ROXAS: ONLY 65 OUT OF 100 FINISH GRADE 6; 43 FROM HIGH SCHOOL
PUSHES IMMEDIATE APPROVAL OF REFORMS IN EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM

Liberal President Senator Mar Roxas today stressed the importance of reforming the country's educational system as he noted worsening graduation and literacy rates among students in public schools nationwide.

"Lumalala ang lagay ng edukasyon sa ating bansa. Taon-taon, nakikita natin ang pagdami ng mga batang hindi nakakapag-enrol dahil sa kahirapan at iba pang dahilan. Importanteng magawan natin ng solusyon ang problemang ito ngayon na. (Our country's education system is growing worse. Every year, we see more and more students unable to enroll because of poverty and for other reasons. It is important that we solve this problem now)," he said..

He cited studies which he made showing that out of 100 students who enroll in grade 1, only 65 finish grade 6. The graduation rate for high school students is lower at 43%.

He also noted that of those who finish the elementary level, only 23% fully comprehend what they were taught during their six years primary schooling. On the other hand, of those who finish the four-year high school level, only 16% achieve the required mastery of Math, 7% have mastery of English and only 2% have Science mastery.

"Dahil hindi sapat ang mga natututunan nila sa eskuwelahan, hindi rin sapat ang kaalaman nila para maging epektibo sa trabaho. (Because what they learned in school is not enough, their skills are likewise insufficient for them to find good-paying jobs)," he said.

The Ilonggo senator said government should now pursue educational reforms to address the worsening state of the education sector and pushed for immediate Senate approval of his proposed Omnibus Education Reform Act of 2008.

"Education is the great equalizer. Kahit saan ka man ipinanganak, lumaki ka mang nag-uulam ng asin, kapag grumaduweyt ka, pantay-pantay na dapat ang lahat. Ngunit hindi ito ang nangyayari. Palpak ang sistema ng edukasyon. Hindi nito binibigyang katuturan ang paghihirap ng ating mga magulang. (Wherever you were born, even if you grew up eating salt and rice as a meal, graduating puts you at an equal footing. But that is not the case now because the educational system is a failure. It does not justify our parents' sacrifices)," he said.

"Kailangan na nating baguhin ang ating sistema. Ngayon na. (We have to change the system now.) Education is a long-term commitment. The more we delay reforms, the less competent our children will be in an increasingly competitive arena," he also said.

The proposed bill requires the Department of Education to come up with a 10-year Strategic Education Reform Program and to impose performance standards, to be measured through a diagnostic test to be administered to students who have completed Grades 3 and 6 to help teachers identify those needing learning assistance prior to their entry to the next grade level.

The other salient provisions of the bill includes:

• Mandating the use of the mother tongue or the language first learned by the child and used at home, as the medium of instruction for Grades 1, 2, and 3. Filipino and English will be taught as separate subjects;

• Establishment of a mandatory in-school feeding program for Grades 1 and 2;

• Electives will be offered to equip students with knowledge and skills to help them pursue further studies or find jobs; and

• Intensive training and upgrading programs for teachers. A training program on training methods using the mother language for teachers in Grades 1 to 3; and advancement courses for English, Science and Math teachers who are not majors in these subjects.

"Gagawin ko ang lahat para maipasa ang Omnibus Educational Reform Act bago matapos ang Kongresong ito. Awareness is key. Kailangang malaman ng tao ang mga problema sa sektor ng edukasyon at kailangang malaman din nila na may magagawa tayo para solusyunan ito. (I will do everything to ensure the passage of the Omnibus Education Reform Act before this Congress adjourns. Awareness is key. The people should be made aware of the problems in the system and they should know that we can do something to solve these problems)," he said.