Case Study: Educational IssuesChoose anyone of the following suggested situations. Ask for as many volunteers (18) as are needed and give them the outline. Allow 10 minutes for the preparation. Let them act out the situation according to their own interpretation while the rest of the class will watch.
SITUATION A: A farmer tries to make his son, Palo, see the value of a College Education to learn better farming techniques. But the boy has no intention of working on the farm. He prefers to take an “easy” course in an institution in the town which will grant him a diploma after four years as long as he pays his tuition. His younger brother and sister take his side because they want to finish high school and need his support. (4 Characters needed). SITUATION B: Maria’s parents cannot afford to send her to school, and her mother is trying to convince her that the important thing is to live a good Christian life, saying that there are many good people in the town who have little formal education. The father, however, who often listens to the radio, is not at all sure that this is enough for his daughter in today’s society. (3 Characters needed). SITUATION C: Clarita’s mother and father are making plans for her education. Her mother is ambitious and would like to send Clarita to an exclusive and prestigious school in the city to take up ACCOUNTANCY Course (or any course that best applies to the class). Her father disagrees maintaining that Clarita who has special talent in dressmaking should be asked what are her plans for her own education to develop best her talents and skills. (5 Characters needed). SITUATION D: Two teachers are riding in a jeepney on their way home from school. It is obvious from their conversation that one thinks of teaching as a vocation, the other as an obligation (job-oriented). The first tells how busy she is, giving attention to slow learners, and talking to their parents. The other is contented so long as his pay arrives on time. Other commuters react … a student, a parent, and the jeepney driver. (5 or 6 Characters needed). Discussion and Processing of feedback or reaction. Focus on key reactions which emphasize particular aspects of one or other suggested situation. If all four situations are used possible ideas will be: a.) A diploma is not enough of a guarantee of education. b.) Education in agriculture and technology is essential for the development of the country. c.) The obligation of the older members of the family towards the younger in terms of support may prove a heavy burden. d.) Education is not always a matter of going to school. e.) Parents and children should discuss their ideas on education. f.) Different people have different talents to develop and need different education. g.) Not all teachers are really interested in education. h.) Being a teacher is more than the job in the classroom. i.) Because of financial worries some teachers are not fully interested in their students. Project/Activity/Requirement: Group the students. Ask each group to conduct an interview or research on Jesuit Education in AdDU (goal, purpose, mission and meaning of Jesuit Education) Distribute the different sectors in AdDU to each group (eg. Teaching staff, non-teaching staff, SBG students – first, second, third and fourth year, NURSING students - first, second, third and fourth year, SAS students - first, second, third and fourth year, Blue Collar workers, and administrators) Other Cases on Educational Aspirations Conditions of Philippine Education (Center for Strategic Studies, http://www.css.org.ph) a.) Out of every 100 Filipino school-children entering first grade, only 68% will reach grade 6; only 66% of them will graduate and complete their elementary education (NSO); b.) Of the 66%, 58 of these enter high school and only 43 are able to finish secondary; c.) Of the 43, only 23 go on to college and only 14 graduate with a university degree. (NSO) d.) Government needs to build 45,000 new classrooms to achieve an ideal ratio of 45 students per classroom. At present, to cope with shortage of classrooms, gov’t implements the “double-shifting” scheme among public schools; e.) There is a shortage of more than 10,000 teachers in public schools (DepEd) f.) Migration of teachers abroad. Public Schools Teachers who remained in the country are questionable in terms of competence; g.) Transfer of private school students to public schools due to high cost of tuition fees; h.) 17.8M students enrolled in government-run elementary and high schools; 2.2 M students enrolled in private schools (Sy 2006-2007) i.) With 95 per cent of all elementary students attending public schools, the educational crisis in the Philippines is basically a crisis of public education. The wealthy can easily send their offspring to private schools, many of which first-class education to the privileged class of pupils. j.) . "The quality of Philippine education has been declining continuously for roughly 25 years," said the senior DepEd official. Describing the quality of Philippine school education today, he stated the following: "Our schools are failing to teach the competence the average citizen needs to become responsible, productive and self-fulfilling. We are graduating people who are learning less and less." The educational problems are structural in nature. Propositions for reform, among others, include the following: taking teachers out of elections, establishing a nationwide testing system, preserving private schools, raising subsidies for a voucher system. k.) Reportedly, at last count more than 17 million students are enrolled in this country's public schools. "We can't build classrooms fast enough to accommodate" all these people, said the DepEd Undersecretary, who also recalled the much lamented lack of teachers, furniture and teaching materials. In short, there are too little resources for too many students. In this situation, logically, there exist only two strategic alternatives: either, one increases the resources, which is easier said than done considering the dramatic state of public finances, or one reduces the number of students. This second alternative presupposes a systematic population policy, aimed at reducing the number of births considerably. ([email protected]) |
1. What is education really? Whose concern should it be?
2. What should be a true and authentic education? |