Future on Deathbed

Deprive one of hope and watch their dreams deteriorate into demise. As the quality of education in the Philippines continues to decline, students are forced into a succumbing state, as if preparing them for an irrevocable rejection.

Recently, social media was filled with overwhelming criticisms of state universities supported by the Free Tuition Fee Law for admitting wealthy students instead of the students from the poorer social sectors. The term ‘burgis’ that originated from the French word ‘bourgeoisie’ became popular and was used to label the middle-class and upper-class students from the state universities. 

With grades from the previous years in the academe and entrance examination as the determining factors for state university admissions, do the students, especially those who came from public schools, stand a fighting chance against the ‘burgis,’ now that the gap on accessing quality education continues to expand?

In a study titled “The Difference in Academic Performance of Private and Public Elementary School Graduates,” findings have shown that students who graduated from private schools outperformed those who have graduated from public schools. Unfortunately, the battle is no longer just about the limited access to learning resources but also about the kind of education that is being offered, far from what every Filipino youth deserves.

According to the World Bank, 9 out of 10 Filipinos at the age of 10 are unable to read and understand a simple age-appropriate text. The Philippines, out of 122 countries, held the longest school closure due to COVID-19 despite shifting online due to unequal access to resources.

If the gap has always been huge and was intensified, is it still fair to have the same standards applied to aspiring state university students coming from public and private schools?

This educational crisis can be rooted in labor education exploitation, and as the exploitation persists, the future of the children suffers. In a 2019 study by the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS), it was revealed that teachers are overworked, expecting them to have a regular full-time teaching load with a minimum of 6 hours of actual classroom instruction a day. Not to mention, they are also given administrative tasks and expected to participate in various government programs while being underpaid at the same time. Thus, the quality of education is compromised due to a lack of focus on individual student capacity, preventing them from identifying opportunities for improvement.

In 2023, former Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno proposed a national test aiming to determine who gets free education, calling the system at that time “unwieldy, inefficient, and wasteful,” following the increase in drop-out rates in state universities. However, this proposal will just increase deprivation among free tuition fee aspirants given the huge difference in the education quality enjoyed by graduates from public schools versus private schools. 

If the students are not equipped equally with the knowledge they need in the early years of their education, then why should a universal standard be applied when there is nothing else to compete for when faced with competitors who always have an edge when it comes to the rotten system?

To the people, while it is truly the government’s lapses that led to almost killing every impoverished Filipino child’s dream, we cannot dismiss the fact that there are those who take advantage of the broken system. Never hold back from calling out the unrightful beneficiaries of the Free Tuition Fee law, as this exists to make tertiary education accessible to the underprivileged and not expand the options for the rich. 

Urge the government to address the learning crisis in the country and do not hold back from reiterating—education is a basic right, not a privilege to be enjoyed by few. 

Remember that a country dominated by ignorant people is more likely to get into a vicious loop of voting leaders whose priorities continue to strip away rights that should be shared equitably, not limited.

To the government, alleviates the tasks for teachers as they exist as educators, not assistants, not attendees, and most especially, not as substitutes when there is a lack of manpower. Utilize public funds to improve the early years of education and equip students at a young age with the knowledge they need prior to entering college. Strictly impose the Free Tuition Fee law and establish a boundary that carefully selects its targeted beneficiaries while excluding those who dare to take advantage.

In a depriving educational system, one’s future is on deathbed. Whispering and maybe praying hardly for miracles, yet already knows he can do very little on his end. To a hopeless dreamer, he is leaving it all up to a divine-like entity that probably hasn’t heard yet—the government. 

Danielle Barredo is the Marketing Head of 4079 Magazine, iCommunicate's 30th Volume. A fourth-year Bachelor of Arts in Journalism student, passionate about opinion writing and is currently a graphics design intern for Inquirer.Net. She takes a strong stance on pressing issues and has recently been investing her expertise in writing environmental-related articles to urge people to fight against climate injustice.