Kabataan Partylist warns President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo not to revive the anomalous and overpriced Cyber Education Program in tomorrow's Education Summit at the Manila Hotel.
Kabataan Partylist president Raymond Palatino is worried that Arroyo, who will be the
keynote speaker in the summit, may use the ocassion to resurrect the controversial education project.
The Education Summit will be convened to tackle solutions to the crisis of education. But Kabataan Partylist believes the summit will be a convenient venue for Arroyo to force the implementation of education programs which will exacerbate the problem of Philippine education.
Palatino expects Arroyo to defend the cyber education program, the lifting of tuition cap, use of English language as medium of instruction, reduction of subsidy for public universities, and deployment of soldiers in campuses.
Palatino advised the organizers that if they really want to improve education, they must make first make Arroyo accountable for her education policies.
"It is true that President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo inherited a flawed education system. But Arroyo is also responsible for aggravating the crisis of education. A relevant, robust and efficient education system is not one of Arroyo's legacies in the past seven years.
Arroyo's education program has further diminished the capability of schools and decreased the opportunities for learning in the country," Palatino explained.
Palatino dismissed the summit as a futile endeavor since the proposed reforms articulated by the government do not address the roots of the crisis. Palatino said the summit will feature palliative measures which are deemed useless and ineffective to raise the standards of Philippine education.
The Kabataan Partylist, together with other stakeholders of Philippine, has drafted an 8-point education reform agenda which seeks to overhaul the education policies of Arroyo.
The agenda highlights the crucial role of the government in reversing the decline of Philippine education.
The group is proposing the following alternative solutions to the ills of education instead of the bankrupt, self-serving, anti-student, anti-people education agenda of Arroyo:
1. Increase the budget of education. National spending on education should be equivalent to 6 percent of the Gross Domestic Product. The education sector should receive at least 20 percent of the national budget.
The government has enough resources to allocate higher funding for education.
Lawmakers can give up a portion of their pork barrel in favor of education investments. Payment for anomalous debt contracts should be cancelled outright. A significant fraction of debt servicing and intelligence funds of Malacanang should be realigned to education services.
2. Use Filipino as medium of instruction. Language is an important factor in the cognitive development of children. Students learn better and faster if the national language is used in schools. Arroyo's language policy, aside from reinforcing the colonial character of Philippine education, restricts the learning ability of students.
Policymakers need to understand the pedagogic value of using the Filipino language in schools.
3. Improve teachers' welfare. Teachers are the most important human resource in Philippine education. Yet they continue to suffer from work overload while receiving low wages.
Congress should pass the bill that would raise the salaries of public school teachers and other government employees by P3,000.
4. Moratorium on tuition and other fee increases. Education officials are not seriously performing their duty to regulate school fees. At a time when prices of commodities are rising, and when household incomes continue to fall, a moratorium on tuition increases in both private and public schools can bring immediate relief to poor families.
Congress can pass a law that will clarify and strengthen the mandate of the government to regulate school fees.
5. Develop a nationalist and relevant curriculum. School courses or subjects should prioritize the country's needs over the manpower requirements of other countries and multinational corporations.
Vocational/Technical education should match the actual needs of the local economy.
Science education should be pursued to promote national industrialization and develop a productive agricultural system.
Medical and nursing education should be reformed to meet community health needs.
School courses should inculcate patriotism and inspire students to serve the people.
6. Invest in science, research and technology development. National spending on research and development should be equivalent to 1 percent of the GDP. Government should grant generous incentives to scientists, promote R&D in schools and use science and technology to solve hunger and poverty in the country. R&D should also be directed towards the protection of natural resources against exploitation by big companies.
7. Promote transparency in education programs. There are various initiatives to improve Philippine education.
However, many of these programs are tainted with corruption. Taxpayers' money is wasted when corrupt bureaucrats take the lead in sponsoring programs with minimal or even dubious benefit to the public. The Cyber Education Program is an example of an overpriced, redundant and scandal-ridden project.
There should be transparency in implementing education reforms. Stakeholders should be consulted first before approving major education programs.
8. Uphold democratic rights in schools. Teachers and students are among the victims of extrajudicial killings, forced abductions and other forms of political repression. The perpetrators of these crimes should be brought to justice.
Democratic rights should be respected inside campuses. The vilification and psy-war operations conducted by the military and police in schools and universities against progressive student and teacher organizations under the guise of socio-civic activities should be ended immediately. Soldiers and police forces deployed or operating inside schools should be pulled out at once. (Kabataan Partylist)
