What solution is suggested to address the Philippines’ education crisis?
Addressing the Philippines’ Education Crisis
(An excerpt)
The education system in the Philippines is floundering. It is time to implement some urgent reforms, such as addressing the spending gap and decentralisation.
The Philippines is in the grip of a severe education crisis, one that threatens its economic future and the promise of its young, vibrant workforce. To address the education crisis, policymakers ought to take urgent steps to increase spending in the sector and give local governments more autonomy.
The hard reality hit Philippine policymakers in 2018, when the Philippines first participated in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). Among 79 participating countries, Filipino students (specifically 15-year-olds) ranked dead last in reading and second-to-last in math and science. This was followed by the Southeast Asia Primary Learning Metrics (SEA-PLM), which showed that a whopping 9 in 10 Grade 5 Filipino students could not understand what they were reading. The 2022 PISA results were also discouraging. The K-12 basic education system should also be overhauled. It is meant to prepare high school students with practical skills for employment. In reality, many employers still prefer to hire college graduates. Reforms to the K-12 curriculum should therefore prioritise skills that make high school graduates employable, including digital literacy, critical thinking, and technical skills suited to emerging industries. Employers should also be actively consulted in curriculum development to ensure that K-12 graduates meet industry standards and expectations. In conclusion, while the road to fixing the education crisis is long, targeted reforms today — such as decentralisation, enhanced nutrition programmes, and equitable higher education subsidies — can transform the Philippines’ young population into a driving force for sustainable development, and allow the country to reap its demographic dividend.
Source: https://fulcrum.sg/addressing-the-philippines-education-crisis/