I grew up complaining and complaining about stuff. I always looked at the Philippines as a hopeless case. I hated studying the Tagalog subject--which was mandatory by the DepEd. I was told, "Look lazy bum! If you want to make the Philippines a better place--study harder!" In college, I began to apply myself more seriously even if I didn't graduate summa cum laude. I felt a sense of achievement when I won a commerce award for making an outstanding difference. What I never thought was that during the practicum--it was working smart and not working hard. Sure, hard work is there but smart work allows more hard work to be done at a better pace. Not long after, I took my MBA course but it was also at that time, I was scammed. I discovered I wasn't alone in being scammed--many MBA students were scammed during the same time I was scammed!
However, what I discovered was the problem of saying, "Your grades will determine your future!" It was typical in Philippine schools where teachers would say it either in English, Tagalog, or the local dialect, "With grades like those, why don't you just take HRM?" HRM means hotel and restaurant management. Today, it's called hospitality management. It was a course I dreaded taking back in high school. Today, I still feel the burden I never took that course. I started befriending people in the HRM course, known today as Hospitality Management. Even back then, one classmate of mine said, "The chef's salary is not a small thing!" However, is it or is there a toxic mindset against menial workers here in the Philippines (read here)?
There's one question--is education really the solution that Filipinos need? During the pandemic, I started looking back at education. Was the education really worth it? I wanted to take a doctorate but decided not to. I started reading Warren Buffett out of boredom. I opened a GCash account to buy shawarma from Shawarma Gourmet. I discovered GInvest and found several funds I could invest. I remember having a financial conference during my MBA days. What wasn't really taught was that anybody can invest in stocks through an index fund or any equity fund. I used GCash to invest in GInvest. Now, I'm currently invested in the world market via GInvest. Filipinos can now invest in the world market, such as the use of the ATRAM Global Equity Feeder Fund or other related funds on GInvest.
Study hard, right? Above is a diagram that shows the problem of the education system. Unfortunately, this is the truth about education. It's not the fault of the teachers but the system. The education system can be described as dull and boring. There's the mentality people have, "If you're having fun, you're not learning." Schools can be described as outdated as ever. Recalling my student life, I wrote asking the question if the Philippines is automating or educating students. In Chinese-Filipino schools (where Chinese education became so robotic for some time), a Chinese language teacher (often called siansi, Hokkien for teacher) would often talk about Mencius and Li Bai. I still remember how a Chinese language teacher even asked, "So what did your mother say that you don't want to go to school anymore?" It was during those times I kept getting mad and wanted to quit school. Fortunately, I had a Miriam Defensor-Santiago-type teacher riding on my back during that time. This teacher, stern as she was, wanted to see even the worst students make it.
As I discussed this and that with people after the pandemic, I said, "The teachers just do what's assigned to them." How often is it that the system is blamed (read here)? I remember how often my MDS-style teacher got blamed, how often my Margaret Thatcher-type teacher got blamed, never mind that they were just doing their job. When I mentioned I refused to apologize to the teacher because I hated mathematics back then. I was told that the teacher didn't invent mathematics but she was just doing her job. All of that traces back to the system itself. Schools in the Philippines are required to follow what the DepEd (known as DECS back then) says. Sadly, the Philippines also bought the Prussian education system, and Johann Gottlieb Fitche even said that the aim of education is to destroy free will. Worse, you've got parents getting mad that their children are like robots. Well, isn't it that the school is teaching children to be robots? A good example is mathematics class where students are working with numbers, without knowing their application. That's why it's typical in mathematics class to say, "When am I going to use this?" The teacher is often made to say, "Well, it's required and just study it." Even my good mathematics teacher was powerless against the system she had to follow.
Can we really expect Filipino students to do better by studying harder? The more I read of the discouraging news of Filipino students' low literacy (and social media and blog comments show it a lot)--the more I'm convinced that something is wrong! The Philippines should've entered K+12 decades ago--not just during the late former president Benigno Simeon C. Aquino III's term! What I remember was how often the Filipino First Policy was taught in Values Education (read here). Never mind that the classroom was full of imported equipment, that none of the PCs used during computer class were imported, and that international economics is part of life! We're often told that buying imported products will just benefit foreigners--never mind that the schools were built using foreign equipment. Never mind that the propaganda films were filmed using imported equipment. Then again, I can expect them to say, "Well, we have no choice but to use imported equipment, because foreigners own the means to produce them! (read here)."
What even bothers me is that even honor students from hard-to-enter schools, can be that foolish with real life (read here)! Take Rep. Raoul Manuel of Kabataan (Youth) Partylist who says untrue things about FDI. Can Manuel even prove with studies that FDI will only benefit the oligarchs? The same goes for several economic graduates from schools like Ateneo De Manila University (ADMU) and the University of the Philippines (UP). I'm getting disappointed looking at how some people who studied hard to get good grades, are now giving nonsense statements that should deserve a failing grade in economics. However, with our current system, can we really trust the education system that puts more emphasis on grades over learning (read here)? Even worse, they haven't truly addressed how our current Filipino First Policy is doing badly in job creation for Filipinos.
This would also be a consequence of the protectionist education system. People can say that poor people can't afford the schools. That's why I always stressed the need for easing excessive equity restrictions on FDI. The Philippines may not ban FDI completely but certain provisions in the 1987 Constitution of the Philippines, need to be corrected. The 1987 Constitution of the Philippines may not be the worst but it's certainly not the best. Believing it to be "the best constitution" has only allowed errors to persist. If there were more jobs then salaries are bound to increase (read here). It's because when the demand for labor goes up (due to more job providers)--the supply for labor (which is the workers) will eventually go down. When supply is down and demand is up--the cost of labor has to go up! That's why first-world countries have higher salaries. It's because there are more job opportunities. In turn, more people can afford to enroll in foreign-owned schools if more people have jobs. Local schools will either need to evolve or to perish. If there will be joblessness due to local companies closing down--it's not the fault of FDIs but their refusal to evolve.
If the Philippines wants better education--it should discard Pinoy Pride Economics or the Filipino First Policy out of the window. Instead, the Philippines should learn from other countries' success in their education system. Please, the Philippines is never meant to be isolated from the rest of the world, as a "unique and special nation". Instead, the Philippines is meant to be a global player. People who still think like that should prepare to apply citizenship for either North Korea or Venezuela.