When will they prioritize education?

[JJReyes]

1 hour ago, Possum said:

The top rated university in the Philippines is ranked #1338 which is not even a consideration.

1. I seriously doubt #1338 because among the best in the world is University of the Philippines.  For those who are citizens and academically qualified, the tuition is free.  You pay a few thousand pesos for miscellaneous plus your room and board. 

While most public high schools are mediocre, the top ranked Science and Technology national schools are top notch.  Parents whose children attend private schools attempt to get their children to be accepted, but it is highly competitive.  My alma mater De La Salle University policy is 30% of their students pay zero tuition (need based financial aid) so the best public-school students can attend.  Other private universities have similar policies.  

Edited August 18, 2023 by JJReyes

[Possum]

Actually the Dillman campus is top ranked for the Philippines.

https://www.usnews.com/education/best-global-universities/university-of-the-philippines-diliman-529699

For further reference there is this

https://www.usnews.com/education/best-global-universities/asia

Currently the Philippines does not offer a secondary education comparable to other countries in the region. That is a sad fact.

[craftbeerlover]

15 hours ago, hk blues said:

You are referring to public school, right? A sadder thing is that a poorer level of education is offered to public school students, and much poorer.  I will conceded that in most countries private education trumps public but not by as much as here. It seems the end result of this is highly predictable even if it isn't the goal - and it may even be the goal.

And to think some folk accuse us Brits of having a class system! 

ETA - I reread your post and see you were actually referring to private school. 

 

  

There are private schools here and then there are Private schools here.   Yes, I put 3 children through the private school system and I also have friends that have put their kids through the best of the best private schools and there is a huge difference.  That difference extends beyond the quality of education and ends at cost.   Only the richest of the rich here can afford to provide a quality education for their children.   Having said that, the rest of the private school are better than the public schools (which isnt saying much).   The elephants in the room are, not only do the wealthy not want things to change, the poor grow up 'knowing' they have no chance to become successful, as such education is not pushed by parents at all.   Getting a job as fast as possible to help support the family is the priority and education is not even in the conversation.  The mindset is ass backwards and quite frankly sad.   (yes of course I am generalizing, and yes this is just my opinion).   I will end on a positive note:   All the teachers I dealt with really do care about the children and really put forth the effort to do the best they can.  I came away from all my meetings with a feeling of hope because of that. 

[craftbeerlover]

15 hours ago, Kingpin said:

To an outsider, it's almost like your priorities are not their priorities. To them (and to me), what's happening in our country is far more heartbreaking. Here they'll happily put on their work uniform, make a few hundred peso every day, settle down and have six kids. And watch as the expats escape theirp own broken nations and come to Philippines desperately looking for good women and a happy life.

For the most part, I could not disagree more, but thats fine, and it doesnt mean I am right and you are wrong, or vice versa, just a difference of opinion.  

[Tommy T.]

Just to ad to the discussion. L, my partner, is a teacher at a public school here in Davao City. Early on in her career, she told me she could have chosen to work at a private school. She chose not to do that, because the pay was higher at the public school. Now, does that make a difference in the quality of the educators in private vs. public schools? I consider that to be an interesting question. My partner has a Masters Degree here (admittedly not likely the quality of a Masters in some other countries (such as USA)., but she had a choice and she chose the one that provided her (as a single mom) and her daughter, the best income possible at the time. That may make a difference in the education quality here.

Another point. I have spoken with L on the phone briefly for important issues while she was working. We could hardly communicate because the kids were so loud and rowdy. Teachers are prohibited here from even yelling at unruly students and, of course, corporal punishment or laying hands on a kid (like a slap or whack on the ass) are strictly prohibited. She has even been challenged by some parents because she verbally disciplined a kid or two. What I am leading to here is that some of the issues regarding kids not learning reverts back to parents or guardians not providing discipline at home or instructing  the kids in proper behaviour....

My thoughts....

Edited August 19, 2023 by Tommy T.

[hk blues]

5 hours ago, jjcabgou said:

There are private schools here and then there are Private schools here.   Yes, I put 3 children through the private school system and I also have friends that have put their kids through the best of the best private schools and there is a huge difference.  That difference extends beyond the quality of education and ends at cost.   Only the richest of the rich here can afford to provide a quality education for their children.   Having said that, the rest of the private school are better than the public schools (which isnt saying much).   The elephants in the room are, not only do the wealthy not want things to change, the poor grow up 'knowing' they have no chance to become successful, as such education is not pushed by parents at all.   Getting a job as fast as possible to help support the family is the priority and education is not even in the conversation.  The mindset is ass backwards and quite frankly sad.   (yes of course I am generalizing, and yes this is just my opinion).   I will end on a positive note:   All the teachers I dealt with really do care about the children and really put forth the effort to do the best they can.  I came away from all my meetings with a feeling of hope because of that. 

A lot of the comments here are directed at the poorer part of society I assume, because when I look at my son's school and the students there I definitely don't see a lack of desire for education.  My son doesn't go to the best private school in the city nor is it very expensive.  

Also, the suggestion that there are no half-decent jobs for people here is, quite frankly, nonsense (I'm not saying you said that).  Who is serving us in banks for example?  Who are running the back offices in businesses here?  Who are all the engineers?  I could go on.  Just because a sizable section of society choose to work abroad for economic reasons doesn't mean there isn't an even more sizable group here keeping the country running.  And this group isn't all from the wealthy part of society, far from it.  And they are driving cars, buying houses, buying 'stuff' in stores etc etc.  

All that said, I do agree that there is a very clear desire to keep society as it is rather than allow the poorer to improve their lives.

 

[hk blues]

52 minutes ago, Tommy T. said:

Another point. I have spoken with L on the phone briefly for important issues while she was working. We could hardly communicate because the kids were so loud and rowdy. Teachers are prohibited here from even yelling at unruly students and, of course, corporal punishment or laying hands on a kid (like a slap or whack on the ass) are strictly prohibited. She has even been challenged by some parents because she verbally disciplined a kid or two. What I am leading to here is that some of the issues regarding kids not learning reverts back to parents or guardians not providing discipline at home or instructing  the kids in proper behaviour....

My thoughts....

Nothing in your last para, Tommy, is different from pretty much every other country. 

[hk blues]

12 hours ago, Possum said:

There are 3 education systems here. High expense private school which are out of reach for the average parent, mid-level private schools which relatively high earning parents can send their children to and then public school which the majority attend. We send our children to a mid-level private school  and supplement that with online classes based on the Singapore Education system. They do very well but any education depends upon parental involvement,  The plan is for them to go to college outside the Philippines. The top rated university in the Philippines is ranked #1338 which is not even a consideration. If I were to compare their education here vs public education in the USA I would say the potential is there if you supplement the study and one big plus is there aren't any mass shootings in schools here so far.

I've highlighted just a couple of parts because I particularly agree with them, although we don't personally follow that route.  A half-decent private school here will provide a sufficient level of education for making a living here in the Philippines but If you want your kids to be competitive in the outside world you probably need to supplement it.  

[JJReyes]

During the Victorian period, the best schools in England were public, which were actually expensive private education institutes for the elite.  The reason for the term "public" was because the students were destined to serve the British Empire as bureaucrats, military officers, and administrators.  

At the start of the Philippine Commonwealth period, the best schools were public.  Private meant religious of the Spanish heritage variety.  Their emphasis was religious education.  With American colonization after the Spanish-American War, there was a liberal fervor to send America's best educators to the Philippines.  The first group were called Thomasites after the USS Thomas, a naval troop transport ship that was used.  One reason for the strong US government support was to remove the Spanish influence.  Another was the need for a future bureaucracy.  The Thomasites, with financial support from home, established the Philippine Normal School, now Philippine Normal University, to train future teachers.  The American ideal then was at least a one-room school in every community.  The desire was something similar in the Philippines, also known as universal education.

If you look at the history of colleges and universities in the Philippines, you will find some linked to the United States.  Silliman University and De La Salle University (Christian Brothers from California) come to mind.  There was also strong nationalism among Filipinos who felt that education should be managed by Filipinos, not Spanish or Americans.  A group of physicians established what is now known as Centro Escolar University, concentrated in medical training, and Philippine Women's University credited with being among the first in the world dedicated to providing higher education for women.  Philippine Women's is also credited with being one of the first to provide higher education for Muslim women with the establishment of a campus in Mindanao.

Edited August 19, 2023 by JJReyes

[hk blues]

It's one of the contradictions of the English language that public schools are actually more akin to private schools elsewhere.  They were called public because they were open to the public - as long as they could afford to pay hence often filled with the more elite. Private schools were often linked to religion and as such not open to the general public.

What many would understand as public schools are called state schools in the UK. Also, there are so many variations of school names as government policy changed that it's difficult for outsiders to understand what kind of school it is. Grammar,  High,Secondary, Academy were all found in my city yet each were exactly the same in terms of academic level and student type- they had just retained their heritage names.