Half-empty or half-full?

That half-filled glass is a constant brain-teaser for me whether it’s half empty or half full. I see that glass as our basic education program. To my few audience, as soon as you glaze over these words and henceforth, you may be a product of that education. But in what particular instance does this education fail us? It is alarming at the onset that such disturbing conclusiveness of survey results struck at the core of our graduates’ competency and proficiency.

Trends in international mathematics and science study reveal the upset of the present system. According to the Department of Education (DepEd), PH landed in the bottom five, as against 44 countries. Don’t guess, our Philippine Science High School is the last in the list in the advance mathematics category. We are the only country in Asia and third in the world which has a 10-year basic education program. As effect, our high school grads were barely recognized and getting employed to decent jobs could be next to impossible.

So, parents and children will face the music this opening of classes to the tune of K+12 as introduced by DepEd. We sought to deconstruct the meaning of K+12. It follows the “K-6-4-2 Model”. That is, universal kindergarten plus the 12 years in basic education or with this bracket: Kindergarten (5 years old); Grade I-VI (6-11 years old); Junior High School or Grade 7 to 10 (12 to 15 years old); and Senior High School or Grade 11 to 12 (16 to years old). Aside from emphasizing the use of the vernacular (mother tongue) in elementary for classroom instructions, this senior high spells so much the difference as students will be seriously taught life’s skills from a set of choices for specialization.

However, on the other side of the coin, some parents have become apathetic that they foresee it only as an added burden. This substantial reform in our basic education system is not amiss with criticisms, not to mention those from our elected leaders. Senator Chiz Escudero at one point said we are not prepared due to the 144,000 shortage of classrooms. With the additional two years, the shortfall can become more than 200,000 by 2016.

Escudero asked why not review first the curriculum and omit those unwanted subjects? The good senator pointed subjects like trigonometry which is of no use to him since he has served full term as a congressman until he became a senator.  Same sentiment has likewise been shared by the father of this city, Vice-Mayor Rodrigo Duterte who cannot find the relevance of some subjects to practical application in daily living. He posed the challenge like changing algebra to commercial math, for example.

DepEd Secretary Armin A. Luistro has to be the first in line to be optimistic about this reform. In response, Sec. Luistro said: “We need to focus on the essentials, those which were not taught in schools. In K+12, we will teach the students learn how to learn. We cannot teach them everything. But our new system aims to decongest the curriculum which will give focus on mastery. Our curriculum is so traditional that we have not recognized the special interests of many sectors. I want to erase the word “dropout” in the Philippines. Believe me, there are no dropouts. If students fail, it is because our system does not work”.

Well, isn’t it that the real proof of the pudding is in the eating? Let us just cross the bridge when we get there, so to speak. There is no such thing as a perfect educational system. It could still be half empty or half full all the way. I would rather subscribe to an African Proverb that says: “It takes a village to raise a child”. With everybody to pour in the support for education, that would perhaps make the system complete. Parents and media are potent forces to make this system works in uplifting the consciousness of the community because it is not “teach me how to doggie” that keeps us wiggling to get the education that we need. Afterall, it is life that education is dealing here which would eventually affect the future of this country. Is it half empty or half full? The answer is the same but it is only a matter of perspective that people differ in their perception about the pros and cons of our Enhanced Basic Education Program.