Issues

21st Century Trends, Issues and Challenges in Philippine Education 1

21st Century Trends, Issues and Challenges in Philippine Education

Learning Objectives: At the end of this session, students are able to outline the Issues in relation to Philippine Education that connects to the 21st Century.

TRANSLATING EDUCATION TO SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Commissioner Nona S. Ricafort

The Brundtland Commission of 1987 defined Sustainable Development as meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Sustainable development is maintaining a delicate balance between the human need to improve lifestyles and feeling of well-being on one hand, and preserving natural resources and ecosystems, on which we and future generations depend. The key programs needed in the development of our youth: Ladderized Education System (EO 358) Ladderized education is a facility that allows for vocational courses to be credited as units earned toward a related college degree program. Expanded Tertiary Education Equivalency and Accreditation Program (EO 330) By adopting the principles of E.O. 330, you may be conferred a college degree based on your work experiences, past schooling, training, etc. provided that you have earned the required number of hours on a degree program you are applying for. Education is an essential tool for achieving sustainability. People around the world recognize that current economic development trends are not sustainable and that public awareness, education, and training are key to moving society toward sustainability.

CHALLENGES AND ISSUES IN RP HIGHER EDUCATION

Commissioner Nenalyn P. Defensor

The following are some of the issues, concerns, and challenges with regard to setting quality assurance mechanisms in higher education: 1. Issue: Only a small proportion of the total 1,683 HEIs can be considered as offering very high quality programs as shown by the number of programs identified as Centers of Excellence (COEs) and Centers of Development (CODs) by the CHED, the number of private HEIs granted by the CHED autonomous and deregulated status, and number of HEIs obtaining national or international recognition for their programs. It can be observed that many HEIs operate programs within the parameters of the minimum standards only and in some cases even below the minimum standards.

Plantig, Ruel J.

SE 203: Current Trends and Issues in Sci. & Tech. Educ.

Issues

21st Century Trends, Issues and Challenges in Philippine Education 2

Challenge: There is a need for the Commission to develop a very good policy environment in the system of giving incentives to encourage many HEIs to pursue vigorous efforts towards instituting quality assurance mechanisms in their institutions. Likewise, an effective system of sanctions also needs to be developed to stop the HEIs in offering substandard programs.

2. Issue: The performance of graduates in the licensure examinations being conducted by the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) is one indicator of the quality of graduates of the HEIs. For the past several years though, data show that in a majority of the programs, the performance of graduates in licensure examinations has been declining. In effect, this also indicates that the quality of program offerings of many institutions is deteriorating. Let me give you a case in point. For years, the teacher education program has been a continuing concern of Philippine Higher Education. Data from the Professional Regulation Commission for the past ten years show that the percentage of those who fail the licensure examinations is larger than that of those who pass.

Challenge: The Commission is faced with the task of doubling its efforts in updating policies and standards for each program. For teacher education, a new curriculum has been devised. Likewise, the intensive training of student teachers has been instituted. 3. Issue: Quality assurance mechanisms should be viewed in a holistic rather than piecemeal basis to bring out the best in Philippine higher education.

Challenge: Among the existing accrediting agencies in the country, there is a need to review and determine comparability of their standards, criteria, and evaluation instruments. It is necessary to establish uniform systems and processes and set comparable standards in granting accreditation status to the programs of the HEIs. Moreover, public and private accrediting agencies should not view each other competitively but rather treat each other as complementary partners.

4. Issue: One of the triple functions of a college or university is research. However, many HEIs have poor research capability and in some cases there is no research culture. The HEIs need to harness their capability in research along with the improvement in the delivery of educational services.

Challenge: While the Commission has provided incentives for higher education research, still the research-based culture in Philippine higher education institutions with a few exceptions remains elusive. As one

Plantig, Ruel J.

SE 203: Current Trends and Issues in Sci. & Tech. Educ.

Issues

21st Century Trends, Issues and Challenges in Philippine Education 3

Philippine university professor has succinctly articulated it: "The management of a research culture is a mix of simple to complex factors and processes which must be attended to and nurtured by inspiration, expectations, role definitions, monitoring and incentives. While there are many factors that relate to the development and nurturance of a research culture, the following seem to stand out: * University research agenda that cascades to the faculty * Support of the management that is communicated to the faculty * Competence and confidence of the faculty * Existing organizational structure for research * Visible incentives for the faculty * Research-related rituals, practices and tradition including team research and mentorship * Credibility of the research manager" (Ochave, 2006)

5. Issue: The HEIs are turning out too many graduates every year, and aside from the issue of low absorptive capacity of the labor market, the quality of graduates is also an issue. It can be observed that there is a mismatch between the knowledge and skills acquired by the graduates and what industry needs.

Challenge: The Philippine government and not only the Commission has been trying to address this issue. A forthcoming human resources summit between the Commission and the Department of Labor has been slated to determine the programs with the highest potential of job marketability.

Conclusion: In pursuance of its mandate, the Commission has undertaken major initiatives in quality assurance. These initiatives, however, have an overaching goal: To develop the Philippines as a regional knowledge center in the Asia-Pacific region especially in disciplines where Philippine HEIs have a distinctive competitive edge.

EDUCATION REFORM IN THE PHILIPPINES

Isagani R. Cruz This is the main reason that the members of the Presidential Task Force for Education (PTFE), particularly CHED, are rushing the addition of at least one more and even two more years to our education cycle. All other countries in the world have 15 or 16 years of education from Grade 1 to undergraduate graduation. The Philippines has the shortest education cycle in the world (only 10 years of public basic education and usually only 4 years of undergraduate education, for a total of 14). The PTFE has many more recommendations, including necessary legislation (such as giving CHED more teeth). It will be impossible for the present government, with only a year to go, to Plantig, Ruel J. SE 203: Current Trends and Issues in Sci. & Tech. Educ.

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implement all of them, but there is nothing to prevent it from starting to implement at least a couple of them before we elect a new President and have new heads of DepEd, CHED, and TESDA.

STATE OF PHILIPPINE EDUCATION

Bro. Armin A. Luistro FSC Philippine education is not in a crisis. Philippine Education is that it is a chronic illness. Half of the children were outside the reach of schools. The completion rates of students across education levels is a problem.

Out of a 100 students who enter grade 1, only about 70 will finish primary school. Of this number, only about 43 will finish high school and subsequently only 14 will finish college. The most chronic is the quality of inputs, processes and outcomes. The problem of quality is mirrored by a number of indicators, including the earlier dismal cohort survival rate, the lack of preparedness of students to undertake formal or the next level of schooling, the deficient qualifications of teachers, and the imprecision and glaring mistakes in instructional materials and textbook. All reforms on an understanding or leveling of what must be learned and how learning best takes place.

THE COORDINATING COUNCIL ON ACCREDITATION AND QUALITY ASSURANCE PROGRAMS IN THE PHILIPPINES
Heracleo D. Lagrada

ACCREDITING AGENCIES
Philippine Accrediting Association of Schools, Colleges and Universities (PAASCU) Philippine Association of Colleges and UniversitiesCommission on Accreditation (PACU-COA) Association of Christian Schools, Colleges and Universities Accrediting Agency, Inc. (ACSCU-AAI) Accrediting Agency of Chartered Colleges and Universities of the Philippines, Inc. (AACCUP) Association of Local Colleges and Universities Commission on Accreditation (ALCUCOA)

YEAR ESTABLISHED
1957

1973

1976

1987

2003

At present there are five(5) accrediting agencies in the country which assist the CHED in the pursuit of quality assurance moves.

Plantig, Ruel J.

SE 203: Current Trends and Issues in Sci. & Tech. Educ.

Issues

21st Century Trends, Issues and Challenges in Philippine Education 5

Two major federations: The Federation of Accrediting Agencies of the Philippines (Private Institutions) National Network of Quality Assurance Agencies (Public Institutions)

The basic characteristics of accreditation are:

its prevailing sense of volunteerism; its strong tradition of self-regulation; its reliance on evaluation techniques; its primary concern with quality.

Essential in the accreditation process is the self-survey made by an institution applying for accreditation. The self-survey is an analysis by its own staff of the institution's educational resources and effectiveness in relation to its own purposes and objectives. ACCREDITATION LEVELS

STATUS Level I Level II Level III Level IV

TERM
Initial accreditation for three years Formal Accreditation for five years Re-accreditation for five years Re-accreditation for five years

EDUCATION, TRAINING, COMPETITIVENESS

Senator Edgardo J. Angara Our competitiveness is rapidly slipping because we fail in technological innovation, because we make meager investment in basic science, in research and development (R&D), in basic infrastructure. In short, we are failing because our human capital is underdeveloped and our public institutions are weak. Central to improving our countrys competitiveness is the overall improvement of our education system. We are failing because our human capital is underdeveloped and our public institutions are weak. The innovation issues is fundamental to the future of jobs and the economy. It is central to growth, quality of life, and success in the global marketplace. In todays world where the capacity to innovate decides a countrys success, building competitiveness through education and training should be a top priority.

Plantig, Ruel J.

SE 203: Current Trends and Issues in Sci. & Tech. Educ.

Issues

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SUCs As Leaders in RPs Economic Development

Carlito S. Puno

Issues needed to be addressed by research if the new knowledge is to be put to good use: 1. How do we get the new knowledge accepted and tried by those who will make the commercial production? 2. How will the producers organize for production and distribution? 3. What are the possible technical problems that may be encountered in the commercial production? 4. How do we finance the commercial use of the mature technology? The strategy to generate additional substantial revenues and commercialization of research outputs for the SUCs is an expanded Industry/Academe tie-up with the following objectives: 1. The industry will finance expenses relative to the wide application of new knowledge including the expansion of production facilities to increase volume of production. 2. Business people will make the market analysis handle the marketing and distribution of finished products. 3. If necessary, the investors will finance additional research needed for the commercial production of this new knowledge. 4. These will also be done for engineering and IT programs.

Reference Book: Nilo E. Colinares, 21st Century Trends, Issues and Challenges in Philippine Education, National Book Store 2010.

Plantig, Ruel J.

SE 203: Current Trends and Issues in Sci. & Tech. Educ.