Improved quality of education in Philippine schools

The improved quality of education in Philippine schools continues to attract foreign

enrolees. In school year 2010-2011, over 19,000 foreigners enrolled in various colleges and
universities for various courses nationwide. South Koreans topped the list with 6,000, followed
by the Chinese, Iranians, and Americans. Others were Indonesians, Indians, Taiwanese,
Kuwaitis, Nepalese, Thais, Sudanese, Vietnamese, Nigerians, Ken-yans, Japanese, Pakistanis,
Timorese, and those from Myanmar.

The number of foreign enrolees increases each school year, indicating a growing
confidence in the countrys educational system. College students reportedly choose to study here
largely due to the standard of teaching, good curriculum, and skilful teachers. They do not find it
hard to assimilate with Filipinos, who are known for their warmth and hospitality, and easily
adapt to the countrys culture and norms. In many campuses, it is not uncommon to see Filipino
and foreign students together in many activities. The Philippines is an English-speaking nation,
and this augurs well for students who wish to learn and speak the language. Tuition in many
schools is lower than in other countries.

After graduation, a number of foreigners stay and work here. Some marry Filipinos and raise a
family in the Philippines. Others do business in the country. Young South Koreans also topped
the list of enrolees in elementary and high school and short-term courses. In the previous school
year, there were 26,823 South Koreans issued special study permits (SSP) by the Bureau of
Immigration. They were followed by Japanese, Indians and Chinese nationals. The SSP is
different from the student visa or 9(f) visas issued to a foreigner taking up tertiary education in a
Philippine college or university.

The government sees an increase in the number of foreign enrolees for the coming school
year, because of the continuing efforts of Philippine schools to upgrade their facilities, retrain
teachers, promote safety in campuses, and make the academic environment a conducive learning
place for all students, including foreigners.

More than 26,000 foreigners are currently studying in various schools throughout the
country with South Koreans topping the list, according to the Bureau of Immigration.
Immigration Commissioner Ricardo David Jr., in a statement, disclosed that more than 17,000
college enrolees accounted for the bulk of the foreign students while the rest were studying in
elementary and high school or taking short-term language courses.
David said those enrolled in college are holders of student visa while elementary and highschool students are issued special study permits (SSPs). He explained that both the student visa
and SSP are issued by the BI to qualified foreign students pursuant to Section 9(f) of the
Philippine Immigration Act.
The BI chief cited the increasing number of foreigners studying here as proof that the
Philippines is fast emerging as a major educational hub in the Asia-Pacific region. The fact
that more and more foreigners are opting to study here is testament to the improving standard
and quality of education provided by the countrys learning institutions, David said.
BI student desk chief, lawyer Grace Gaudelyn, said that of the 17,087 foreigners who
applied for student visas from July 2010 to June this year, 12,806 are old students while 4,281
are newcomers. She explained that foreign students are still considered tourists; thus, they are
required to update their stay as temporary visitors while studying in the country.

Lara said that South Koreans, numbering 11,612, topped the list of the foreign students, followed
by 3,961 Chinese and 3,225 Iranians.
Under existing BI rules, only schools or language centers accredited by the BI are authorized to
admit foreigners for enrollment. There are 104 schools and learning institutions nationwide
accredited by the BI.

Accessibility, Affordability & Quality of Philippine Education

By: Dr. Renato G. Mabunga
On Accessibility and Affordability

Various studies on the current student dropout rates show that of the 10 pupils entering
grade 1, 66% would eventually finish grade six; 43% would graduate high school; and, only 20%
would successfully finished college. Of the statistics, there is a stark 80% of the 55 million
considered out of school youth or 57% unable to fully access the right to education in the
Philippine today. One major reason for this is poverty.

The latest report released by the National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB) pegged
the Philippine poverty incidence at 20.9% in 2009. In such situation, a Filipino needs Php974
monthly to meet his/her food needs and Php1,403 to stay out of poverty; a family of six has a
daily and monthly requirement of Php277 and 8,421, respectively. For the National Capital
Region (NCR) however, a family of 6 needs to earn Php9,901 monthly or Php326 daily to live
above the poverty threshold. This means that the government demands each Filipino to live with
Php41.25 a day. This computation is based on the Refined Official Estimation Methodology

series of 2006 as demanded by the Executive Order 352. This methodology defines poverty
threshold, as the cost of minimum basic needs, food and non-food; and, the poor is as those
whose income fall below the official poverty threshold defined by the government. In April
2011, the Social Weather Station (SWS) survey revealed, some 20.5 percent of Filipinos or
about 4.1 million families are going hungry while more Filipinos are considering themselves
poor.

A family of six in the NCR with a monthly minimum wage of Php11,076 (Php404
minimum wage + Php22 ECOLA as approved in May 2011 x 26 working days) will spend
almost 64% for food alone and the remaining 36% will be subdivided among healthcare, rentals
(including housing), water, electricity, clothing and education among others. It was estimated
that in the first quarter of 2011, 51% of the population considered themselves poor. Though
basic education is provided free, essential needs such as food, shelter, clothing plus
transportation and other incremental expenses in schools made it unaffordable for many.

Another issue on the accessibility of right is the number and location of schools. The
Department of Education reported to have almost covered all municipalities and barangays in the
whole archipelago with 55,260 elementary and secondary schools both public and private. The
disparity in number between the two is highlighted with the gap of 34,462 schools from 44,846
elementary schools to 10,384 high schools both private and public for the school year 20092010. This is despite the officially reported teacher-pupil/student/room ratio of 1 to 36 and 1 to
38 respectively, which according to the Teachers Dignity Coalition (TDC) is actually 1 to 45 and

1 to 60 ratio for school year 2010-11. No wonder that in Metro Manila alone, three shifting of
classes are done in a day to rationalize the lack of schools/classrooms, teaching personnel, and
accommodate large number of pupils and students.

In the 2011 budget allocation, the government vows to construct school buildings and
classrooms with P12.4 billion under DepEds; while, the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT)
asserts, the country needs additional 61,343 classrooms to accommodate more than 21 million
students this year. Last November 3, 2011, the National Statistics Office (NSO) stated that there
are 6.24 million Out-of-School-Youth in the country in 2010 whose age ranges from six to 24
years old. The survey pointed to the high cost of education and the lack of interest in learning as
the main reasons.

On Quality Education:

There are three perennial problems confronting the Philippine education system when it
comes to provision of quality education, namely: teachers, classrooms and textbooks.

The September 2010 records of the Department of Education shows 500,596 teachers
employed in Public schools around the country. Each of whom receives a monthly pay of P

17,099 starting June 2011 which includes the third tranche of the P6,500 total pay increase
(released in four instalments) approved during the Arroyo administration, according to TDC. But
even with the latest pay hike, teachers could hardly feel relief after monthly deductions incurred
through the years of living below poverty line. As Congressman Antonio Tinio of Teachers
Party list representative puts it, current teachers pay does not ensure a decent standard of living
for themselves and their families. It is estimated that a family living wage in NCR is P957/day
or P21, 054 monthly.

Filipinos are known to work comfortably well with children. This shared cultural value is
best exemplified by teachers dedication in the formation of their pupils and students. It fulfils
them to see their students learning and provides them a strong sense of continuing commitment
to make all ends meet as they cope-up with the heavy workload and governments neglect. It is
this shared value which moved the then Secretary of Education Florencio Abad to conclude that
the teachers are the Philippines secret gem. They are the countrys vanguard in developing
human personality and individual talent, a sense of dignity and self-worth, and mental and
physical ability. It is however unfortunate that the long overdue attention to the developments of
teachers has impacted the quality of education in the Philippines today.

At present, a Filipino teacher is handling a class of 60 to 70 students in an average of two

shifting a day. This is way beyond the ideal teacher-student ratio of 1:25 or 1:40 governments

official standard, and, far worst to ensure a suitable condition for learning. Daily realities in
schools are cramped classrooms and makeshift classes in open spaces or gyms. Unnecessary
noises and commotions not only distract the attention of learners, they hardly make the
instructions audible. Teachers are forced to shout and exert much effort to retain control of the
situation. Handling big classes and taking charge of two or more sections and subjects also
overstretched the competencies of teachers. It demands from teachers, lengthy preparation and
mastery of topics. In totality, the condition poses problems in the management of subjects and
the total development of students. Thus, there is an urgent need for teachers continuing
trainings and best compensation package. Benjo Basas, Chairperson of TDC believes that in
order to attract the best available talents in the profession, teachers must be paid enough to live
a decent and dignified life education reform measures would fail without seriously considering
the welfare of the teachers.

The non-prioritization of teachers basic needs also mirrors the need for facilities to ensure
best condition conducive for learning. These are classrooms, chairs, instructional materials,
water and sanitation, up-to-date facilities among others. In the latest estimates of the Department
of Education, there is a shortage of 66,800 classrooms for the school year 2011-2012 based on
1:40 teacher-student ratio. This is an increase of more than 26% from last years 52,660. School
year 2010-2011 estimates the need for 3.48 million chairs, 113,951 water and sanitation
facilities. Provision of these facilities for education is very crucial in ensuring quality education.
Adding to the dismal situation in the Philippine education system is the lack of textbooks.
DepEd (SY 2010-2011) estimates 34.7 million textbook deficiency for 23.43 million students of
which 86% are in the public school system. A study conducted by a team of professors from the
University of the Philippines-Diliman also noted major errors in current textbooks, which
accordingly were evaluated by the Instructional Materials Council Secretariat (IMCS).

IMCS are supposed to evaluate manuscripts before they are published. DepEd explains
that lapses in the evaluation is primarily a result of the Republic Act 8047 or The Book
Publishing industry Act of 1996 which abolished the capacity of the department to produce and
print their own textbook for school use. It paved way to bidding process by publishing
companies which according to Socorro Pilor, Director of IMCS, have poor quality and
questionable authors capabilities. In her response to Dr. Dennis Gonzales, chairperson of the
National Book Development Board (NBDB) on the proposed removal of textbook-evaluation
function from IMCS, she opined that the problem of error-riddled textbooks is far deeper than
the secretariat. She said; the quality of textbooks used in both public and private school
systems is a reflection of the quality of authors and the publishing industry [if they] are wellequipped and capable and have competent staff there may not even the need to have
manuscripts undergo the rigorous content evaluation process. Professor Maria Serena Diokno
of UP-Diliman however, suggested, The government should set up a body composed of
specialists from the various disciplines and teachers from the ground that would formulate the
curriculum and review the textbooks.

Deficiencies in higher education in the Philippines have kept it, along with other
neighbouring countries, from growing faster and becoming more competitive, according to the
World Bank. In a study, the multilateral agency said that there remains a significant gap between
the labor requirements of companies and the quality of graduates produced by local colleges and
universities.

This gap, which has long been observed, must be addressed to maximize the potential of
higher education in boosting the economy, said Emanuela di Gropello, World Bank lead
economist and one of the authors of the study titled Putting Higher Education to Work: Skills

and Research for Growth in East Asia. The study points to the need for research that will help
bridge the gap between what employers need and what higher education institutions produce.

This gap is most apparent in the services, export, and technology-intensive sectors, the
study said.

Employers in both manufacturing and services in East Asia and the Pacific,

including the Philippines, are looking for problem-solving, communications, management and
other skills that will support higher productivity, Di Gropello said.

Also, inequality in terms of access to higher education is another problem that must be
addressed. Although the proportion of the population going to colleges and universities has
grown over the years, growth is concentrated on people belonging to higher-income households,
the World Bank economist said.

Di Gropello said measures to address the inequality should include the grant of state
scholarships and student loans. The study recommended adequate financing with help from the
private sector, improvement of management of higher education institutions, and the
enhancement of government systems that facilitate the link among higher education institutions,
employers, research institutions and training providers.

Di Gropello said increasing the public budget for higher education would not address the
problems in higher education. In fact, she said, the correlation between the amount spent on
higher education and its effectiveness is not strong. Also, the problems confronting higher
education are not peculiar to the Philippines, she said. The problem is being experienced
elsewhere in Asia, such as Cambodia, Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia.

Cost of College Education in the Philippines

How much does a Freshman need in 2011 to enter a university or a college here in the
Philippines? Below are some figures that can give you an idea. Note that these figures are
estimates based on what the author gleaned from the websites of these universities. Click on the
name of the university to see the underlying document that was used by the author for estimating
the tuition and fees.

Estimated Full-Year Tuition Fees for Incoming Freshmen

School
De La Salle University (DLSU)
De La Salle College of Saint Benilde (DLSCSB)
Ateneo de Manila University (AdMU)
Mapua Institute of Technology (MIT)
St. Scholasticas College (SSC)
University of Santo Tomas (UST)
Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila (PLM)
Medicine
Ateneo de Davao University (AdDU)
Far Eastern University(FEU)
Colegio de San Juan de Letran

Cost Per
Terms 2010-2011 2011-2012
Unit
P2,289.50
3
P188,881.00
P2,114.00

P187,500.00

P2,886.00
P1,454.00
P1,642.00
P1,683.33

2
4
2
2

P1,995.10

P84,108.00

P870.45
P2,066.95
P947.65

2
2
2

P79,798.9
P74,410.26
P70,880.96

P144,701.90
P137,084.00
P92,313.68
P89,041.61
-

Pacific InterContentinental College (PIC)

Adamson University (AdU)
University of Perpetual Help System Dalta
(UPHSD)
Trinity University of Asia (TUA)
Global City Innovative College (GCIC)
University of the Philippines Dilliman (UPD)
University of the Philippines Los Baos
(UPLB)
Holy Angel University (HAU)
University of the Philippines Manila (UPM)
International Academy of Management &
Economics (IAME)
Riverside College
Far Eastern College Silang
Silliman University (SU)
St. Theresas College Cebu (STCC)
University of the Philippines Mindanao
(UPMin)
University of the Philippines Baguio (UPB)
University of the Philippines Pampanga (UPP)
University of the Philippines Visayas (UPV)
La Salle University (LSU)
West Visayas State University (WVSU)
Holy Cross of Davao College (HCDC)
Pampanga Agricultural College (PAC)
Jose Rizal Memorial State University (JRMSU)
Philippine Normal University (PNU)

P1,994.44
P1,882.16

2
2

P70,000.00
P67,757.80

P1,323.70

P65,523.16

P994.82
P1,503.75
P1,500.00

2
2
2

P55,189.76
P54,135.00
P49,000.00 P49,000.00

P1,500.00

P49,000.00 P49,000.00

P966.53
P1,500.00

2
2

P48,927.00
P48,900.00 P48,900.00

P700.00

P770.20
P800.00
P842.25
P741.30

2
2
2
2

P44,979.58
P44,970.00
P42,112.50
P38,576.80

P1,000.00

P33,280.00 P33,280.00

P1,000.00
P1,000.00
P1,000.00
P440.15
P340.00
P401.35
P107.50
P173.00
P120.00

2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2

P32,810.00
P32,810.00
P32,810.00
P12,978.00
P7,570.00

P47,600.00

P32,810.00
P32,810.00
P32,810.00
P31,735.20
P21,090.00
P20,161.84
P14,000.00
P12,978.00
-

The data above gives you an idea of the cost of college education in the Philippines today.
How much will it be in the future? If you have a new born child whom you wish to send to a topnotch university in 16 years, how much should you set aside for his college tuition and fees?
For example, your child will go to De La Salle University (DLSU) for a four-year course.
Typically, a university will petition the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) for an
increase in tuition and fees every year. If we assume that the rate hike is around 10% per year,
this is what well get:

Age
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22

Year
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025
2026
2027
2028
2029
2030
2031
2032
2033

Projected Tuition & Fees

P188,881.00
P207,769.10
P228,546.01
P251,400.61
P276,540.67
P304,194.74
P334,614.21
P368,075.63
P404,883.20
P445,371.52
P489,908.67
P538,899.54
P592,789.49
P652,068.44
P717,275.28
P789,002.81
P867,903.09
P954,693.40
P1,050,162.74
P1,155,179.02
P1,270,696.92
P1,397,766.61
P1,537,543.27