What's wrong with the education system of the Philippines?

Jerald Macachor

What's wrong with the education system of the Philippines?

1. The state doesn’t spend enough on education. This creates a bifurcation in society where people who have the means to put their kids through private schools will effectively give their kids the upper hand later in life. Private schools in the Philippines are actually on par or better in some cases than public education in first-world nations. Public schools are very much in need of funding and better competent teachers. This perpetuates class distinctions as those with private education move on to college institutions and then enter the higher paying professions while those with public education have a harder time entering college and are relegated to labor class-type jobs. Social mobility for the poor is harder in the Philippines than in other countries with much better-funded public schools.
2. Emphasis on memorization and getting the correct answer over critical thinking and asking deeper questions. Like in other Asian countries, memorization is a big part of education. However, understanding the topic deeply and the reasons why its being taught is an afterthought. So long as you are able to regurgitate the information, it almost doesn’t matter if you actually understand what that information means. Like plugging in the numbers to an equation to get the right answer, but not really understanding why the equation works, or what the answer actually means. Memorization is important in certain things, but its more important to learn to think critically, and logically, formulate ideas, and be able to express them.
3. Lack of actual life skills formation. This is common in many parts of the world. Kids should learn things that will be useful to them throughout their life. Schools do a good job in reading and mathematics, but really poor in things like cooking, personal finance, maintaining a home and family, time management, career planning, dealing with relationships and stress, interpersonal communications, public speaking, personal growth mindset, morality and ethics etc, etc.
4. Lack of actual job skills with market value. Filipinos generally have to wait to go to college before they learn actual skills that can earn money. In other parts of the world, high schoolers go into vocational programs that can provide them skills for a job that pays after graduation. Considering that many Filipinos are poor and providing education is expensive, it will be greatly beneficial for many to go into vocational training if they are sure not to go to college. That way, they can enter the labor force with actual skills, start right away, and maybe with higher pay. Vocational careers can be very lucrative, especially at the higher levels, but there is an unfounded stigma regarding these career paths.
5. Rigid structure. In many first-world nations, its possible to have a job and still go to college. This is very difficult in the Philippines. Therefore, it's mostly only people with financial support are the ones who can go to college. This goes back to disparities in the opportunities for the rich and poor.