Concerns of the Society - Education

“It is a cruel paradox that a college education helps to escape poverty, but Filipinos have
to be rich to afford one. Furthermore, those who do manage to go to college run the risk that
the education they pay for may turn out to be sub-standard or defective.” Alan C. Robles-

The education system in the Philippines really lacks many things that is why the quality
of education is being compromised. One of the loopholes in our education system is the
government budget on education. According to the 1987 Constitution in Article XIV section 5
subsection 5 provides that "the State shall assign the highest budgetary priority to education
and ensure that teaching will attract and retain its rightful share of the best available talents
through adequate remuneration and other means of job satisfaction and fulfillment." Though
budget for education holds the largest among the allocation given to different government
agencies but still it is not enough to cater the need in improving education in Philippines.
There are still a huge need for it to be added because the free college education in State
Colleges and Universities still needs more subsidies to poor and deserving students because
the tuition only covers the academic units enrolled and not the miscellaneous expenses. This
shows the college education became a privilege rather than a right of every citizen.
The second problem in the education system is the dominance of the private higher
education institutions. Accordingly, the government’s Council on Higher Education (CHED)
currently estimates that, on the average, a student in a private school will pay 237,600 pesos
(€ 4,200) for a four year course. On average, however, public schools, are not much cheaper.
The CHED reckons that tuition for a complete four-year course will cost 233,600 pesos. The
expensive cost of education on private colleges and universities that do not reflect on the
quality of education offered to students show that education became a profit oriented rather
that providing quality education.
Among the budget and cost issue of education, the greatest problem would be the quality
of education offered to students. As compared to our neighbor countries in the Southeast
Asia, the performance of the Philippines is very poor. “Singapore, with only six public and no
private universities plus a handful of small private colleges catering mostly to the arts,
accounts for 6,927 scientists per million people (out of a population of 5.3 million), followed
by Malaysia, with 1,918 scientists per million people; Thailand with 581 per million; Brunei
with 181 per million (population: 418,000); Indonesia with 205 per million and Vietnam
with 115 per million. The Philippines then comes next with only 81 scientists per million.
In terms of research output via publication in international peer-reviewed “Web of Science”
journals from 2005 to 2014, Singapore, again with only a mere six HEIs, only four of which
have Science departments, is on top with 127,687 articles published. This is followed by
Malaysia (92,45); Thailand (72,953); Vietnam (16,689); Indonesia (15,407) and then the
Philippines (12,376) over the same period.”- Crisis in Philippines Higher Education , Jobers
R. Bersales.
In addition, Times Higher Education also reported that inly the University of the
Philippines ranks 601-800 on the World’s University Ranking in 2018.
RESEARCHES

Times Higher Education Asia University Rankings 2018

In calculating the top universities in Asia, the Times Higher Education Asia University
Rankings 2018 use the same 13 performance indicators as the Times Higher Education
World University Rankings, but they are recalibrated to reflect the attributes of Asia’s
institutions.
The universities are judged across all of their core missions – teaching, research,
knowledge transfer and international outlook – to provide the most comprehensive and
balanced comparisons available.
Singapore is home to the continent’s best university for the third year in a row – the
National University of Singapore – while Japan is once again the most-represented nation in
the list, boasting 89 universities.
Meanwhile, Tsinghua University has overtaken Peking University to become the top
Chinese institution in the rankings. Overall, the People’s Republic has 63 universities, many
of which have made progress this year, including several of its lower-ranked institutions.
There is also success for Hong Kong, which has three universities in the top 10, more
than any other territory, and six universities in the top 60.
In Southeast Asia, Malaysia’s flagship institution, the University of Malaya, joins the top
50 for the first time, and Indonesia has doubled its representation, claiming four spaces in
the table, up from two last year.
But most of Thailand’s 10 institutions have fallen down the table as the country grapples
with an ageing population and oversupply of higher education. Taiwan has also suffered
declines for these reasons.
Other nations are feeling the competition in the world’s largest continent. While India,
Japan, Pakistan, South Korea and Turkey have all increased their overall representation,
several of their universities have fallen down the list.
This year’s table ranks just over 350 universities, up from about 300 last year. These
universities come from 25 countries/regions.

Times Higher Education Asia University Rankings 2018

https://www.timeshighereducation.com/world-university-rankings/2018/regional-
ranking#!/page/0/length/-1/sort_by/rank/sort_order/asc/cols/stats
 Crisis in Philippines higher education
Jobers R. Bersales

The numbers speak for themselves. Among all the countries in the Association of
Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the Philippines, with a population of nearly 100 million,
ranks the highest in terms of number of universities and colleges, or what are collectively
referred to as High Education Institutions (HEIs).
According to Dr. Napoleon K. Juanillo, commissioner and head of the Office of Planning,
Research and Knowledge Management under the Commission on Higher Education
(CHED), as of academic year 2013-2014, there were 1,923 HEIs in the country. Out of this,
1,699 were privately-owned while the rest (224) were public or state colleges/universities.
The number rose even further last year, with 1,708 private and 227 public HEIs.
Our closest rival, Indonesia, meanwhile, with a population over twice ours at 249.9
million (as of 2013), has only 191 HEIs, 114 of which are public and 77 private.
Thailand, whose economy is often compared with ours but whose population is only
67.01 million (as of 2013), accounts for only 159 HEIs, 91 of them public and 68 private. Our
other neighbor, Malaysia, with a population of a mere 29.72 million (as of 2013) on the other
hand, has 124 HEIs, 44 public and 80 private.
How did we end up with so many HEIs, almost all of them in private hands, and what is
the impact of this phenomenon?
At the outset, it may seem right smack into the ideals of democracy that we have so
many colleges and universities sprouting all over the country, giving the youth and their
parents so much to choose from. What more can a people ask for than have as many options
available to everyone, you might say?
But the numbers are also telling in their results: Singapore, with only six public and no
private universities plus a handful of small private colleges catering mostly to the arts,
accounts for 6,927 scientists per million people (out of a population of 5.3 million), followed
by Malaysia, with 1,918 scientists per million people; Thailand with 581 per million; Brunei
with 181 per million (population: 418,000); Indonesia with 205 per million and Vietnam
with 115 per million. The Philippines then comes next with only 81 scientists per million.
In terms of research output via publication in international peer-reviewed “Web of
Science” journals from 2005 to 2014, Singapore, again with only a mere six HEIs, only four
of which have Science departments, is on top with 127,687 articles published. This is
followed by Malaysia (92,45); Thailand (72,953); Vietnam (16,689); Indonesia (15,407) and
then the Philippines (12,376) over the same period.
So many HEIs, yet so little in terms of research output. Date like these, coming from
someone like Juanillo who was personally plucked out of a comfortable existence abroad, to
help address this problem, CHED has its work cut out for it. There is no doubt that the
statistics paint an alarming picture. What have these 1,935 HEIs been producing when we
barely make a mark in the ASEAN scene alone?
During the last three decades we have seen the sprouting of so many kinds of private
colleges and universities even as politicians sponsored the establishment of state colleges
and universities in their districts, both to curry favor from voting parents and young people
and as a well-intentioned desire to offer education to the far reaches of the countryside.
The result has been dismal to say the least. With very little in terms of budgets to sustain
research and hire the best of faculties, both these private and public HEIs began churning
out work-ready graduates without regard for the full potential of so many intelligent students
who could very well produce publishable research outputs had they been given the right
incentives in terms of research funding, laboratories and equipment as well as the right
professors and mentors to guide them through.
Never mind the private HEIs, they suffer enough from the lack of government subsidies
and high taxes imposed on them, resulting in so much mediocrity and the proliferation of
nothing but diploma mills.
It is in the state universities and colleges as shown by the performance of our ASEAN
neighbors where so much government support should have been poured to make them rise
and be at par with the rest. Instead, you have state universities offering the same courses that
private universities are also offering. Consider one state university designed originally to
produce the best teachers and pedagogists proudly announcing top notchers in Nursing, for
example. How did such a university end up producing labor for work abroad when it should
have addressed problems in teaching and publish the same in international journals?
These and many more issues facing high education in the country are making Dr.
Juanillo and his fellow CHED commissioners busy these days. Fortunately, during the last
three years, billions of pesos have been poured on CHED by the national government in
response to the dire situation.
But the way out of the tunnel is still far. I wonder, for example, how CHED will address
the issue of so many mediocre private and public HEIs short of closing them.

Crisis in Philippines higher education, Jobers R. Bersales

https://www.google.com.ph/amp/cebudailynews.inquirer.net/90314/90314/amp
Top tier schools and diploma mills
https://www.dandc.eu/en/article/expensive-not-always-worth-much-higher-education-
philippines

Cost issues
The government’s Council on Higher Education (CHED) currently estimates that, on the
average, a student in a private school will pay 237,600 pesos (€ 4,200) for a four year course.
On average, however, public schools, are not much cheaper. The CHED reckons that tuition
for a complete four-year course will cost 233,600 pesos.
At a top tier university, however, the costs will amount to 400,000 pesos. The best and
most expensive schools are in the private sector – but that is equally true for the worst and
cheapest ones.
Compared with what a typical Filipino household earns, the costs of higher education
are stiff. According to the official Philippines’ 2009 Family Income and Expenditure Survey,
the average family’s annual income is a mere 206,000 pesos. The survey notes that for the
families in the bottom 30 % the average is only 62,000 pesos.
HEIs tend to increase tuition every year. In the Philippines, college subjects are taught
in small “units”. In 2005, according to the online magazine Bulatlat, the average cost per unit
was more than 330 pesos. By 2011, the average tuition per unit had risen to more than 500
pesos.
Tuition isn’t the only financial worry of college students of course. The CHED figures do
not include board, lodging, transportation and other expenses. These are not trifling outlays.
For example, professors tell stories of students skipping classes because they cannot pay for
transportation to go to school; there have also been reports of students who can’t focus
because they’re weak from not having eaten properly.

INSIGHT
Degrading quality of education is a major problem here in the Philippines as proven by the statistics
provided by the different surveys made. We identified three loopholes on our educational system and these
are the problems on budget, the quality of education and governance of it.
Budgetary issues show that there are still a need for the Philippines to take a leap in prioritizing
education. The Philippines educational system despite the huge amount of budget for them still lacks and
can't meet the vast changes in the area of education. The schools can't keep up in technological
advancement and laboratory requirements intended to cater the needs in order to match the practice and
actual skills needed on the real working environment.
In terms of governance many schools also subconsciously focused on generating profit and not on a
quality and transformative education, one example is the low passing rates but high in numbers of
enrollees this scenario is a proof that the schools are unscrupulous in terms of molding their students to
become an excellent professional. The government still needs to cooperate with private sectors to in
making linkages to give a more effective job trainings to students. Moreover, competent educators is also
needed to make students more competent in different field of expertise they want to learn.
Lastly, the government must oversee tuition fees of private higher education institutions so that
college education can become more accessible to the society. Government must also consider the intricate
examination on the quality of the education this institutions offers for them not to abuse their students.
The educational system in the Philippines is far more to be able to be more internationally
competitive. Huge improvements are still needed to improve everything about education but this changes
would not be impossible for the Philippines.