Government must take lead in education

AS THE government tries to strengthen public-private partnerships across sectors, an official of the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco) cautioned that such tie-ups should not be overshadowed by commercial interest, or overstep government’s role in education policy and implementation.

In a recent Unesco forum on education, Anwar al-Said, head of the Unesco education unit in Jakarta, Indonesia said the government should always be at the top of the state’s education system even while cooperating with the private sector.

“When we look at education systems, we look at them as national systems that are government controlled, directed by the government, as well as in partnerships with the private sector,” al-Said said.

“Now, any partnership between the private and public sectors should not jeopardize ownership and the leadership of the government and of the private sector. That is very important,” he told the Inquirer.

Al-Said was in the Philippines for “Education Makes News,” a journalists’ seminar on education reporting.

In an interview, he underscored the need for strong government leadership to steer the education system to attain the goals of the Unesco-initiated Education for All (EFA) by 2015, and the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) by 2016.

“Ownership—and general leadership—is very important. It should be shared and it’s the responsibility of the system itself. It cannot be led by private business,” said al-Said, adding that partnerships should be “well-balanced.”

He continued: “You have to be very, very careful (about) the sort of partnership you’re building so you would not fall into hidden agendas, so you would not surrender your system to profit-making organizations. And that’s where the role of government should be crucial.”

He cited how state-led education emerged to be the strongest systems in progressive countries like Japan, Korea, European and other first world nations.

In the Philippines, private schools are now perceived to offer better quality education than public schools, as the state education system continues to suffer shortages in resources and facilities.

The administration of President Benigno S. Aquino III announced early this year that it would tap public-private partnerships to pursue its reform agenda, including those pertaining to education.

“Any support to the education system by the private sector should be driven by an education-based vision that is a social vision rather [than] business-based,” al-Said told the Inquirer.

Al-Said called on education stakeholders to do more for education and keep a tighter watch on government’s efforts to achieve EFA and the MDGs. Both international agenda aim to provide greater access to free basic education to children of school age.

“What we would like to see in Southeast Asia is that the government, through partnerships with local authorities, provincial, district levels, work all together to achieve the EFA goals,” al-Said said.

“The more you achieve the EFA goals, the more you’re strengthening and empowering your citizens. And this is the ultimate goal—to empower the citizens of the country,” he added.