MANILA, Philippines — Even before President Benigno Aquino III could deliver his report to the nation, militant teachers already gave their verdict on the administration’s first year in steering the education sector.
The Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT), on Monday gave Aquino, a failing grade for his performance in the education sector saying it has worsened over the past year, mainly due to poor education spending.
“In just one year, the Aquino administration has significantly worsened the crisis in education sector because of a lack of funding and preparation bordering on criminal negligence,” said Benjie Valbuena, ACT Vice Chair.
The group again scored the Aquino administration’s flagship education program K+12 (Kindergarten plus 12 years), which has been aiming to produce highly employable high school graduates by adding two years to the 10-year basic education cycle.
ACT believes government is unprepared to pursue the program while shortages in classrooms, teachers, textbooks, and other critical education resources continue to be unresolved.
“This present government, just like its predecessors, gives priority to other matters when it comes to the allocation of our National budget like payment of foreign debt and military budget, over the basic needs of our citizens like education,” said Valbuena.
While the President underlined education reform in his first State of the Nation Address in 2010, ACT said his administration has yet to make the grade on education leadership.
“Unless he fulfills substantial reforms like additional budget for the education sector and the realization of a nationalist, scientific and mass-oriented education curriculum, the quality of education that we want will remain to be a mere illusion,” Valbuena said.
Student councils led by the National Union of Students of the Philippines also joined protests outside the Batasang Pambansa on Monday, to slam the administration’s “empty rhetoric and token policies.”
“We mean to show what’s going on with the youth today and how policies from the previous administrations should not and must not be continued lest the people break under such policies. If this does not show him that he must change the way things are run, then we are not afraid to explore all possible means to show our discontent, ” said NUSP chair Einstein Recedes.