Why is it Hard to Get a Good Education in the Philippines?

 Why is it Hard to Get a Good Education in the Philippines?

Will Concepcion

Introduction

In 2015, a sample of 15-year-old Filipino students were tested and ranked last in reading comprehension out of 79 countries, while they were ranked second to last in math and science. As a third-world country, the Philippines has a hard time investing money into education because of the lack of basic necessities in the area already. In fact, many public schools do not have technology such as computers and other tools, despite the digital age. Therefore, education in the Philippines is hard for everyone in the country.


Covid-19’s impact

Covid-19 had also been a significant cause of concern for education struggles in the Philippines. Thanks to Covid, over 20% were expected to drop out of school, four million students could not enroll for the school year, and even the closing of schools thanks to the lack of enrolled students. The deadly virus had also forced schools to run digitally, which was a problem that many students faced. There was a lack of digital supplies (iPads, computers, etc.), a lack of stable internet connections, and the issue of focusing on students themselves. The terrible studying environment makes it hard for students to learn at school at all. One mother said, “The teacher was always late. If not late, absent, I can count the number of contact hours they had on my fingers for the whole school year. My daughter did not learn anything. I’m sure she will have difficulty in the next grade level.” Her experience is shared among other parents and is of deep concern. According to ImbaLife, teachers in the Philippines were often overworked and underpaid. They state, “The fact that teachers are paid subsistence wages is only half of their sad story. Their daily bout with dilapidated classrooms, overcrowded classes, and lack of teaching materials, among others, make the teachers hardly rewarded work even more difficult.” Overall, all of Covid-19’s impact on education negatively impacted the education system in the Philippines.


Other issues affecting education

Other issues that resulted in the struggle for education would be family issues, lack of resources, a social divide, and the bilingual policy. Some family issues are divorces, parental lack of support, and the parents themselves not knowing the lessons their children have. The lack of resources often stems from the economic issue of the Philippines. The social divide is a significant impact that was actually curbed due to Covid-19. The rich and the poor differed from each other obviously in their living standards. While it meant that private schools were much more advanced in education, the graduates of these profit-making schools were half-baked, meaning that instead of expanding the economy, they joined the lower people in unemployment. Lastly, the bilingual education that the country had made also affected the way students had learned, and not in a positive way. The Philippines has two official languages, English and Tagalog. Math and science were taught in English, while everything else was taught in Tagalog, leading to a struggle in communication skills.

In conclusion, the fight for better education in the Philippines is experiencing many problems; the question is- how are they combating this overwhelming problem?



“7 Key Issues and Problems of Philippine Education.” ImbaLife, 2019, www.imbalife.com/7-key-issues-and-problems-of-philippine-education.

“Education Issues in the Philippines: The Ongoing Struggle.” Childhope.org.ph, 25 Aug. 2021, childhope.org.ph/education-issues-in-the-philippines/.

Guzman, Sara Soliven De. “The Increasing Struggle of Philippine Education.” Philstar.com, www.philstar.com/opinion/2021/07/19/2113423/increasing-struggle-philippine-education.


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