Towards the Formulation of the Most Appropriate
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Education plays a crucial r0le in national development as it serves as a powerful catalyst for change. Cognizant of this vital role of education, the Philippines has provided for provisions to ensure that the citizens of the country are given access to their right for quality education. Hence, in Article XIV, Section 1 of the 1987 Philippine Constitution, the following provision is set:
“The state shall protect and promote the right of all citizens to quality education in all levels and shall take appropriate steps to make such education accessible to all.”
Since education prepares the individual citizen to become a productive player in the economic field, it becomes imperative that the State devise appropriate means to ensure that the citizens are given the opportunity to be equipped with the knowledge, skills and competence that can only be obtained through education. These means, expressed in legal provisions or laws not only guarantee that Filipinos are nurtured to hone their skills for national development purposes, but to guarantee that they are given the opportunity to be enlightened about their rights, about the fundamental values and tenets of justice, democracy, liberty, human dignity, and freedom from ignorance. In this way, the citizens are given the tool to fight and stray from the possible manipulation of corrupt individuals who may take advantage of their weakness and ignorance.
In order to come up with the best philosophy that is most apt for the educational system of the country, it is first imperative to identify the existing philosophy and general aims of education in the milieu of the country.
Based on Presidential Proclamation 480, mandating Education For All for the Year 2000, education in the Philippines revolves on the philosophy that the education of the Filipino is anchored on humanitarianism and equalitarianism.
Meanwhile, as per based on Section 4 of the Education Act of 1982, the educational system aims to:
Provide for a broad general education that will assist each individual, in the peculiar ecology of his own society, to (a) attain his potentials as a human being; (b) enhance the range and quality of individual and group participation in the basic functions of society; and (c) acquire the essential educational foundation of his development into a productive and versatile citizen;
Train the nations manpower in the middle-level skills required for national development;
Develop the professions that will provide leadership for the nation in the advancement of knowledge for improving the quality of human life; and
Respond effectively to changing needs and conditions of the nation through a system of educational planning and evaluation.
To pursue this philosophy and general aims of education, the 1987 Philippine Constitution states in Article II, Section 17 that: The State shall give priority to education, science and technology, arts, culture and sports to foster patriotism and nationalism, accelerate social progress, and promote total human liberation and development. This Constitutional provision is deemed relevant to the above-cited philosophy and general aims of education in the country in the sense that the mandate of giving priority to education, science and technology, arts, culture and sports is a crucial key in attaining the aims set forth for Philippine education. By placing precedence to education, the State is setting the way for the basic tenets of education Ð- that of utilizing it as a main key for the fulfillment of his humanity and for the realization of the goals for societal progress, that is national development that will redound to improving the quality of life of the Filipino people.
The first two Sections of Article XIV of the Constitution can likewise be considered as supportive basis of the philosophy and general aims of education in the Philippines. These two sections have the following provisions:
Section 1. The state shall protect and promote the right of all citizens to quality education in all levels and shall take appropriate steps to make such education accessible to all.
By ensuring that education is made available to all, the philosophical basis on equalitarianism is given a guarantee. As a right, education is now regarded as a right that is entitled to all citizens Ð- rich or poor, young and old. Its accessibility to all citizens in all levels thereby paves the way for the understanding of the values of liberty, democracy, justice, truth, among others Ð- the fundamental values of living a humanitarian life.
Meanwhile, Section 2 states that the State shall:
Establish, maintain, and support a complete, adequate, and integrated system of education relevant to the needs of people and society;
Establish and maintain a system of free public education in the elementary and high school levels. Without limiting the natural right of parents to rear their children, elementary education is compulsory for all children of school age;
Establish and maintain a system of scholarship grants, student loan programs, subsidies, and other incentives which shall be available to deserving students in both public and private schools, especially to the underprivileged;
Encourage non-formal, informal, and indigenous learning systems, as well as self-learning, independent, and out-of-school study programs particularly those that respond to community needs; and
Provide adult citizens, the disabled and out-of-school youth with training in civics, vocational efficiency, and other skills.
The first provision of this section is relevant to the first cited general aim of education, which is primarily referring to the shaping of productive and versatile citizens who can achieve his full potentials and participate in the various functions of the society he belongs to. By providing for a complete, adequate and integrated educational system, the State ensures a supply of citizens who are equipped with high intellectual and moral standards who can usher the nation with competent leadership for social progress and development, which is also expressed as one of the general aims of education. The succeeding provisions of Section 2, namely that of granting free public elementary and high school education, scholarship grants, encouragement of non-formal, informal, and indigenous learning systems, and the provision of training in civics, vocational efficiency, and other skills for the disabled and out-of-school-youths, the State is ensuring the steady supply of the needed manpower skills for national development