it had made. rne posiinirity pr repracing oitrntlng ltwith another program mignt naveins;ir"d il il,-i.;,P;-*!_t1l.:uld be rationatized by first having an irp""i.tuofi li hr rxrnrnaron' or wh"t h"il;;-;;'r;L

"itr,'; Hsi il"5ii.'TlirXli

-^, _loryar by that time ritfle of the originar ESC features was reft to berlllLd' €rvcral yea rs back, its -wou ii-nave-otherwise-be;;'; ;;;ir r"i ffil,tannmoved.F .ln rddlilon, few private schoors had remained interested in the cost_

' ' fiS-l?11:_11?:j llg bishopsrafterGASrpE save them ihe risht to!' *tftnhc rever at which n"v "ourci

;ffi;,,-*',,il;;:X:'+ffi,:Xl'"l:lu-TlLgly increased compared to the time wnen tne oeciee on tuition

[' ' lnlp_lrs" herd. sway. The onry financiar issue of interest Lft was thatb llnFn onbrcd only on the ESC - the sufficiency of the grant.-No matter,p ' t tltmlbnutoontyi.tew.

[t , -

L

The Trends

What was accepted as a continuing valid issue was the quality ofeducation under ESC. Was the guality under ESC better than the qualityin the regular public school program? But even in this one remaining is-sue, there had been in change in how it was formulated.

When ESC was first considered, the hypothesis was that if onepicked high schoolstudents at random and transferred them to a betterlearning environment, theywould learn more. This sounded like commonsense. lsn't this the reason why parents screen the schools for their chil-dren?

ExacUy the same simple qeasoning was adopted in the ESC. TheESC just assumed that the private hig\schools provided a bettdr, or usingthe jargon, a more "enhqnced" learning environmentforwhich reason theirstudents were showing higher NCEE rdsults. lt r,vas definitely too early tospecify what made up an enhanced learning environment. Their valueiand practices as teaching institutions? Maybe. The training and experi-ence of their,teachers? Maybe. The suitability of their facilities? Maybe. ltwas not time yet for the explanation. Thsse questions could wait.

What was more urgentvras to demonsirate the validity of the widelypopular belief that school mattered, that an enhanced lqarning environ-ment did make a difference. The reason for the urgency was [f,at manystudies had admitted a veiled selection mechanism operating for sb-called"!ood" schools- they were attracting the type of students thlt gave moreimportance to test scores and to studying. This is to say that their admis-sion processes were biased in favor of thbse who appeared good in testSand other conventional signs of learning without guaranteeing that theirlearning environments were'enhanced". ln the busing exp-eriment, itwaslike searching for white skins inside the bus. studies also pointed out thatthose students who gave importance ti 'lwhite skin" indices tended tgbelong to a middle and upper middle socio-economicclass background.ln otherwords, whatwas thought to be an effectof an enhanced learningenvironment was really an effect of the studdnt's background. A cartoon,showing an lvy Leagu,e professor confessing to the wind "Actually I learnedmore from my students that they from me" conveyed the message duringthat period that an enhanced learning environment was not important forleaming.

The ESC tried to be relevant tc this edrjcational issue using an ex-perimental approach. The firit pilot was it the elementary schoo-l lev6ls.The approach was to assign publlc school pupils. to be taught in private'schools, without considering their academic records. The intention was toget'pupils who represented'the popuiation of public school pupils in theparticipating private schools. The "would-have-othenryise-been" or overflow

74 21st Century Trenfls, lssues and Challenges in philippine Education

criterion was adopted forserecting them. The private scnoots participatingln the projectwere vorunteers and-were nearthe pubric schoor source. ThelT: qtthe experimenta.rpupirs *"r" p"io oy iAFl.i'n"i""r"r; tir.-tehle for prqject evatuation,

'but there;;;;; ;ntilo; ;';";l on" oon""when data wourd be sufficient". tto evatuJon was ever performed, Thegovernment was changed after EDSA. GASTpE war p"r!.0 in r"!' v"r*later' The ESc was rilit imqr919nt"a t*o ylars rater (1991), rts adminis-tration had chanoed rrom Fnpe to o"pii

"nd then back to FAPE. stiilthe6 was no stuiy assessing it.

,.-, rn'.2004, FA'E raised the issue of ESC's impact. rt might be thatlnformation was needed in order to deciOe wnat more tq do with the ESC.I y:g 9rr'.6ed to address the issueliqr"rit,, since quarity was the oneremaining issue after

_the congestion anJ cost-etrectiveness issues rostthelr saliencel since zo0a, ttir"" rtuJi", n"o o""n undertaken on thelug'tlT of quarity. They had been summarireo preuiourrv. in"-v

"iu orr-cugeed in the remainder of this section.

Study No.1: Comparison of ESC with three groups

,,-,__ I9: firststudy, the ESC sampte was compared with three groups

g.,';fi ili;if fr :l"t:Hi,H?=.?..".XTj,"9ffiiylJ:#ll"i'":!g*jt arour(4) metropotitan areas fth" NLR, Metrocebu, Metro Davaoand Metro Zamboanoa) Tl ftoT nve tSj provinces adjacent to these areas(cebu province ror u6tro ceou, o"u"o J6isJiior rvretro Davao, Zamboangadel Sur for Metro Zamboa,nga,

?ld flp two provinces of Rizal and Lagunafor the NCR). This procedure yietded 41 ESC schoots.

l'1"',ij,::r:^T:*,jp:1T1,:9 _r"log,: were included in the study:#l:::::'1"ô.l1t$l:o'p"i"n"".;#ffi;:Ni;'#;il:Jff 'J:lDCt-

:[tj j::1ljl jl"^ g.".p EjJs n e"n "o1 "rrjril

u Iu m. An th ose u nde r thef,::J.fP::i::-llrdsG*-pr"nriil;ffi ilil"Jffi,lHru:i;f:T::11;#,':lTT'::lg:.j?,,r,-Fil;i"";".li;ry;ilT,:ffi',;ni.Hiff il?l'::ii::,.:1r^l: 'y-"li"""irri'-#;;;;"i'";.,.]lT5:tt:.Pilf ph ysica I en vi ro n m e nt.-iiJi

"-a,i il :ffi ' ffi il:: f ::T:ESC semple.

f,*r:::T^?:i:T g,l::ll yl'tl" :pio'|uoric Schoors (Bps);tfl.rtXtl::,1'ylr::i",rirL.1i'.1*i,,olXti'"?::ffi?l;l]i"Xltff" I l,?:*:ll, I ! :', n

",",.. 1t

; ;;i t; ;;; ;#'; ",fiJil

| ;?. :: ?illll?"1'*:'::^"^'ll:-1io,o:;i"*i'l"in",'ii#,"dliitiiX",i,l,"-ii-l1tlTf r-:'^:1,":..j:f

,.l.i',t.trnr"iirit,"r-", ji,""""lXilll.!3Hl-

:llfffi;i3ffi'l "1':.j b""d;;;; il"""ffiJ.*"'ii ;Til?ifiand from schools.

. The Trends Ts

. However, it turned out that these so-called ,,nearest,, schools had an

average enrolment higher than g3% of all public high schools (hence theadjective "big"). Their mean enrolmentwas 3741 students where the na-tional mean enrolmentwas only 874 students. ln orderwords, theywereatypicalof public high schools. Forthis reason, and forthe reason that bigschools were often beneficiaries of support from local and national govern-ments and corporate donors, it became necessary to constitutb a thirdgroup, or else the use of the BPS sample might raise unnecessary ques-tions.

A third comparison group was formed by randomly choosing schoolswithin the municipalities of the ESC schools. This group labeled ,,smalt

Public schools" (sPS) turned out to have an average enrolment only higherthan 68% of all public high schools. Figure 1 shows the comparative enrol-ments of the BPS, sPS and ESC schools, togetherwith a'sample of 169randomly chosen public schobls and 462 randomly chosen Edc partici-pating schools. A graphic presentation of enrolment sizes was used tohelp communicate the value of using thp sps as a control - the Bpssample was simply too atypical.

A total of 18,564 students participated in the study, crassified ac-cording to year levels. Each student took a 360-item teit or high schoolco_mpetencies equally divided into English, Mathematics and"science.within each sqbject, the items were randomized without regard to diffi-culty level. The ordei of taking the subjects was also randomized. Figure2 shows how the four groups compared using the totar test score asindex. Each rine reprbsents one group: From i'he nignestio ihe twestmean scores, the scores were the Bpss" private non'-ESCs" ESCs, andSPSs', respectively

The differences among the four groups were significant. The differ-ence between any two points in Figure 2 when year revers were herd con-stant was likewise significant, except the cases of the ESCs and thePrivate non-ESCs at year Level 1. .

Except for one finding, the resurts of study 1 were as expected fromthe ELE hypothesis. The one exception was the finding that the epb *".the best of the four groupd studied. were the learnin-g environments ofthese schools the most enhanced?

study No. 2: Role of schoor enrorment in the case of a mandated testHowever, there courd be a simprer expranation for the superior Bps

performance. lnternal analyses oJthe data suggested that the eeS sanrptewas notrepresentative of the Bps student pbpuration: rt appeared that:

70 21et Century Trends, lssues and Challenges in Phitippine Education

.,

the BPS vglunteered their "best" students to showcase them even whenthcy ware requested to designate only "average" class sections for thertudy. When the school grades of BPS and SPS were compared, thegrades of the former were higher and more homogenous, suggesting thatthe BPS sample underwent some prior selection. ln contrast, the SpSaample was selected at random by the test administrators. What theBPS did was something like sneaking in white children in the bus.

Prior selection could explain the difference between BpS and theother groups in Study No. 1 wherein the tests used in measuring compe-tencies were not mandated. lt would be different in a case wherethe testswere mandated' in the later case, ihe schools had no option to selecttheexaminees.

' This was the rationale for Study No. 2 which us.gd. the National, Achievement rest (NAT), a test that was mandatory for all senior studentsln 2005, as the measure of competencies, Based on a 26% systematicsarhple of all5774 pubtic high schools in.that year, test data were ana-lyzed after grouping the schools according to the size of their studentenrolments.

. Figure 3 reports TotalTest scores when the sample was divided in20 groups of 75 schools each (vigesimals). U nlike earlier reports, Fig ure 3shows that mean competencies steadily decreased at slighfly beyond thefifteenth vigesimal. The results for the five NAT subtests(Englis-h, Math-ematics, Science, Pilipino and Araling panlipunan) were similar.

. tF ,r, when pre-selection of examinees was controlled, the supe-rior performaribe of BPS reported in study No. 1 was not confirmed. lnfact, theopposite was observed. o

'study No. 3: Estimate of the impact of school enrolment on test perfor-mance. :

. ln $udy No. 2, the negative effect of the enrolment variable on testperformance appeared to be large- study No. 3 just intended to have anumerical estimate of this effect. Using various regression models whereinthe enrolnent variabte was used sinjry

-rin "ombination

with other vari-ables, itshowed that this effect in atislz+ public higlLscrrootwas-in ract.ft[ (eryplaining just a ritfle more,than 1'% ot totir iest uari""""i [risigniflcart, see the linear regression of test scores on eniolment in Figure4 and nG its negafive siope.

ishits inportance, however. As a predictor,of school pelrformance in the'NAT" it"ms the'second best out of seven,predictors.used in study No. 3;

The Trends

that included popular indicators of student density at the classroom levelsuch as the student-per-desk ratio (whose predictive effect turned out tobe not signiflcant statistically; eureka!), the student-pei-classroom ratio(not significant also; eureka!!), and the student-perteacher ratio (not sig-nificant; eureka!!l) Based on these measures of student density or con-gestion at the classroom level, there was no evidence that classroomcongestion affected quality. Quality appears to be resilient to classroomcongestion.

Alittle aside. Of the seven performance indicators in the study, fourwere related significantly to test performance. ln the order of their signifi-cance lev'els, the indicators were the drop-out rate (first), enrolment size(second), ratio of the number of students pertoilbt bowl (third; eureka!!!!)and the ratio of the nurnber of students to the total number of room facili-ties (fourth).

One former Secretary of Education (just recenfly deceased) re-portedly used to ask the DepEd's supervisors of private schools whythey were so strict on tqilet facilities with private schools that wereapplying for permit to operate. "Basta!" was their answer, said he. Wemight now have a basis for their. practice: number oitoilets could bean impedance index of learning. Too bad the Secretary passed awaywithout hearing this.

THE PREFERRED FUTURE

What do these studies implyfor the ESC in the future? lt goes with-out saying that the answer rests on who would decide the case of theESC. But if research will be of any value at all, the facts below should berelevant.

First, there is no evidencethat the substantial support given to pub-lic schools by post-Marcos governments for such needs is more andbetter school rooms, higher staff salaries, more teacher positions, highertextbook-to-student ratio, better health care and security, and others, hadalready led tg improved student competencies. perhaps their main effectsso far had been largely confined still to improving the teachers' workingand economic conditions, their self-esteem and the way they are regardedsocially. There is no evidence that as learning environments, public sinootshad since been "enhanced" althciugh the governmdnt support is there foreveryone lo see. Ts illustrate this is the case of a very active city schooldivision that had been the recipient of educational-largess6 from its citygovernment and therefore the envy of other school divisions but which onlyranked 39h from the bottom outof 177 school divisions in the country inthe2005 NAT. :

21st Century Trends, lssu'es and Challenges in philippine Education

Neither courd it be said that the higher test scores of ESC studentswhen compared with the pubric schooritudents were evioeneelrrat ttreprivate schools were therefore'enhanced" leaming environments. Th" nign",scores arg arso there for everyone to see but the .enhancemenr;

""prJnb_tion is dubious. when the "overflor,r/'seteciion guiderinewas removed, thecharacter of the resurtant ESC popuration was automaticaily corrupted.Frsc students began.to iircrude dhoie who quarified through i[" innu"n."of pofiticians, education and schoorofficiars, etc.; they became differentlpltlt "over-frow" pubric schoor students wno ,"i" in" oi,ginlrltun ro, ,

the ESC scheme. The socio-economic background of the new ESC stu-dents has become ambiguous, From the way ESC str-rdents are now cho-aen, lt is improbabre thev wourd stirr

'esembie th" a";;il;;;[ri"-scnoot

rtudents of ord, speaking socio-economicaily. rt is noiirjroo"oe tn"tsomb- would not even consider studying in pu-btic schoor

"t'"rr. ri L prob_,i

able. that many wourd resembre privltelcnoor students more, driven byrlmllar aspirations, at homewith tire systems ano varues of privatibcnoorslnd sustained by a compatibre genetic make.up. esc i" ,i"w ril-"-ou"ingwhltes instead of chirdren of btaiks. rire Esc grantees are not suited fortortlng the ELE hypothesis anymore.

. A difference in the socio-economic background of present ESc stu-dbnts and pubric schoor students wourd "r""t"

comprications for any ef-fg11o lest tne ELE hypothesis. The ."""on L tnat tne anemative exprana-tlon.is prgcisery based on the existence of such a difference. The rore oftocloeconom ic backg.round (ethn icity, tam ir], income, p"i"rilr f ircation,numberof sibrings, birth order, ano oinerfactorsy on ;;h";ip";;i,i'"n""hm been extensiverv documented. rn aaJition, past studies had shownthc obvious that tuition-paying gtudenttGno to be found at the higherlcvcle of the socio-economicliate which are positivery correrated with' hlilhcr academic (inctuding nighei tlsiy p"rrJr-"n""

. Flndings in study Nos. 1-3 discussed here courd not be exprainedby clthcr the ELE or uy.fre sociat ctassnyiotnesis arone. Going by past1191.., :v.e

can expett a sociat ctass e#Jct. However, the.ELE tneorymutt not be just dismissed for: at reast three reasoni, ii-iJl*lo onOommonsense, it is consistent with parents; ,"""f *"V "t;n"*rn ,n",r.ohlldrcn's schoors and. Moreover, it pr"Ji"L the stimuration of achieve_

rlllt: rl9lplediction has desirabre sbciat engineering ,r"r. r* in"r"rc*on.' ESC shourd be studied more erosery. rt ought to be tarked aboutln publlc cohversation.

The closest exalnJe 9f S,studV of some social significance, thatproccaded from an p1E-rype of hvpoir..'".;. ,"mains to be coremar.,r,s re_'p'rt thet adadernic gains:iorow"i'tn" ou.rng o]trh,ii",i ii'i".i, ,n,0.

The Trends

integrated schools. The study has had a moralvalue forAmericans. TheESC program might yet yietd findings with simitar moral import for Fitipi-nos. Research on the ESC, like other social science research in the phil-ippines, should help policy makers design programs and legislation forimproving Filipino socio-economic well-being.

ln the specific case of the ESC, there are priority studies to beundertaken'in order to explore the potentials, limits and uses of the pro-gram.

I believe the highest priority should be given to study ihe validity ofthe ELE hypothesis. The objective is to repticate in the Fnilippines thebusing experiment for integration by way of enabling public school stu-dents to study in private schools instead. ln effect, the project would belike "busing" public school students into private schools. This would re-quire a sample of ESC grantees coming from the same population ofpublic school students. The bris drivers must first see to it that their pas-sengers would really be "of colof rhis would require the restoration of the"would-have-otherwis'e-been" guideline pgrhaps through rewards, incen-tives and special recognitions designed to encourageo tne bus drivers tocomply. The resultof theircompliancewould be an ESp groupthatwouldbe similar socio-economically to the average public sihool gfudents, sothat any difference later in achievement, knowledge or ouflook could beattributed rhore to the educational intervention rather than to their familybackground.

'To make the experiment financially manageable; the restoration ofth'e "would-have-othenrvise-been" feafure could be controlled, following anexperiment design with regional features. The reason for the regional fea-tures is to recognize possible regionalvariations.

A second project could use the present ESC population wiihout as-sembling a new source of grantees. As such it could be started rightaway. lts main feature is a statistical control of socio-economic factorsrather than their experimental control. rhe drawback of this approach isthat it wil! be more difficult to market to non-technical policy-makers.

Another study could aim to determine the relative weights of socialclass and of an enhanced leaming bnvironment on test scoresin the presentESC program. one wayto do this is.to regress test scores on socialclass indices. Another way is to compare student types while controllingfor scibial class.

until the-present, thirty two years after the first ESC moder was!91gneo (and nineteen ye€irs after ESC was tegistated), the validity of theELE hypothesis has not been shown uneq u ivocally. The aiadem il va I ue .


oJthe ESC ptogram has not been clearly demonstrated. Untilthat is done,Its social use could be assailed. Good studies on educational interven-tlons are needed in order to rationalize the programs' uses. without them,policy makers may lack critical info.rmation. Remember the three blindmen trying what to make out of the elephant. More blind men should touchthe ESC-elephant. Together, their interpretations would be fuller. ln thellght of the EVS' main thrust towards decongestion, there is one finalpollcy issue in ESC that needs to be addressed forthe future. Must ESCaleo'address the issue of bongestion? lf so, how must ESC set its p;io;!l.t between quatity and congestion? Findings in study No. e ar! pbr-tlnent - apparenfly, quality has a high tolerince for classroom-levelcongestion. lnterwined are operational questions. who would decide ifl,case of congestion exists? on what badis would thg decisiop be

. made? would a ruling on congestion be about a congested scrrool or' about a congested congressi6nat district. i;*-rh";il;;;"ilAeil;of EVS stcits be made?

. ltdoes.not help to think of the ESc as a government scholarship or

grants-in-aid program in private schools. That is as inappropriate as call-lng the busing of the children "scholarship". More value isadded when it isvlewed as an educational remediation that also happens to have likelygollateral gains in management efficiency, iost of eifectiveness and de-congestion at the school level. "schglarship" subtracts from the schemethat it has always been and from the potentials of that scheme. o

Teachers and Parents:A Dynamic Partnership

Eltrha Q, Sala-taara't

A partnership between home and school is indeed formidable if char-acterized bygenuine sharing and collaboratiqn'between parents and teach-ers. The parents have their cfildrents best interests at heart and there (seems no limit to what they are willing to harness from their resources.The teachers equally.feel attached to and concerned'about the childrenand are ready to offer their utmost effort and time even beyond the con-fines of the classroom. Every child under their care is valuable and there is.nothing, no matter how time-consum ing, attentiondemanding, and physi-cally-draining, that they will not do for him or her. The benefits derivedfrom a free flow of useful and relevant information between the homeand the school cannot be over emphasized. One cannot fully achieveits goal without the help of the other. Nothing is impossible if both aresincerely willing to share responsibilities and to commit their time,'effort, and resources for this noble investment - child growth artdnurturance.' lt is in recognition of the trem'endous benefits both parties stand to

enjoy that an attempt to situate them in real, easy-to-attain alliance ishereby being offered

ln the Home

Careful observations of parents in the home can serve as inputs inplanning learning tasks. Easily; the mother can communicate to the teachercertain behaviors that need to be corrected. Lack of initiative in doinghomework iegularly can be traqed to unchallenging homework or incon-sistent checking of assignments. The information children sometimes arerequired to gain through home reading mby not be accomplished if thereare not many books at home, ln such cases, the gathering of data thioughexplorations in the immediate environment might be a more effective meth-odology. A system of rewards will definitely generate eagernesq in tack-lirig home investigations:

b"l, t

t['

t2 21st Century Trends, lssues and Challenges in philippine Education

Respect for elders is a commendable trait that ""n

o" modeled andlntcrnalized at a young age in the home. tf the.chitdren carry thjs to ther0hool they will continue to show consideration and high regard for therlghts of others. The teachers in return can exhibit the iamirespect foravrryone.

strong unusual interests of the child that arebbserved at home are'Yvorth communicating to those who plan their daiV activities. The inclina-

llqn t9 music or poetry can be part of the motivationat strategies. specialhlcntr guch as sketching and painting can be nurtured uy o&h the homelnd ths schoolfhrough activities that expose the children io nature. lnven,tlvmcaa and originality are values that can be developed during their for-mrtlveyears and much depend on both parents:and teachers,-sensitivityto alrly manifestations. i

^ . Learning to cooperate starts in the hbme and is enhanced in a con-duclvc ach.ool atmosphere. Today, one of the organizational techniquesDahg employed, whether in class discussions orgroup experimentations,b onc that is termed cooperative learning. tn J group of five or six, amlmbar ls responsible for a part of the lesson and later the members

T:ot !o discuss or perform the experiment as a grouir. such cooperativeItlt'tdcs can be reinforced in similar activities when members of ihe ram-lly fharc responsibilities for a particutar task.

ln thr Schoot

common difficulties and problems met in school can be threshedout hrough a diirlogue between the two parties. Extremes of behavior likebullylng among boys and shyness among girts need d detailod look atplrt experiences gained in both locales. A joint ptedge to lessen suc*r

, hndcndee through proper counseling will surely deuJlop a "spirit of to-tlthcrnees" among them. A strong fe-linE of s'elf-worth and seif.esteemamargcc at a young age. Proper guidance, recognition of exemplary be_htvlor and achievements, and respect for their inoividuality willwork to-wtrdr cnhancing personality development.

l

The case of slow learners. though not a behavior problem; deservesm much attention. Remedial teaching, which entails additional effort andtlmo, cen be jointly agreed upon and undertaken in both placbs. whateverformat ls planned and done in school must be continued at home. Teach,rn muet provide additional instructional materials when needed.

causes of irregularity in attendance can be traced tog6ther and so-lutlong f*q easy to imptement if both parties concernei are wiiling tobr lnvolved. ggltiry q _qnig ie3{v.f9q qc|oot early !n tlrq TgryLng t4O9

The Trends 83

tract on the part of the parents. Their rebdiness can arouse enthusiasm

and pave therray fora "good day." lncentives for regular attendance are

non being practiced. Minimizing causes of failures in daily leaming activi-

ties, rather than capitalizing on single accomplishments, can'result in

sustained interest and enjoyment.

Creativity is a value that is best developed at an early stage in life.

Though prized by both parents and teachers, its development is often leftunattended. Teachers, orring to their strict scheduling of activities, fail tonotice some original ideas orways of doing things aftempted by students.The parenb, owing to their busy households or business chores, becomeresticted to routine activities- lnflexibitity in both cases kills initial signs ofcreativity. One of the pervading goals of education is to develop creativethinking skills- Sucfi'skills, which enable chitdren to try new and originalapproacfres trome out of their own imagination and ingenuity, are culti-nated throughout their groving years in both the school and the home.Nurtured in a conducive classroom and home climate, these skills are

Isbeilghened and are cdnied to adulthood. _

Cleanliness, neatress, and good grooming are of mutualconcern,wtriclr can be boked into habitually by both teachers andparents. Tactfulreminders can work tmards cfrildren developing a wholesome personalityardappearance.

Aclivities organized in connection with tfreir lessons such as fieldbips participated in by bdth teachers and parents can provide the much-needed time and occasion forforming bonds and enjoying youthfulfree-dom with fun and laughter.

Pointers

A number of pointers to'cement their togethemess" are hereby offered:

1. Itwould be nice for parents to show appreciation and gratitude forwfiateverthe teacher is instifuting fortheir children. Teachers canlikewise express their thanks for the cooperation that the parentswillinirlyofier.

2- During regulardialogues, both sides should emphasize the good', ratherthan the bad behavior and performance, the pleasant rath6r.

thdn the unpleasant daily encouhters and the accomplishrhentsrather than the failure in simple learnlng tasks.

3- Both parents and teachers can anive at workable solutions tooberved difficutties if theyare hones[ candid, and open, as against

. tendencieslowards evasiveness, .partiality, and bias,. , . .- .


Dynamlc Collaboration

4. Both must "learn to listen." lf not, actions and solutions will beone-sided and isolated

5. Both should commit quality time. Hurried consultations will notresult in effective resolutions of common concerns. Haphazardimplementation of remedial meastlres agreed upon will iikewisebe a wastefulexercise.

p. Trust in each other's abilities, professional or othenuise. They are. the keys to a smooth exchange of advice and opinions and will

lead to a "meeting of the minds."

7. Faultfinding and the blame game must be avoided. A*sour rela-. tionship" closes the door to a coidial sdtflernent of differences.

_ Parents andteachers are each other's valuable allies. lt is expectedthat both are willing to communicale in order'to better understand thechildren under their tutelage. This teamwork, which harnesses the favor-able and positive attitudes and skills of all members, holds tremendouspromise in realizing the goals of education. At this time when many otherfaptors in the environment impinge on the ioncerted efforts of both, avigorous and dynamic collaboration is badly needed. lt is indeed a privi-t9ry to be an active partner in preparing chirdren to acquire the r<nowielg;,gkills, and values for lifelong learning ind decision-making. such an op-portunity should notbe missed by parents and teachers. Wonderful rela-tionships create aspirations, hope,'and trust tnat can ,"t", Jiif";;;;the lives of all'concerned. E

EDUCATION LIBERATESAND STOPS REVOLT

/arrr?t4 Sor4dnc

Natural science is full of simultaneous discoveries - of comets, genes,elements-the mostfamous of which is calculus by Newton and LiebniE.So it is perhaps with social science. .

ln 2004 Knowledge Channel Foundation began educational televi-sion in far-off barrios iq theAutonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao. ForKCF head Rina Lopez:Bautista, of the family that runs giant ABS-CBNnetwork,.free tutoring via satellite in "completely unfamiliar territory" wasdaunting. The culture was alien; electricity did not eyen exist. Still herspecial team called Television Education for Advancement of MuslimMindanao pushed on in "passionate pursuit of peace,.security and sus-tainable development." Witnessing schoolchildren wide-eyed and swoon-ing delightedly from the gift of knowledge was inspiration. More than that,enrollment jumped in 38 public schools in six Maguindanao towns whereKCF installed solar panels, satellite dishes and 29;inch TV sets. Teach-ers attested to faster pupil grasp of lessons. Last week when Lopez-Bautista brought the project to farther-off Tawi-Tawi, pleag met her to pro-duce shows foradult schooland livelihood instruction, forairing on week-ends when school is off.

Also in 2004 Human Development Network trudged into unchartedterritory. For a decade with UN Development Program-backing, HDN hasbeen studying poverty in the Philippines using traditional measures likeper-capita incomes to craft development policies and programs. lt hassince come up with four Philippine Human Development Reports, rangingfrom gender to education to employment. All won plaudits for fictual re-search and insightful analyses; its 2000 edition was awbrded for excel-lence during the 2nd Global Forum on Human Development in Brazil. stillHDN chief Arsenio Balisican felt thdi something has iacking ih their: track-ing. The Philippines is host to two of the worldis longest-running insurgen-cies - of the Moslems in the South and oi the communists nationwide.Tfrgir. rpgtg have.allvayq been viewed.i4 pqvgrty.o.r inggme inequity. ,,yet

tt 21st Century Trends, lssues and Challenges in philippine Education

b T?ny examples can be cited of poor communities not participating,much loss condoning violence," says Balisacan. .Why, after many yearsof counter-insurgency'and anti-poverty strategies, have resolutions to theOOnfllcts been elusive?" He unravels the answer in the 20os philippineHuman Devel6pntent Report, launched last month. combining old studieswltt ncw, HDN notes that hardship alone does not incite the p6or to revolt,bUtdcprivation - most felt in education.

Balisacan's 2005 PHDR focuses on ,,peace, human security anddriclopment." lf it sounds so much like Lopez-Bautiri"'r ui*r and find-[let, rclence's strange simultaneous discoveries may be at work again.*rnger still are the PHDR conclusions. For one, the f'requency of armed, OnfllCt ln most provinces is not direcfly rel?ted to the povertyincidencethln, Areas with the greatest concentration of poor die not necessarilytloll most likely to spur insurgency. More temaikable, the report shows,flUgct of poverty (e9., the "Gini coefficient,'that measuies income in_

Tulllty ln a population) also do not explain the incidence of revolt. Rather,dllprrltles in levels of basic services are the causes on which up;iil;trc

i - Brclc services come in many forms, frorn simplest needs like water,rhofilclty or schools, to social acis rike iano reform and non-discrimina-

I

*!l t t

ttlOn, Wldeepread and well-known avaitability of tnese servil, ;;;;-, tiLm communitids serye as point of comparison for desolate ones. De-Filnd ofauch benefits, the hardship of negl'ected villagers turns into griev-AFl, mrklng them receptive to communist or separatist ideas.

Thc oport emphasizes that relative deprivation becomes more acuteuilt hlnorltlzation". lf everything else were egual, there would be lessilqurntarmed encounters in "miriority"-dominated provinces. That is, thoserlu,111etr proportion of originat seiilers are tess prone to.minority dis-llnlnftlOn, Cultural homogeneity etiminates at least one taste of Jepriva_

, hlblhtccn mainstream JnO Otigt'teO cornmunities.

^^__T.[a3r.at leveler is education. white the'200s pHDR notes that poor

, EmmunltloB yearn for land reform, so that armed conflict is less likely inI mm whcre more land. is shared with the poor, ..nooring l.

" oiggei *ant.

,I$t!-,t:1,88-percent chance of arrned'coniri.iin:" ,"ni,.,o'tv-iJi..,in"t"oflll, hnd dlstrlbution_would reduce it to 84 percbnt. water suppty would

' !t1g oonfllct down to 70 percent. But the edu.rtion'orin"l*t[; i. basicItnt lnd Math, and oi adutts for titeracy and tivetihood, make for zerouthno

' Olvcn Balisacan's..findings, Lopez-Bautista is on the right path for'hil'pllllonete pursuit", Her i(CF,s'ai*-,

"ft", Maguindanao and Tawi_

lrll

The Trends

Tawi, is to bring free education-:lv as well to sulu and Basilan - inciden-tally also four of the five poorest provinces in the study of Balisacan,sHDN. Perhaps both draw lessons from Rizalwho in the late 1800s hadadvocated education to lift Filipinos at parwith spanish colonizers. Edu-cation is more pressing today to lift violence.prone communities at parwith prosperous ones. "The Knowledge channel is only one of many pro-grams.being done in Mindanao and around the country to end poverty andpromote peace," Lopez-Bautista says. otherfoundations are into splcificprojects. synergeia for P550 a year per student in remote barrios is im-proving reading skills. The Ayala Group is into adopting public schoolsnear its branch offices for computer teaching. Jesuit Volunteers-philip-pines sends fresh college grads to blighted communities for job and youthtutoring. Each has modest aims. But together in simultaneous discoverythey can yet solve the 30-year-old Muslim and communist rebellions. tr