SCIENCE EDUCATION IN PHILIPPINE SOCIETY - BSCS donated 1,600 copies of the BSCS green version textbook,

experimental edition.
EARLY EFFORTS TO IMPROVE SCIENCE EDUCATION - Green version laboratory manual were tried out in ten (10)
public high schools for a full school year.
•As early as decade of the 1950s, scientist were concerned with the
state of science education in the schools. Leading scientist made The BSCS adaptation project was an exercise in curriculum
Philippine authorities aware that the teaching of science from grade development involved:
school level to college levels in both public and private schools was
very inadequate. - Writer-specialist
- Classroom teachers
Philippine Association for the Advance of Science – annual - Administrators
conference which it focuses on the training of science teachers and - Illustrators and biology educators
teaching of science. It also called the importance of the growth of
science consciousness in the general population and the need to ESTABLISHING THE SCIENCE EDUCATION CENTER
remedy the shortage of scientist in the country.
Dr. Carlos P. Romulo – submitted to he Ford Foundation a request
1957 – The Philippine government made the teaching of science grant for operational and staffing cost of the Science Teaching
compulsory in all elementary and secondary schools. Center, for one foreign advisor for a 2-year science consultant, for
fellowship, for advance training of teachers and supervisors, for
National committee for Science Education – set up in 1958 to books and facilities.
formulate objectives for teaching of science education at all levels
and to recommend steps that would upgrade the teaching of Harry Case – head of the Ford Foundation; recommended the
science. The committee identified the following areas to which Philippines educational leaders for the remarkable degree of
improvement efforts were needed. cooperation in the establishment of the Science Teaching Center at
the University of the Philippines
a. Integration of science with classroom instruction
b. Acquisition of more science equipment and tools September 25, 1964 – U.P. grant by the Ford Foundation providing
c. Coordination of efforts with other agencies $310,000 over a two-year period of the Science Teaching Center.
d. Negotiation for a science institute for teachers
R.A 5506 - an Act establishing Science Education Center (SEC) as a
e. National science talent search and fellowship
permanent unit of the University of the Philippines. This act earn
f. Higher salaries of science and mathematics
marked 250,000 pesos annual from the national especial science
Clark Hubler – a science educator of Wheelock College in Boston, fund for the support of the center.
Massachusetts and Fulbright fellow in the Philippines in 1963-1964,
SUMMER INSTITUTE – The following are the activities were included
noted some salient characteristics of science education in the
in the summer institute to achieve the mention competences:
country – language problem.
a. discussion of the objectives of the materials
- 3 language had to be learned by the students Filipino, English,
b. discussion and practice in writing instructional objectives
Spanish
c. study, discussion and demonstration lessons of the process
- 4 language for Tagalog provinces local dialect, Filipino, English,
of science
Spanish
d. Study and discussion of the basic concepts include in the
- 5 languages for those not spoken local dialect in their home.
materials. This section include updating and increasing the
- He cited that the ratio of books is 1:4 in Manila public schools
teacher’s background knowledge in
and 1:10 in the rest of the country.
e. Performing selected laboratory exercises from the new
THE BSCS ADAPTATION PROJECT - The secretary of Education had materials
earlier set up a National Committee in Science Education to f. Constructing simple teaching aids needed in teaching the
formulate objectives for teaching of science at the three materials
instructional level and recommended action that would upgrade the g. Teaching sample classes followed by critique and discussion
teaching of science. of the lesson taught
h. Pre and post testing of the teachers participants. The test
a. Subject matter competence of teachers include ‘proces’ and ‘content’ items.
b. The curriculum materials
c. Laboratory equipment and science facilities in schools. Philippine Association of Science Teachers (PAST) – held a
conference in 1960, it was a review of the status of science teaching
According to the survey on the status of science teaching in the in the Philippines suggestions and recommendations for improving
Philippines and in U.S. conducted by the committee created by the various aspects of science education were made.
NSDB. The committee found that all levels of science instruction,
elementary, secondary and tertiary had in common the following THE SCIENCE EDUCATION PROJECT (SEP)
weaknesses and a lack of:
A major project that would have the following objectives:
1. Adequate equipment and facilities in the laboratories
1. Improvement of pre-service, in-service education of
2. Up-to-date and adequate textbooks, publications and
science/mathematics teachers,
reference materials
2. Local development of science textbooks and equipment,
3. Qualified and imaginative teachers
3. Evaluation of locally produced materials,
4. Provision for systematic upgrading of teachers
4. Research on teaching-learning process.
1960s – a group of biological educators at the University of
Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) – it was part of the national
Philippines organized themselves into a team to adapt the Biological
project of SEP.
Science Curriculum Study (BSCS)
- MAT scholarship were granted to institutions rather to
Green Version – introduce to students to the living world and
individuals.
sought to provide him with biological information as may be
- Its objectives was to develop within each institution a corps of
necessary and useful as he lives his life.
science educators committed to the improvement of science
1962 – Adaptation on green version laboratory manual. teacher training programs at the undergraduate, graduate and
in-service.
SEP effort to improve science education in the county: - Educational objectives, cognitive, affective and psychomotor
was given prominence in teacher education course and
1.Dissemination of improved curricula, teaching techniques and summer institute.
approaches in science and mathematics on the basic levels of - Chemistry was newly introduced subject in the public high
education through the introduction of new curriculum and schools and teachers needed the training because many of
application of new teaching technique and approaches by the those teaching this subject had no specialization in it.
returned MAT trainees and teachers that they teach. - During this decade some agencies assisted in the training of
2. Quality science and math education programs in the recipient- science teacher. - The first part of four-year in-service training
sponsor institutions through new and improved course offerings and program in the use of Filipino as medium of instruction grade 1
a generally improved teacher education programs. for non-Tagalog provinces and grade 3 for Tagalog provinces/
- Launched in 22 regional in-service education centers.
The five Regional Science Teaching Center (RCTC’s): - Summer institute also focused on certain issues related to the
improvement of science and math education
1. Notre Dame University in Marbel, Cotabato – established  Relevance of course to the day functions of teachers
earlier with the assistance of a Ford Foundation grant.  Teachers should let the students do science instead of
2. Ateneo de Davao College teaching about science
3. Silliman University  Students should provide with instructional materials that
4. St. Louis University illustrate current accepted concepts about science
5. Aquinas University teaching
SCIENCE EDUCATION IN THE 1940’S Behavioral objectives:
- After World War II, the emergency curriculum made possible  Instructional procedures – emphasized students experience
the accommodation of a 120 pupils in an elementary level. which contributed to the attainment of the stated goals.
- Secondary level general curriculum replaced the type A & B
 Evaluation – used to reinforce the students’ learning
curricula. Home economics, national language and vocational
experiences. Test critical thinking skills, analysis, application
courses became required course for all years except for
and other cognitive skills.
geometry, advanced algebra and physics which became
optional courses. 1967 – NEDA assisted a program which prepared/revised/refined
- No science offered in grade 1 to 4 of elementary level syllabi for teaching English, Pilipino, Mathematics, Science and
- 30 minutes allotted for science and arithmetic in intermediate Economics.
levels (grade 5 & 6) - One teacher handled of 60 pupils in the
morning & another teacher in the afternoon for 60 pupils (in Teaching Science In The Philippines: Why (And How)
the same room) We Can Do Better
1946 – General secondary curriculum was enforced in all third and Science has been defined in a plethora of ways since the scientific
fourth year classes of public schools. Physics, chemistry and revolution, dating back to the 17th century. In fact, the Merriam-
advanced algebra were optional. Webster Dictionary (2018) hosts a multitude of its conceived
definitions, including “the state of knowing which distinguishes from
1948-1949 – the educational Act of 1948 seeking restore grade 7
ignorance,” “a departmentalized and systematized knowledge as an
drafted but it remained unacted.
object of study,” and “a system of knowledge covering general
1949-1950 – community school movement started in Iloilo and truths or the operation of general laws as obtained from the
Bohol. scientific method.” It is worth noting that most of these definitions
all emphasize the notion that science is merely equivalent to
- Classroom instruction emphasized functional and social values knowledge, which for a six-year-old kid can just mean a huge depot
of the subject matter and activities dealt with understanding of facts and trivia.
and appreciation of simple facts and methods, activities in the
form of observation, experimentation, critical thinking, Science in public schools: a personal experience
planning and participating in the experiments.
How is science education in the Philippines? If you are a part of the
- Secondary level was emphasized in such activities as health,
majority of the population that went through their elementary
sanitation, community and home beautification.
education in a public school like me, you would easily recall the
SCIENCE EDUCATION IN THE 1950s atmosphere of such an environment. Forty to fifty students
clustered in a classroom, staying in school from 8 am to 4 pm,
Bulletin No. 27 s. 1953 - issued by the Bureau of Public Schools to patiently going through all their subjects in one day. I belonged to
assist teachers do science activities with their pupils. the special science class, the top section of the batch as perceived by
most teachers. Unlike most of my batchmates who endured the
- Strengthen curriculum development efforts, - laboratories
agony of staying in bland classrooms, my section’s classrooms
establish instead of one center General Office
through the years were actually good. They had science quotes
- Branches centers was establish in the Philippine Normal School
posted on the walls, a solar system model attached to the ceiling,
and 8 public normal schools (Iloilo, Cebu, Albay, Ilocos Norte,
diorama projects on different ecosystems, a life-size human skeletal
Pangasinan, Bukidnon, Zamboanga and Leyte.
model, shelves of science textbooks, and even laboratory glass
Bulletin N. 15 s. 1954 – Construction of Science laboratory wares donated by alumni.
apparatus in Vocational shops.
All of these things in our classroom created the impression that our
- Biology became a live subject with community school projects science classes were good and fun, but that’s not how it works. For
in health and sanitation, food production and home one, our section NEVER used the glass wares placed in our
beautification classrooms. As a child, I really wondered why we never used them.
- Physics – application in mechanical Would it be any better if we just let such resources collect dust on
the shelves? Our teacher always explained that these items were
DEVELOPMENT IN THE 1960S ‘fragile’ and not suitable for children’s use. I always thought that
even the simple lesson of introducing such glass wares and a
- Emphasis in the objectives of instructional procedures and
demonstration of how they are used would be really exciting;
evaluation.
unfortunately, that never happened.
A large chunk of our science classes were not necessarily ‘classes’ –
of only one in ten schools having its own laboratory. In the National
most of them revolved around being the fastest pupil to copy all theCapital Region, the ratio improved with three laboratories for every
words on the board. We did this two to three times a week, 10 schools; however, the findings showed that the rest of the
alongside the signature “shh” sounds that the monitor makes in regions did not have any science laboratories. This problem
order to prevent the class from being too noisy. Most of our classesprompted researchers from Diliman and Los Banos of the University
involved group presentations with our ever-reliable Manila paper of the Philippines to develop Versatile Instrumentation System for
and black markers. We were given tasks, and we were obligated to Science Education and Research (VISSER). This instrumentation
present our answers to the class. Experiments were indeed sporadic, system includes hardware, software, sensors, and experiment
and most of the time, we only had one per quarter. Up to this point,modules for various science subjects. The device’s hardware
I feel bothered by the fact that I can’t specifically remember any of
component includes multi-channel plug and play analog and digital
the experiments we did. sensors that run on a microcontroller. The microcontroller pools all
the information and connects such hardware to the device’s
That is my personal experience as a science class pupil, and I can modules. The modules include experiments in biology, chemistry,
only wonder how my batchmates from the non-special science class physics, and engineering. As of this writing, the lab is being pilot-
fared. Things changed when I went to Philippine Science High School tested by the UP National Institute of Physics.
for my secondary education, but was that the case for my other
batchmates who went to the other public DepEd schools as well? Quality of learning materials

Lackluster performance DepEd also faces a challenge in terms of the quality of its textbooks,
with many teachers reporting that the books are obsolete and
Science education in our country cannot be considered as a flooded with errors. In Torrijos, Marinduque, the situation of “sick
strength. Based on results from 2014, the passing rate for the books” is nothing new. Teachers from that municipality are well-
national achievement test (NAT) for grade six pupils is only 69.21%. acquainted with the circulation of such textbooks. They even
The passing rate for high school seems far worse, with a passing rate provided a copy of an English book for children inundated with
of only 46.38% from 2010 statistics. Aside from the aforementioned marks from highlighter pens showing typographical, grammatical,
national examination, the Philippines has exhibited a consistently factual, and conceptual errors. Antonio Calipjo Go, a critic of the
abysmal performance in international surveys such as Trends in circulating DepEd textbooks, was able to identify 1,300 “errors” in a
International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS). In 2003, for Grade 10 English Learning book. An anonymous teacher also pointed
high school, the country ranked only 34th out of 38 countries in HS II out numerous errors in her draft copy of the 2014 Grade 9 Science
Math, and 43rd out of the 46 participating countries in HS II Science. Learner’s material. These errors were already reported in order to
For elementary, fourth grade participants ranked 23rd out of the 25 improve the final version of the material.
countries in both math and science. Our country stopped
participating in the survey in 2008, perhaps after getting such The general perception of science in the Philippines
lackluster scores.
The aforementioned predicaments of Philippine education severely
This raises an all-important question: Why is this so? limit how most the public schools can teach science to their
students. The lack of classrooms limits the conduciveness of lectures
Shortage of teachers to students; public schools that lack classrooms oftentimes
Numerous factors can be attributed to the current predicament compensate by holding classes at their multipurpose gymnasiums,
faced by the country. First and foremost would be the shortage of with their makeshift classrooms separated only by curtains. Students
science and math teachers in the country. In 2016, DepEd secretary there can hear the chatter all over the place, and end up listening
Leonor Briones stressed the need to hire more teachers with the not only to their teacher’s lecture, but also to the lecture from the
implementation of the K to 12 program, which created 36,641 free adjacent classroom. Textbooks and learning materials are also
teaching posts. The government tried to make ends meet for this critical. If they are bland and unengaging, how can one expect
shortage by having DepEd offer teaching posts with above entry- students to even flip through their pages with interest? The lack of
level salary grades to Science and Technology graduates under the laboratories also damages the quality of education, limiting teachers
Junior Level Science Scholarships of the Department of Science and to lectures and reporting activities for students instead of lab
Technology-Science Education Institute. The scholar graduates of experiments that show how the concepts work in real life. Filipino
the program would also receive a teacher training program for them students are bombarded with theories and terminologies, which are
to qualify for the Licensure Examination for Teachers (LET). not necessarily the things that make science exciting. Scientists do
Qualifying graduates from the scholarship would be given the not memorize and regurgitate information; they ask questions,
position of special science teacher with a starting salary grade of 13. predict outcomes, and actually perform experiments.
DepEd also called for graduates of Science, Math, or Engineering With these limitations in science teaching, one cannot help but
courses without LET certification, as well TESDA accredited wonder how our countrymen perceive science. The average Filipino
technical-vocational graduates with expertise in specific learning who does not work in a science-related industry has likely never
areas, to apply as part-time teachers for the K to 12 Senior High related the concept to his or her everyday life. The word ‘science’
School Program. itself seems distant and elusive, only being applied to people who
Shortage of classrooms and laboratories spend most of their days in the lab or in the classroom. When you
hear the word ‘science’, what comes to mind? Probably, it’s a bunch
The shortage of classrooms and lack of science laboratories for of concepts from biology such as evolution, or the oft-repeated
DepEd schools is also an issue. With the implementation of the K-12 statement that “the mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell.” As
program, Benjie Valbuena, national chair of the Alliance of far as chemistry goes, you might remember mixtures, compounds,
Concerned Teachers-Philippines (ACT-Philippines) estimated the and elements. In terms of physics, you would probably just imagine
classroom shortage in the country to be 113,995 as of 2017. By June blackboard full of equations and symbols, with Albert Einstein
2017, Education Undersecretary Jesus Mateo announced that patiently and painstakingly trying to make you understand them.
50,000 of the needed 113,000 classrooms had already been
completed and are pending for use. The undersecretary stressed the Science at its core
objective of the government to create more classrooms “to meet Many would say that science is something that normal people don’t
lower class size, which leads to conducive learning.” actively engage in. However, in reality, science is a crucial part of our
Aside from the obvious lack of classrooms, there is also a lack of everyday lives. One of the most well-known promoters of science,
science laboratories to facilitate science learning and application of Carl Sagan, once said:
its concepts to students. In 2014, DepEd reported a shortage of
science laboratories in regions III, IV-A, X, XI, and XII, with an average
“Science is more than a body of knowledge. It’s a way of thinking; a
way of skeptically interrogating the universe.”

Notice that in his quote, there is no emphasis on memorizing all the

bones in the body, or being adept at solving all the kinematic
equations. It simply boils down to questioning everything around us.

Over the centuries, innumerable discoveries and advances in science

came as a result of the scientific method. It is a framework followed
by most scientists and researchers in conducting their investigations
and scientific work. Note that I used the term ‘framework’ instead of
procedure or steps. This is due to the fact that there many fields in
science, each with their own variation of the method in order to
cater their respective needs. Thus, when one hears the term
‘scientific method’, what should come to mind are only the
following: asking questions to explore cause and effect relationships,
proper gathering and examining of acquired evidence, and
synthesizing all available information to come up with an answer to
the initial question. This is how science worked before, and how it
will continue to work in the foreseeable future. We should erase the
notion that treats science just as a body of knowledge, expecting
students to only cough up concepts and fancy terms such as
photosynthesis or glycolysis. As Sagan said, it is a way of thinking —
and that is how it serves its purpose in nation-building.

A long journey for science in the Philippines

Providing competent science education facilitates students to be

curious at a young age and to cultivate their set of beliefs from the
answers to their questions. Science pushes for the concept of
objectivity, as opposed to relying solely on emotions that might
hinder proper decision-making. Instead of arguing based on gut feel
or emotions alone, we present data and facts, while remaining
open-minded about the perspectives of other people. The values of
objectivity and open-mindedness, in turn, enable and encourage
people to listen to each other.

With this in mind, the current situation of STEM education in the

Philippines proves that we have a long road ahead of us.
Nevertheless, this should not stop us from pausing and admitting
that yes, there is a problem that we should work upon. We can still
improve our textbooks and learning materials. We can still
encourage more people to become STEM educators. We can still
improve our NAT scores, and confidently participate in international
surveys once more. Improving science education will not only allow
our country to have citizens who are thinkers first and foremost, but
also increase the number of STEM graduates to address the glaring
industrial and agricultural needs that will boost the economic
growth of our country.

The Philippines is still a developing country. It is not a classification

that one should be ashamed of. What it is is an indication that that
our country experienced massive setbacks due to colonization,
corruption, and the lack of a properly educated voting population. In
fact, we are completely capable of achieving the successes
experienced by countries on the other side of the globe. What we
should know is that for us to reach such a goal, we need science. Not
just science discussed in textbooks and observed in laboratories, but
science in everyday life; science that is evident in how we handle all
of our tasks and decisions. A strong science education is not an
option, it is a must. We must improve the ways we teach science in
the Philippines, if we want to see ourselves moving and thinking
forward. –MF