The real problem of education

As we continue to read the exchange of accusations and hear of the heinous crimes, as if they are just ordinary offenses, that have allegedly been committed by no less than a former head of state and elected lawmakers and leaders, we cannot help but wonder how the Filipinos could have voted and given power to such kinds of people to lead the nation. We wonder first about the kind of education and breeding these kinds of civil servants were reared upon and second, what kind of education and experience do citizens and the voting public need to have in order to discern through honest or evil intentions of those candidates who run for office. The mere fact that the Senate is being used by its legislators for personal interests and self-vindication while invoking executive privilege, speaks of a poor grasp of ethics and behavior of a person who is well-educated. Many of our lawmakers are Bar passers and are even multi-awarded for their many achievements but, sadly, are wanting in virtues of integrity, honesty and humility. 

 Anyway, we learned that the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) has given the order to close seven law schools for failing to produce from its graduates even a single Bar passer for the past ten years that they have been in operation. We read that these law schools are located in disadvantaged provinces like Samar, the Visayas region, Abra and La Union. The first thing that came to my mind when I read the news is no one would really bother to study law in these schools except those who have the ambition to become lawyers but lack the means to study in the more prestigious law schools here in Manila. And while these law schools continue to accept law students, and not really making enough efforts for their students to pass the bar, we conclude that they are among those private schools interested more in income and profits rather than improving their academic programs and producing quality graduates. Before this, the CHED also closed some colleges in Nursing because their students have consistently failed in professional board examinations. We now have a glut of nurses due to the increasing number of enrollees in Nursing and the lack of employment opportunities for them and this kind of elimination process that CHED undertakes is necessary in order to maintain the level of professionalism and excellence in these various fields of education. 

Operating colleges must be such a lucrative business such that the number of new higher education institutions (HEIs) has increased during the past decade. In a 2003 survey, 595 private HEIs have been established in a period of 14 years. While there are only 111 state colleges and universities at that time, there were a total of 1,231 private HEIs operating in various parts of the country. When more of these HEIs and schools continue to produce low quality graduates, we understand why the quality of education in our nation is perceived to have gone down. 

 Our national hero, Jose Rizal, saw education as the key to a person’s development and collectively for an educated nation, the key to meaningful independence and progress. Education is not only an accomplishment of lessons and assignments, obtaining degrees or diplomas. It is in learning that a person becomes a responsible and moral individual, one steeped with the values and principles of good conduct and honest living. Power and profit are not the only important things in life. With education, we can achieve our goals in life, but as we learn, we obtain wisdom which directs us towards a real meaning and a purpose in life.

With this, we continue to believe in education. At the same time, we are awed with the challenging tasks of parents, educators and learning institutions amidst a changing culture and way of life where wrong becomes right, where accumulating wealth and wielding power is mistaken for success. We have a great challenge of transformation in our hands.