EDUCATION: then and now…

by: Mrs. Desiree S. Mendoza

Looking back on how the system of education in the Philippines has evolved from during my time as a student up to the present time, so much changes and improvement have already been done by the government. The Department of Education never stops in finding ways to improve the education system so that we Filipinos can be globally competitive with our knowledge and that our kind of education isn’t just a mediocre but also excellent.

However, even if there’s already much improvement in the system, the problems that arise in the field of education, will always be part of the education department’s continuing journey to reaching excellence. The good thing is there’s always a solution to every problem, and every problem solved by the officials of the department means growth and progress in the education system.

I myself is a product of public schools from pre-elementary to college. I can say that the leap of advancement is already vast, especially with the involvement of modern technology to the curriculum of schools both public and private. Kids and youth nowadays are more aware of what’s happening to the world. With proper guidance of parents, teachers and other educators, the education of the Filipinos can be utilized to the fullest with the goal to improve their lives and succeed in life.

Let me site some examples how different the system of education was from decades ago to now. The latest development is the implementation of K-12 Curriculum adds two more years to complete high school before one can go to college. Under this new education curriculum program, Kindergarten is required before a child can enter Grade I. When I was in grade 1 & 2, there were only four subjects (English, Math, Filipino and Sibika at Kultura). But now, there are eight subjects. Science was only introduced in grade 3, together with HEKASI, HELE and MAPE. Now even in pre-school, there are already Science, Geography, etc. Computer subject are now also included not only in high school but also in elementary. Students now are more exposed to the goings-on of the society and the world, having the convenience of computers and internet. Another difference is the type of disciplining students. Before, teachers had the prerogative to spank, hurt and humiliate pupils/students but now those forms of discipline are grounds for terminating teachers, or worse, teachers can lose their licenses when found guilty of violence and misconduct. DepEd Child Protection Policy is promulgated and adopted to avoid bullying, discrimination and other child related violence.

There are more things that are being taught now because of the modernization of the means acquiring knowledge. Here are just some comparisons, but there are still a lot more. Our education system has been evolving. The government integrates past experiences to form new policies and pass new legislations to address the problems in education. After all, the tangible proof of its effectiveness is on the literacy rate and poverty of the country