Hi florangel thanks for the article my grandfather a Chinese educate always remembered during the British colonial policies relating to education, language and citizenship were responsible for stifling the growth of racial integration and the sharing of a common destiny and identity by the people of Singapore. In education, for example, the government did not attempt to regulate and support the number of Chinese schools and, at the same time,encourage the growth of English-stream schools. The Chinese-educated became an under-privileged group; they had no opportunities for tertiary education nor could they hope to be employed in the civil service sector. In short, the government failed to recognize the more dynamic and vocal Chinese-educated group. These "gaps" were quickly exploited by the Malayan Communist Party in Singapore and contributed to a decade of political turbulence in the 1950s in Singapore. Only in 1965 there was a transformation of education whereas equal treatment for the four streams of education – Malay, Chinese, Tamil and English. When I was primary School I always remembered my teacher used to remind us day in day out in "Singapore with no natural resources to exploit we only got brain and education is crucial".
The Singapore’s case study has shown that strong political leadership and will has guided the overall education development and produced a structure and system that is relevant and responsive to the ever changing economic and social landscape. Singaporeans recognized the importance of a good education in order to enjoy economic independence and good standards of living. I guess the rest is history and Singapore make a small mark of what the country can achieved in this dynamic world just by increases the literacy rate of the population.
Posted by Florangel
Both President Cory and her son P-Noy were propelled to the highest post in the land through People Power. Both came at a time when the Filipino nation was at its lowest depths. Both never sought the presidency but accepted the challenge to run for office upon realizing that it was the only way alternative. And they could not let the people down.
Such is the state we are in today - a nation in crisis. Malgovernance had resulted in the deterioration of most of our institutions, especially education. At the school opening yesterday, about 24 million students were expected, according to DepEd Secretary Mona Valisno. As in the past, there were the attendant classroom shortages and overcrowding, especially in several schools in Quezon City. P-Noy has anticipated the problems and had earlier addressed them in his Basic Education Platform, namely:
The first is to add two years to the present 10 years of basic education starting school year 2011-12. Second, to provide universal pre-school for all. All public school children will have pre-schooling as their introduction to formal schooling in 2016.
Third, to provide a full basic Madaris education for all Muslim Filipino children. In out pluralist society, we must inculcate appreciation for each others' culture and value systems, he notes.
Fourth, to provide technical vocational education as an alternative stream in the senior year of secondary school, considering that half of student population at that level are expected to seek alternative employment.
Fifth, to ensure that every child is a reader by Grade 1, after having gone through pre-school.
According to P-Noy, at the core of non-learning problems among children is the inability to read.
Sixth, to strengthen science and mathematics proficiency starting Grade 1. He plans to do this by building a culture of science through science and math clubs movements and science fairs, among others. He cites embarrassing statistics on school performance in this area and notes that our country's competitiveness depends on our will to upgrade our competencies in science and technology.
Seventh, assistance to private schools by expanding government assistance to students and teachers in private schools.
Eight, rationalize the medium of instruction. He agrees with the UNESCO study regarding the effectiveness of the use of the mother tongue as the medium of instruction in the early years - from pre-school to Grade 3. At the same time, English and Filipino will be taught as subjects. Starting Grade 4 and onwards, English should be the medium for science and mathematics. This is a shift from bilingual to trilingual policy. .
Ninth, to upgrade the quality of textbooks; and Tenth, to sign a covenant with the local governments as partners in educational reforms. LGUs will therefore be asked to build more schools, especially in places where there are no public or private schools. LGUs will provide the land in this venture. He cites examples of effective collaboration between private institutions and LGUs in this regard.
The philosophy behind P-Noy's 10-step formula is that by "fixing education, we are able to fix the long-term problems of the country. My email is florangel.braid@gmail.com
