ARTICLE XIV

EDUCATION, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY,

ARTS, CULTURE AND SPORTS

(1987 Philippine Constitution)

EDUCATION

The State must provide quality education for all and does everything to reach out the farthest
community to educate each citizen of the country for free as much as possible. Provision for formal and
informal education in all kinds of citizen must be offered to respond to the needs of each individual and
the society. All educational institutions public, private, sectarian or non-sectarian must include the study
of constitutions and religion to promote nationalism, patriotism and inculcate values. Teaching and non-
teaching personnel have their own role to be educator on their own way. Everybody is free to choose
the course to be taken up in college as long as it is within its ability and capacity.

Reflection

The program of GMA which is “Biyaheng Totoo” last December 2009, shown the ten poorest places here
in the Philippines and these are the rural places which are the farthest communities. It seems that these
places are not known anymore by the government because they even do not know what is happening to
the city because of lack of electricity to be updated to what is happening around them; no school or if
there is, two or more hours are needed to reach it through walking. How can they still think to be
educated if the basic food they need is also a problem.

In other countries especially in Japan, Great Britain and Russia, the state is the one responsible for the
education of the students unlike here in the Philippines, although they claim that education is free but
it’s not. They provide very low budget for education and after that leave the responsibility to each
school to support their program which they call decentralization. Yes, it’s true that every employee in
the school is considered educator but still, self and spiritual growth must be within each individual to be
a good educator to every student inside the classroom.
Everybody is free to choose any course as long as it’s within their capacity but it is not controlled by the
government because the state is not strict to the policy of colleges and universities. It is very easy to get
a license to put up a school. The government is very lax on the criteria to meet before building up an
educational institution. The outcome of the students predicts the condition of the country in the future.
I think it’s better if the national test like National College Achievement Examination (NCAE) will be used
to identify the students who are capable to a certain course to take in college.

Updates

The Philippine commitment to EFA global movement was translated into Philippine National Plan of
Action to Achieve Education for All By Year 2015. The country’s National Plan of Action was approved by
Social Development Committee composed of several government agencies in 2006.

The focus of this document is on basic education that will provide basic learning needs towards the
achievement of functional literacy. This stretched the scope of education to formal and nonformal
systems.

This further encompasses the entire society, including the national and local government agencies and
civil society organizations as responsible for the provision of the basic learning needs. Therefore,
education is made as a societal responsibility, debunking the notion that education rests solely upon the
Department of Education.

Philippine EFA is a vision

EFA envisions that by 2015, the Philippine is an educated nation where citizens are functionally literate.
Functional literacy is indicated by the ability to communicate, to solve problem, to sustainably use
resources, to develop oneself and to see the world through a broad perspective.

Specifically, Philippine EFA 2015 aims to make:

• All youth and adults functionally literate

• Children 3-5 year-olds ready to participate in schools to eliminate dropout and repetition in Grades 1
to 3

• All pupils and students complete the basic education with satisfactory achievement level

• Education be made a societal responsibility

Philippine EFA is a program of reform

To attain EFA, quality of and access to education must be improved. This requires a holistic program of
reform. This reform can be achieved by performing nine urgent and critical tasks.

NINE EFA Tasks

Production Tasks

a. Make every school continuously perform better

b. Make expansion of Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) coverage to yield more EFA
benefits

c. Transform non-formal and informal interventions into an alternative learning system (ALS) yielding
more EFA benefits

d. Promote practice of high quality teaching

e. Adopt a 12-year program for formal basic education to the existing 10-year basic education schooling.
f. Accelerate articulation, enrichment, development of the basic education curriculum in the context of
the pillars of new functional literacy

Enabling Task

g. Provide adequate and stable public funding for country-wide attainment of EFA goals.

h. Create a network of community-based groups for local attainment of EFA goals.

i. Monitor progress in efforts towards attainment of EFA goals. Of particular importance is the
development and implementation of indicators of “quality education”.

LANGUAGE

The national language of the Philippines is Filipino and it must be learned further than other language
evolves within the country. English is provided to facilitate instruction and further communication.
Other languages such as Spanish and Arabic shall be promoted on a voluntary and optional basis.
Researches must lead to development and preservation of Filipino and other languages.

Reflection

I agree to the part of this article that as Filipino, every citizen must be a master of his/her own language.
English must be a must for every Filipino for globalization; it opens communication to other places
around the world. I suggest that at early age of the students especially in their pre-primary years
additional Asian language must be taught because we are part of the continent.

Updates
On December 2007, Philippine president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo announced that Spanish is to make a
return as a mandatory subject in all Filipino schools starting in 2008.

Last June 2009, the Spanish language was included in the curriculum of secondary schools as an elective.
The 15 pilot schools were selected by DepEd regional offices based on Mean Percentage Score in
English, ability to provide substitute teachers to take over the classes of teachers in training, and
availability of classrooms and support facilities and equipment.

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Science and technology are essential for national development and progress. The State has to give
priority to research and development, invention, innovation, and their utilization; and to science and
technology education, training, and services. It must support indigenous, appropriate, and self- reliant
scientific and technological capabilities, and their application to the country’s productive systems and
national life.

Reflection

I read an article on the Internet during my research recently and it was posted on September 8, 2008. It
discusses about Neglect of RP science and technology holding back progress. It says that the
government should invest heavily in science and technology development, as well as education, to lay
the foundation for the country’s long-term progress. Solita Monsod, a University of the Philippines
economics professor and the director general of the National Economic and Development Authority
during the Aquino government, made the pitch for science and technology as awards were given to 10
of the government’s outstanding scholars in the field. Monsod lamented the perennially low budget of
government for research and development (R&D) despite its potential as a key to the country's econmic
growth.

"Science and technology is about the most powerful tool, probably at least equal to education, in
addressing the problems of development," said Monsod.

"Unfortunately, like education, science and technology in the Philippines is not really given the
importance that it should have," she said at the event marking DOST's 50th anniversary.
This is the reality that happened two years ago and today. Nothing change; the government has its
personal undertakings why science and technology cannot be given priority. Advancement and
development of a country lie in research. Many Filipinos have potentials in this field but the government
cannot support them. Researchers go abroad to get support in other country that benefit in their
intelligence.

May the next president of the Philippines set behind personal intentions to see clearly what our country
really need to move on and start going farther for global development.

Updates

As one of the responds of DepEd to the continuous development of in the area of Science and
Technology, the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) take its part in the Research Activities
for Manpower Development and Planning. Projects to continuously upgrade the research capabilities of
science and mathematics teachers are undertaken. Grants are provided to teacher-proponents who
develop successful modules and/or instructional materials to improve the learning of science and
mathematics in schools. The results of the research projects are documented, published and distributed
as ready reference materials for teachers.

ARTS AND CULTURE

The State must foster the preservation, enrichment, and dynamic evolution of a Filipino national culture
based on the principle of unity in diversity in a climate of free artistic and intellectual expression. Arts
and letters will enjoy the patronage of the State. The State has to conserve, promote, and popularize the
nation’s historical and cultural heritage and resources, as well as artistic creations. All the country’s
artistic and historic wealth constitutes the cultural treasure of the nation and must under the protection
of the State which may regulate its disposition. The State has to recognize, respect, and protect the
rights of indigenous cultural communities to preserve and develop their cultures, traditions, and
institutions. The State must ensure equal access to cultural opportunities through the educational
system, public or private cultural entities, scholarships, grants and other incentives, and community
cultural centers, and other public venues. The State shall encourage and support researches and studies
on the arts and culture.

Reflection
Even that the Philippines is influenced by western culture but it is still very rich in the national arts and
culture that is why the Philippines has been named "cultural capital" of the 10-member Association of
Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) for 2010 and 2011, according to presidential adviser on culture Cecile
Guidote-Alvarez.

The major cultural agencies of government are the Cultural Center of the Philippines, the National
Historical Institute, the National Museum, The National Library, the Records Management and Archives
Office, and the Commission on the Filipino Language. The Heads of these cultural agencies are all ex-
officio members of the NCCA Board and all except the Commission on the Filipino Language are together
under the National Commission on Culture and Arts are working hand in hand with the Department of
Education to openly show how rich is the culture and arts of the Philippines to the Filipino students for
them to be proud and continually preserve and enrich the Filipino national culture.

Updates

In accordance to the support in the Philippine Constitution in preserving the cultural and artistic
traditions the Department of Education is continuously releasing DepEd Orders and the recent is DepEd
Order No. 71 a. 2007 constituting a special committee on culture and arts. The following committee
shall have the following functions:

a. Develop, strengthen, and implement an integrated Culture and Arts program in line with the
Education for All program of the Department;

b. Formulate guidelines in the development, implementation, and strengthening of the integrated

program;

c. Conduct or cause the conduct of capacity-building activities, trainings, workshops, seminars and
conferences;

d. Recommend policy/program intervention and/or issuances;

e. Establish partnerships/linkages with stakeholders in government and the private sector;

f. Monitor, assess, and evaluate the implementation of the integrated program;

g. Perform such other functions as may be assigned to it by the Secretary.

SPORTS

The State must promote physical education and encourage sports programs, league competitions, and
amateur sports, including training for international competitions, to foster self-discipline, teamwork,
and excellence for the development of a healthy and alert formulation of national plans and policies. All
educational institutions shall undertake regular sports activities throughout the country in cooperation
with athletic clubs and other sectors.

Reflection

Einstein no doubt had an excellent sense of humor. He formulated a formula of success which is:
SUCCESS=WORK + PLAY + KEEPING YOUR MOUTH SHUT!! I want to focus on PLAY; Albert Einstein as a
scientist and philosopher also recommend that play is part of success. Having fun and making some
relaxation after hard work complete a person. This is the reason that is why the DepEd still takes care of
the physical activities of the students through sports.

The result of the 2009 South East Asian Games held in Vientiene, Laos shows that among eleven
countries, the Philippines ranked number fifteen. The senate is not satisfied with this kind of
performance that is why they take a closer look to this issue. January 7, 2010, the Senate committee on
Games, Amusements and Sports held a public hearing to discuss various concerns in Philippine sports.
Discussions will touch on the "dismal" performance of Filipino athletes in international events and how
the Philippine Sports Commission and the Philippine Olympic Committee plans to rectify that in future
stints abroad.

For me the, the standing of our athletes are fine as long as we excel in other areas like academics,
culture and arts. As developing country we have to take one step at a time, develop our human
resources wherein we know we can excel so that we can take pride to even one area of competions
abroad.
Updates

This November 28, 2009, Education Secretary Jesli Lapus called for public and private sector teamwork
to advance sports research and integration of sciences in the training of coaches and athletes.

Lapus is batting for the creation of a Sports Academy to institutionalize and professionalize training in
sports. He keynoted today the ”Seminar on New Trends and Innovation on Coaching Athletic Sports”
organized by the Private Schools association of Parañaque (PSAP), held at the Olivares College Stadium
in Sucat, Parañaque.

Lapus strongly pushed for students’ well-rounded development involving physical, mental and spiritual
growth. He cited the importance of a sound mind and sound body. He pointed out that the people’s
champion Manny Pacquiao is the poster boy of DepEd’s Alternative Learning System.