THE MASTER TEACHER!
This article is taken from THE INQUIRER newspaper!
Commentary
‘A Tribute To Teachers’
MANILA, Philippines -- Today 15,000 teachers will gather at the Araneta Coliseum to celebrate the nobility of being a teacher. Over the years the face of the Filipino teacher has not changed. They are underpaid and overworked, and yet they are tasked to form the foundation of our future -- by educating the Filipino youth.
Ours is a culture that puts little value on the teaching profession. Even teachers themselves seem to acknowledge this by adopting a “teacher lang” attitude, when in fact, it is the only profession that has a hand in shaping the nation’s future. Future leaders, businessmen, entrepreneurs, home-based professionals, all have their teachers to thank for their education.
Our teachers carry a heavy burden, in their hands lie the formation of the hearts and minds of the youth while they themselves have to embody the values and principles that they teach. Though far from perfect, we have many teachers who silently fulfill this task without asking for recognition or attention.
Teachers who put the country above themselves and their families to protect our votes; teachers who walk kilometers each day to reach their students who are waiting in their makeshift classrooms to learn; teachers who share their own meager salaries with students who cannot afford to buy books, pencils or food; teachers who act as second parents to abused, neglected students seeking love and attention not provided in their homes; teachers who have chosen to stay in the profession despite other better offers abroad or locally because they uphold the greater return of an inspired and educated youth. They are the “Filipino teacher” who lives for the benefit of her students.
Giving due recognition is one thing, but to enable policy changes to effect the needed upgrading of standards for our teachers is another. How can we improve the quality of our education system when the very basic issue of compensation for teachers cannot be settled? The private sector has not been remiss in its duties to uplift the quality of education; in fact it makes sure that its efforts support the Department of Education’s programs and policies. But the education department’s frequent change of leadership has made it difficult for the agency to follow through and maintain its programs
What is more alarming is that the education crisis is not even about just public schools anymore but private schools as well. Only a number of top-tier private schools can be labeled as successful, with the remaining private schools having to contend with students shifting from private to public and the lack of policy support.
Education expert Mario Taguiwalo and former Education Secretary Florencio “Butch” Abad contend that the reform process in our education system is essentially political and it is important to recognize it as such.
Private sector resource mobilization efforts, such as the 57-75 campaign, are commendable and are steps toward creating a deeper awareness of -- and triggering -- structural changes in education. But the key still lies in the leadership and reform process within the education department.
Much still needs to be done, but we should celebrate our victories -- the things that give us hope, that allow us to strive harder and aim higher. Our teachers are one of them.
The Philippines is highly respected in the specialized field of robotics. In the World Robotics Olympiad held in China last year, our students competed against the best of the best among 16 countries. We won the Gold Medal in the Open category for the First Asia Institute of Technology and Humanities in Tanauan City, Batangas, and the Best Team Spirit for Grace Christian High School.
Mylene Abiva of FELTA Multi-media -- organizers of the Philippine Robotics Olympiad -- said that the Philippines is indeed making a name for itself in the field of robotics.
The Department of Science and Technology is taking this on as a project for the youth. It takes a different skill set -- one that involves creativity and innovation -- EQ rather than IQ. It goes to show that there are other, more critical areas wherein which our youth can excel. More than just creating batches of American-accented English speakers for call centers, we can still venture into other areas that tap the resourcefulness and creativity of our youth.
This is the time for us to work hand-in-hand with our teachers to discover new areas of congruence, new solutions to old problems. It is time for us to thank them for the years of educating our children, for being role models and inspiring hope for our country.
Today we give honor to the countless, nameless heroes of our nation: our teachers.
“A Tribute To Teachers,” organized annually by the Bato Balani Foundation Inc. celebrates the nobility of the teaching profession. It also gives recognition, through the program “Many Faces of the Teacher,” to some of the most outstanding educators in the country.
Ching Jorge is the director for Programs and Research of the Bato Balani Foundation Inc., a non-profit organization focused on uplifting the quality of education in the country. Email Ching at chingjorge@gmail.com.
