1

Reaction Paper in EdM 405 (Educational Planning)

Noeson B. Tecson

Catanduanes State University

Reaction Paper 2 (Educational Planning)

Question No. 1

In your own analysis, what is the reason/s why the efforts extended by the Philippine

government to advance the quality of education seems to be futile?

Answer

The Philippine government is working to improve the quality of education of every

Filipino learner, but it does not seem to achieve the desired results. High dropout rates, high

number of repeaters, low passing grades, lack of particular language skills, failure to adequately

respond and address the needs of people with special needs, overcrowded classrooms, and poor

teacher performances, have greatly affected the quality of education in the Philippines (Bui,

Phan-Ho, Hoang, Luong, 2013). I would like to highlight first is the lack of particular language

skills, because that is relatively connected with speaking and reading. The K-12 Curriculum

implemented the Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education in primary grades, there is

advantages and disadvantages.

The teaching of Mother tongue revealed advantages in teaching such as: learners were

able to express their thoughts and ideas resulting to high participation in class discussions;

learners become independent in their choice of expression, and the use of mother tongue

facilitates in explaining the meaning of some English words. The disadvantages are all linked to

the scarcity of instructional materials which hinder the enhancement of the reading, listening,

speaking and writing skills of the learners. Added to these is the lack of training to prospective

teachers to teach mother tongue (Alberto, Gabinete, Rañola, 2016, p. 1)

So the effect of this medium of instruction has very crucial effect especially when it

comes to transition from Grade 3 to Grade 4 that medium of instructions in Grade 4 is mostly
 3

English in majority of its subjects. Although a strong proponent of MTB-MLE and although

optimistic about the success of this policy in the Philippines, Nolasco (2008) concluded that “the

road to multi-literacy and multilingual education in the Philippines will be a difficult and

tortuous one” (p. 13). It also affect the skills of many Filipino learners in English reading ability.

Another reasons that affect the quality of education in the Philippines is the poor facilities

in public schools. Yes, facilities have been given to schools with large enrolment but the

facilities needed in small schools was overlooked. Poor facilities in public schools signifies that

students are not receiving their rights of having a sufficiently available and well-maintained

school facilities. Indications of having these poor facilities are non-working or poorly maintained

public comfort rooms, lack of classrooms, overcrowding in classrooms, poor ventilation,

unsanitary and crowded canteens and more (Poor facilities in public schools, n.d.). The school

facility is much more than a passive container of the educational process: it is, rather, an integral

component of the conditions of learning. The layout and design of a facility contributes to the

place experience of students, educators, and community members. Depending on the quality of

its design and management, the facility can contribute to a sense of ownership, safety and

security, personalization and control, privacy as well as sociality, and spaciousness or

crowdedness (Poor facilities in public schools, n.d. para. 8).

For me, another problem is the lack of instructional materials provided to every school

like books. DepEd has failed to provide learning modules for some subjects (Mateo, 2019).

Officials said teachers may access learning modules uploaded on the DepEd website and print

these using the schools’ maintenance and operating expenses. However, noted that some teachers

have been forced to pay for printing and reproduction of learning materials using their own

money and it is always a sad truth. There are many smaller problems with the education system
 4

in the Philippines especially with the implementation of the K-12 Curriculum so if this is not

addressed immediately, the government will continue to struggle to achieve the goal of quality

education.

Question No. 2

With the current trend, what can you recommend to revert the possibility of the eventual

erosion of the country’s competitiveness in an ever-increasing global community?

Answer

Different factors contributed to the situation of our educational system today and even the

result that is not acceptable for us. Some of those factors such as prevalence of malnutrition and

shortage of appropriate learning tools, adding that many college graduates are not work-ready

due to a lack of socio-emotional skills (Khidhir, 2018). So just like with the recommendation of

PBEd executive director Love Basillote is “we focus on learning by starting early, monitoring

learning, raising accountability and aligning actors,” (Khidhir, 2018) also suggesting that the

country participate consistently in international learning assessments to make Filipino learners

and graduates globally competitive. In order for our learners to be globally competitive, they

must be expose with different people with different skills, and all this things start in school, so it

is highly recommended to give more focus on “primary function of learning” and they must

“provide more avenues for students to socialize” (K to 12, n.d.).

Last 2018, it is the first time of the Philippines to participate in Programme for

International Student Assessment (PISA). It is highlighted that we have low ranking based in its

result that was released on December 3, 2019 (Ciriaco, 2019). What is the benefit of that result?
 5

Did the result will improve the country’s competitiveness? According to Education Secretary

Leonor Magtolis Briones,

“By participating in PISA, we will be able to establish our baseline in relation to global

standards, and benchmark the effectiveness of our reforms moving forward. The PISA results,

along with our own assessments and studies, will aid in policy formulation, planning and

programming,” (Ciriaco, 2019).

So it is very important that for us to enable to increase the competitiveness to global

standards, the DepED need to assess the policy, the implementation, because there are things that

they can overlooked. Like for example with the integration of technology, they need to intensify

the implementation of DepED Computerization Propgram (DCP) because in the first place taking

this international assessment is not involving paper and pencil test but rather using the computer.

But how can they take and seriously answer the test if they didn’t skilled enough on how to use

the computer just like simply drag and drop with their answers?

Technology in school is indeed of great help when used properly, it will be a boundless

advantage to sharpen students’ skills and knowledge. It can help facilitate the knowledge-

constructed classroom. Many researchers view computers as having a positive influence on the

teaching and learning processes. Technological tools, especially personal computers, are often

cited by educators and policymakers as magic workers in literacy programs, providing great

access to all students (Motteram, 2013). But the teachers mut also be equipped with skills for

them to do it. According to (Tuazon, 2019) that teachers with sufficient trainings related to ICT

and with graduate and post graduates studies can really utilize the equipment provided by the

DCP. Give training to teachers on how they can maximize the equipment’s, but also provide with

facilities. This conforms to the review of Caincross, S & Mannion, M. (2011) that before any
 6

ICT-based program is launched, policy makers and planners must carefully consider the

appropriate rooms or buildings available to house the technology. So they need to focus on

programs that strengthen education and the DepEd must always make sure that teachers need to

focus on teaching and reduce the amount of clerical work that is also time-consuming instead of

providing it for children.

References:

Alberto, R., Gabinete, S., Rañola, V. (2016). Issues and Challenges in Teaching Mother Tongue-

Based Multilingual Education in Grades II and III: The Philippine Experience. Retrieved

from https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2768558

Bui, H., Phan-Ho, E., Hoang, R., Luong, S. (2013), The Lack of Education in the Philippines.

Retrieved from https://prezi.com/5kosn7ltukkg/the-lack-of-education-in-the-philippines/

Caincross, S & Mannion, M. (2011). Interactive Multimedia and Learning: Realizing the

Benefits. An Online Journa, Vol 2, 2011l

Khidhir, S., (2018), Improving education in the Philippines. Retrieved from

https://theaseanpost.com/article/improving-education-philippines

K to 12. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.enderuncolleges.com/k-12

Mateo, Janvic (2019), DepEd hit for lack of learning materials (The Philippine Star). Retrieved

from https://www.philstar.com/other-sections/education-and-

home/2019/06/27/1929821/deped-hit-lack-learning-materials

Motteram, Gary (2013). Innovations in Learning Technologies for English Language

Teaching. British Council, 10 Spring Gardens, London SW1A2BN UK

Nolasco, R. D. (2008). The Prospects of Multilingual Educaton and Literacy in the

Philippines. Paper presented at the The 2nd International Conference on Language

Development, Language Revitalization, and Multilingual Education in Ethnolinguistic

Communities, Bangkok, Thailand.

Poor facilities in public schools. (n.d.).

Retrieved from https://abcdeducation.weebly.com/poor-facilities-in-public-schools.html

Tuazon, I. M., (2019). Implementation of DepEd Computerization Program

(DCP) for the Indigenous People. Retrieved from

http://multidisciplinaryjournals.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Full-Paper-

IMPLEMENTATION-OF-DepEd-COMPUTERIZATION-PROGRAM-DCP-FOR-

THE.pdf