DepEd: "Developing God-Loving Filipinos"

I thought I would check in on the Department of Education to see how things are going. Education comes up on so many troublesome issues as an important solution. How is DepEd doing with technology in the classroom? What is the curriculum looking like? How are they dealing with the demands of K-12 expansion?

 My first stop with a government agency is always the official web site, because it says so much. Here is how my scan went, roughly:

• Cool look. There's a note that says the site is in beta so have patience. No problem. It has a slide show at the top and rolling news headlines. Clean. Good-looking.

• There are several tabs or major sections at the top: Home, About DepEd, Programs, Issuances, Resources, News, Procurement, Support. That is straightforward.  There are three major topics at the bottom: Transparency, Bureaus and Offices, and Related Agencies (links to DOST, CHED and TESDA).

• The "Transparency" page is blank, a work in progress.

• In looking for a plan, I found "10-Point Education Agenda" under the "Programs" tab. Here are the major headings for the 10 points, along with some reactions:

1. A 12-year basic education cycle. Programs are (a) curriculum development, (b) legislative liaison, (c ) research studies, (d) advocacy and (e) transition management. Interesting that there are the two political aspects of (b) and (d).  And (e) is a big deal, but there is no link to relevant information. What are the issues and successes I wonder?

2. Universal Pre-schooling for all. Universal kindergarten with a budget allocation of P2.3 billion teaching (a) values, (b) PE, (c ) social and emotional development, (d) cognitive development, (e) creative arts, (f) readiness for reading & writing, and (g) literacy/communication. Cripes. All I remember from Kindergarten was playing on the slide and taking a nap. The Philippines offers a demanding program. I wonder if the kids will learn to love learning or hate it?

3. Establish the Madaris Education as a sub-system in the current education system. Education for Muslims. Separate blog topic.
    
4. Re-introduce technical and vocational education in public high schools. Techvoc curricula for Grades 11 & 12 are being developed as part of the K to 12 Program. Fantastic. Opportunities in arts, trade, agriculture and fishery for those not going to college. There are 282 techvoc high schools nationwide.

5. Every child a reader by Grade 1. Ongoing implementation. I disagree with this goal. Reading is important, but if the child is simply not ready yet, we are forcing him to be a "failure". Too much demand for achievement can teach the wrong lessons if the kid is simply not yet ready to read. I understand it is President Aquino's mandate and I know the intentions are good, but a better goal would be to teach youngsters to love learning. Then they will learn to read as soon as their developing young minds can grasp words. And they will be successes, not failures.
    
6. Improve science and mathematics. Certain schools focus on science and math: 198 high schools and 100 elementary. Ongoing training of teachers is a part of this. So what if I have a gifted child in science but he is not near one of these schools. How does he get educated? Or what if there is such a school in my neighborhood; can my kid get in if he wants in? If there is screening, what are the standards?. I need to give this more study.

7. Expand government assistance to private education. "Improving access to quality secondary education through government extension of financial assistance to deserving elementary school graduates who wish to pursue their secondary education in private schools. It is geared towards reducing class size to manageable levels in public high schools."   757,000 beneficiaries in 2012. Payment outside Manila is P5,500. Seems like a win-win-win program to me.
    
8. Use of mother-language instruction. Instructional materials in major languages (Tagalog, Ilokano, Pangasinense, Bikolano, Kapampangan, Hiligaynon, Bisaya & Waray) have been developed. Separate blog topic. Interesting. No mention of English fluency here or anywhere. If it's low priority, that's a big mistake. It must be expensive to do lessons in so many languages.

9. Better textbooks. "DepEd is continuing efforts to improve the screening and selection process of textbook evaluators.  Orientation seminars conducted for authors, publishers, editors, illustrators, book designers and other stakeholders developing textbooks and teacher’s manuals for public school use. Ongoing participation of more than 40 civil society organizations, local government units, Parent-Teacher Associations, other civic and church organizations, institutions, and foundation in the National Textbook Delivery Program." What a lot of work. I have only one question. Have you  heard of the internet?
    
10. Build more schools in cooperation with LGUs. Local governments participate in building schools, receiving reimbursement from National. A total of 17 LGUs have signed up. Sounds like a good program, a way to get out from the crushing need to provide classrooms.

I'm disappointed technology is not included anywhere in this plan. Is this 2013 or 1950? The demand on classrooms, the effort on textbooks, the limited number of high-skill teachers. There seems to be no strategy to use the internet to reduce these burdens.

Most of my professional career in business was engaged in doing planning work. To do a proper plan, you have to be brutally honest. You can't play politics or paste over deficiencies. You need to put them on the table and work on them.

That's what I'm missing from the DepEd web site. Call it honesty; the candor, the transparency, if you will, of acknowledging these burdens. The web site is too much a self-promotional puff piece.

Where is the metric, for instance, of "average number of children per classroom"? Where is the rating of "overall teacher quality"? Without clear, frank goals, how do you develop programs that address deficiencies?

What about the demands of moving to K-12? How is it going? What are the problems and how are they being handled?

The web site highlights transparency. What does this mean to DepEd? That you hide the negatives and puff up the positives?

Then I got stopped dead in my tracks. I went to the "Vision & Mission" sub-heading under "About DepEd".

Here's what I read. I'm afraid it turned me completely negative.

• The DepEd Vision. By 2030, DepEd is globally recognized for good governance and for developing functionally-literate and God-loving Filipinos.

"God-loving"? Are you kidding me? Of all the priorities we envision for nurturing young minds, this is what we want? What about science and technology? What about probem-solving and innovation? What about healthy esteem and confidence and teaching the mind to soar?

I have an idea! Here's a quick solution to the classroom problem. Throw out the kids of parents who are not sufficiently God loving. Haven't been to church for at least three Sundays this month? Expel the heathen brat.That's the way you do it. Certainly don't bother with those riff-raff atheists and their wild-ass idea that rational thought is a virtue.

This DepEd is the governmental unit that teaches Filipino values, eh?

How about teaching the value of "freedom of religion" in its big, wholesome, inclusive sense. How about teaching big ideas instead of small ideas. How about grasping that opening kids up to the big world, in all its colors and complexities and deficiencies, is better than channeling them into narrow authoritarian like-think that says "this is what you are supposed to be".  How about teaching kids to explore the whole world and find the path that is right for them.

How about teaching innovation instead of obedience.

People wonder why the Philippines does not have many entrepreneurs, many inventors, many problem solvers. I'll tell you why. Because the schools teach innocent and unshaped Filipino kids to be God-loving little robots who spew back what the teacher demands they say.

Incredible.

Obedient. Subservient. Limited.

• The DepEd Mission. To provide quality basic education that is equitably accessible to all and lay the foundation for life-long learning and service for the common good.

Yada yada yada. Show me the plan.

The rest of the Web site has little useful information.

Here are some disciplines I recommend DepEd develop:

An appreciation of candor that acknowledges both strengths and weaknesses. DeEd is not running a political campaign requiring an image puff piece. This is serious business, the education of Filipino children. If we can't trust you to tell it to us straight, how can we trust you in anything? What does "transparency" mean to DepEd? These are the people who are managing TEACHERS fer cryin' out loud.

The method of metrics. You select critical metrics and work on them. Here are some ideas:

• Average number of children per classroom
• Average student achievement test scores (6th, 9th, and 11th years; also useful as information for colleges, employers, or TESDA)
• Average quality of instructor (separate blog topic)
• Average annual expense per student (excluding building construction costs)

In other words, identify the metrics that can be used to improve the learning environment, improve student achievement, improve quality of teaching, and reduce expense per child (the efficiency of teaching). If you sit down to figure out how to DO these things, all kinds of new ideas will arise. 

Trust me, if you got any group of 10th graders together to solve the problem, they'd quickly say "we need to get our instruction onto the internet".

How come DepEd can't figure this out? These are old people, right? That's my guess. Entrusted with creating a vibrant education for young people. Encrusted with intellectual arthritis.

They CAN'T DO IT. Education is as screwed up as the judiciary.

But I'm confident they are all God-loving.

Okay. Okay. Back off, Joe. Crank down the cynicism a few notches. You are way down the overbearing path here.

I'm sure a lot of good work is being done in the schools and at DepEd. I respect teachers. Most have the well-being of children in their hearts. They work hard. They are overwhelmed with too many kids in a classroom. And I'm sure the people planning school construction have a challenge. And those responsible for all the text books.

But if the very simple value-things are beyond the grasp of educators, how can they deal with the details responsibly? If educators can't grasp principles of innovation and release of the mind, how can they teach anything but how to be narrow and uninspired?

I'm afraid I don't know how to find "first class" within the Department of Education. Maybe it is a cross cultural blindness I possess. Perhaps Filipinos with more experience or knowledge can help me out. Where is the "first class" representation of Philippine education around here?

Do you think DepEd should teach Filipino children to be "God loving"? How about obedient? How about subservient? How about innovative. Mathematics? English? Computers (spreadsheets, word processing and internet)? Climate change and ecology? Civic responsibilities?

Rank the importance, one to nine, one being the most important, nine the least.

My number one would be "innovative". And "God-loving" would be off the list entirely.