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New book criticizes "liberalizing"
Philippine education
Jerick Parrone
August 28, 2007
The Philippines has been scourged
by problems that hinder the development of the country's educational
system. The search for the answers to these problems has been problematic
as well.
But one book aims to find a new approach with neo-liberalism as the
critical factor.
Last June 26, IBON Foundation, the Congress of Teachers/Educators for
Nationalism and Democracy (CONTEND) and Alliance of Concerned Teachers
(ACT) launched its new book entitled "Mula Tore Patungong Palengke:
Neoliberal Education in the Philippines", a collection of 25 critical
essays on the neo-liberal administration of education in the Philippines.
The 347-page book contains various neo-liberal education arguments from
the privatization of the University of the Philippines to tackling liberalism
in commercialism.
Neo-liberalism in education calls for the privatization of education
services where it is subjected to administrative reforms that value
effectiveness, efficiency and other economic interest. In other words,
education is viewed only from a market perspective.
Educators and members of various labor organizations gathered at the
Recto Hall of the University of the Philippines to express their dismal
reactions on the current status of Philippine education.
In the forum, Professor Sarah Raymundo of the Sociology Department tackled
that education should always be a public good and that private interest
should not coincide with its administration.
She cited the recent move by the University of the Philippines' Board
of Regents to increase tuition to up to 300% should not be a permanent
solution. She argued that the reason of low state funding is an invalid
reason of subjecting limits the access to public education.
Meanwhile, Professor Danilo A. Arao of the College of Mass Communication
discussed different figures reflecting the quality of education in the
country. Prof. Arao wrote an essay on the book about the deregulation
at the expense of quality education.
Also in one of the book's essay, Kenneth Guda tackled the importance
of the study of political and societal issues in enriching the minds
of young generations.
"Di matatawaran ang ambag ng pampulitikang edukasyong ito sa pagwawaksi
sa napakaraming kaisipan at kagawiang humahadlang sa kalayaan at kaunlaran
ng masang Pilipino", cites Guda in his essay.
We can't deny that state colleges and universities (SCU) in the Philippines
are turning on a new leaf towards making education a matter of private
interest.
Yet the quality of education as well as its democracy in teaching should
not be taken for granted.
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