Education must be your priority, movement for education reforms tells presidentiables

MANILA, Philippines - Filipino educators urged recently aspiring presidents to make education their priority if they win.

Education Nation, a private-sector led movement for education reforms, unveiled last week its “10-point education reform agenda,” which provides presidential aspirants and their respective teams a list of “10 doable things” that they can make to achieve quality education in the country.

“Today we serve notice to our candidates that we, the parents, teachers, students, business leaders, administrators, civil society representatives and other education stakeholders shall vote for education come May 2010 and beyond,” Philippine Business for Education (PBEd) chairman Ramon del Rosario said at a forum in Makati City.

“Education must be a priority. Education must be the priority,” del Rosario said.

Former education secretary Edilberto de Jesus, who was also present at the forum, said the country needs an “education president and an “education government.”

The group said an “education president” and his or her government must: promote academic excellence; develop community ownership; ensure universal access; build transparency and accountability across the system; provide adequate resources; empower teachers; enhance basic education; support private education; strengthen higher education; and maximize alternative learning.

Meanwhile, PBEd president and Phinma Education Network head Chito Salazar said the government must provide more scholarships for higher education instead of putting up more state universities.

Salazar said the government must provide more resources for world class centers of excellence and an expanded scholarship voucher system for higher education rather than continuing subsidies for low quality state universities and colleges and local universities and colleges.

He said it must make available government scholarships loans, through the Social Security System and the Government Service Insurance System or the banking system on a “study now, pay when employed” scheme for needy and academically qualified tertiary students.

“We must provide the students scholarships and allow them to choose among our leading universities,” Salazar said.

Salazar said studies revealed that it is more expensive to send a student to a state university than a private university.  

Salazar said the group will present the 10-point education reform agenda to the 10 presidential candidates.