Philippine: Education in Shambles

April 22nd 2010 - According to the Alliance of Concern Teachers (ACT), the President of the Philippines, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has failed to do her job as the primary teacher and role model to the nation despite her own claims of boosting more than 3,000 new classrooms.  She mentioned that new taxes were put into place for a better health care system and stronger education system. According to her State of the Nation Address (SONA) speech,

We will work to increase tax effort through improved collections and new sin taxes to further our capacity to reduce poverty and pursue growth. Revenue enhancement must come from the Department of Finance plugging leaks and catching tax and customs cheats. I call on tax-paying citizens and tax-paying businesses: help the BIR and Customs spot those cheats

A student protest the rising tuition as the State of Education has failed Families, students and teachers

These regressive taxes do not help the Filipino people as the majority indulge in “sin”ful activities because they are despaired and poverish from their current condition of low standards of livings.  Majority of those in the Provinces send their kids to cities to get an education only to find out that their children can not use the knowledge they acquired despite forking over their life-savings or going in debt from borrowing.  Many even end up leaving the country because of the lack of opportunities and face tough challenges and abuses because the Philippines can not even offer its own people a way out of poverty.

According to Ken Ramos, The chair of ANAKBAYAN and 5th nominee to the Kabataan Partylist, “In the national budget, only 14 percent is allotted for education. This means that only P6.80 is allotted for every student studying in SUCs per day. This is very small because international standards recommends at lest 20 percent of the composition of the national budget.”  Ramos said Kabataan Partylist and its member organizations are challenging all politicians running this May Elections to initiate reforms in the education system. He also blamed the present administration for the continuing deterioration of the education.  The PUP administration had earlier planned to increase the tuition in the state university from the present P12 per unit to P200, or nearly 1,700 percent increase.

The Alliance for Teacher’s Concerns Reportcard:

Access to Education: Fewer Children are enrolling in basic Education. Over 3 million students between the ages of 6- 15 are not enrolled. Enrollment growth in Elementary School and High School have remained Stagnant since 2003 – something not seen in previous administrations.

Kabataang Makabayan

 

Kabataang Makabayan

PHOTO DU JOUR

A muni bus shelter displaying the letters “K M” at night.  KM stands for Kabataang Makabayan or patriotic youth in tagalog.

The History of KM

The Kabataang Makabayan (KM) which was founded on November 30, 1964, arouses, organizes and mobilizes a wide section of the youth and students sector for the revolutionary cause. A major contribution of the KM is its relentless disposition of its members in the countryside to help build organs of political power and conduct important revolutionary work. It is constantly engaged in building and consolidating revolutionary chapters in schools and communities. 

KM was driven underground by the Marcos dictatorship under his decree of martial law to maintain the bourgeoisie rule at a time when workers and peasants were organizing for their basic rights.  KM, which is composed mainly of youth and students was declared illegal.  Those who were caught in KM were tortured and those who were suspected were accused of being enemies to the state.  Families and friends were threatened to any members known or suspected to be in KM.  A dark period had blanketed the Philippines in Marcos’ reign of terror.  With the leadership of KM, many students were able to mobilize with the broad masses to bring Marcos’ terror to an end.  People Power I will forever be remembered.  Today, President GMA,  is targeting legal mass organizations and labeling them terrorists without justification.  Her attempts to silence the masses is a slap in the face to human rights. The  jailing, kidnapping, extrajudicial killings of progressive lawyers, teachers, mass leaders, vocal women and students, unions, workers and peasants, as will as church leaders will continue to be documented, ridiculed, and condemned by the people.

The real heroes of the people have been fighting for their rights.  The real terrorist of the people have been silencing them.  

Kabataang Makabayan, in its historic role as the vanguard organization of Filipino youth, should know the balance of forces between imperialism and feudalism on the one hand and national democracy on the other. On the side of U.S. imperialism are the compradors and the big landlords. On the side of national democracy are the broad masses of our people, composed of the working class and the peasantry to which the vast majority of the Filipino youth today belong; the petty bourgeoisie, composed of small property-owners, students, intellectuals and professionals; and the national bourgeoisie, composed of Filipino entrepreneurs and trade