Written by: Tara Tulshyan
Visual by: Anamaria Reyes
The Philippines has a large disparity in education. This is primarily attributed to differences in income, in which The Gini Coefficient of Philippines demonstrates that there is a large disparity in income between the wealthiest 10% and the poorest 50% of the population.The education gap is reflected in the large differences between public and private schools. The gap lies in the differences between resources, teachers, and the methodology of teaching - all of which have long term effects. The fault lies in the education system, which prioritizes the wealthy and neglects the poor.
The disparity between the quality and amount of resources within public schools compared to private institutions, displays the gap between the both systems. Firstly, private schools tend to have smaller class sizes, an average of 25-30 students, which results in more resources for each individual student. This is in comparison with public school classes which have 60-70 students per class, meaning most students have to share textbooks and other school supplies. Since public school students have to share, they cannot bring their textbooks with them and read it further at home, which is an advantage private school students have. Thus, their learning paces are much slower than those in the private system. Not only does the amount differ, but so does the quality of these resources. Public schools have less funding, and their funding has decreased. Between 2003 and 2013, LGU (local government) spending per student declined from PHP 951 to PHP 744, a fall of over 20 percent in real terms (World Bank). This is not enough for each student and therefore their textbooks, and learning materials are not up-to-date, which risks the students learning outdated material that may not be applicable to the current world. Learning outdated information is as dangerous as not learning at all, because students will lag behind the current generation of students and may in some cases learn incorrect information, which is something more than likely to occur in science fields. Not to mention the fact that students may learn from old sources and become disengaged with the current affairs of the world. The lack of resources inhibits the students in public schools to fully reach their learning potentials. Whereas private schools are able to encourage a student’s full potential, and are thus learning more at a faster pace. Which is one of the reasons why public schools students are lagging behind in terms of learning, this is demonstrated through the number of public students who attend tertiary education, In 2018 only 32% of public school students enrolled in university after high school, compared to 74% of private students who enrolled in university (WENR).
Public school students in the Philippines also do not have access to technology, which is even more detrimental to them because of the ongoing pandemic and the prohibition of face-to-face school. In a technology-centered society, students must learn how to gauge their tech skills, since their jobs in the future will most likely use some form of technology. The importance of technology has only been emphasized further by the pandemic, therefore if public school students do not have access to it, and do not know how to use it, it will be a big disadvantage for them later on. Since most higher paying jobs require proficiency in technology, these students will be stripped of this opportunity, and it will be harder for them to obtain these jobs when they are competing with others who already have technological skills. It is crucial that the public school system implements a greater use and further emphasizes the use of technology, in order for their students to be well equipped in the future, and have the same opportunities as others.
While, it might seem that the gap between public and private school students is simply due to funding, since private school students pay more, while public students are free, although private students pay more, public students should still be entitled to better quality education. Students are in the public system because of their financial situation, which they cannot control. The department of education must take greater responsibility to ensure that even though public students cannot pay for private education, that they must get better quality education than what they are receiving now, so that they will not lag behind other students. Since the public system has less funding, it is logical that it has less resources, however they should at least have access to some form of technology, and also implement digital technology into their curriculum. Although these students are unable to pay for better education, their financial situation is predetermined and cannot be changed instantly, thus the education system must guarantee that these students will not lag behind.
Works Cited
“Education in the Philippines.” WENR, 16 Apr. 2019, wenr.wes.org/2018/03/education-in-the-philippines.
“Assessing the Role Played by Local Government in Supporting Basic Education in the Philippines.” World Bank, 2016
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