More quality learning, but not more years to learn – Cayetano

IT would be better for the government to work on improving the quality of education being given to students rather than increasing the number years a student spends in school because compared to other southeast Asian countries the Philippines has been allotting more time to science education alone.

This was according to Senate Minority leader Alan Cayetano who said that despite spending most time to science education in elementary as compared with other countries, the Philippines ranks poorly.

The county’s ranking in the annual Global Competitiveness report that pegged the quality of science and education in the country is at 112th out of 139 countries in 2010-2011 and 115th out of 142 countries in 2011-2012.

But based on the study by the South East Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO) the Philippine allots 1,100 minutes per week to science compared to Brunei’s 810 minutes, Singapore’s 540 minutes and Malaysia’s 360 minutes.

“With the amount of time we spent learning science, shouldn’t we be performing better compared to our neighbors?” he asked.

The figures, Cayetano said should make the government particularly the Department of Education realize that it should focus on improving the quality of education rather than only the quantity or the number of years a student spends in school as a result of the K+12 program.

He suggested that this be done through a careful review and improvement of the existing elementary science and math curricula.

“Rather than asking students to spend more time in school, efforts should be focused on enhancing the quality of education they receive when they are in school,” he said.

Cayetano also said that adding more years to basic education will only put unnecessary strain on teachers and the country’s already limited educational resources if this is not complemented with efforts to also improve the quality of education students will get from school.

Senator Edgardo Angara, chair of Senate committee on Education, Culture and the Arts, has a different view as he emphasized that need for major structural reforms in the country’s educational sector.

“We are at a critical crossroads in our country’s development,” he said. “However, there has been no structural reform in education in the past two decades, resulting in a system that is unresponsive to the demands of the times.”

Angara is the author of two major bills both pushing for early education namely: The Early Years Act (EYA), which is awaiting the signature of President Benigno Aquino 3rd and the Kindergarten Act which was signed into law.

The EYA aims to shift the concept of the day care center from a playroom to a learning center by rationalizing and restructuring the day care into an early childhood education center.

The Kindergarten Act provides for free and compulsory kindergarten education. Children aged five will be required to take up a year in kindergarten in preparation for entry to Grade 1.

Angara cited the Bologna Accord, which requires 12 years of Primary and Secondary education—leaving the Philippines as one of only 3 countries (along with Angola and Djibouti) with only 10 years of Basic Education. –JEFFERSON ANTIPORDA REPORTER, Manila Times