Education Towards a Means of Livelihood

In all probability, educational preparation enhances one’s earning capacity. It is one of the most sustainable ways to address poverty. The education agenda is common to most candidates in this 2010 election campaign.

First, let’s look at tertiary education. In this globally competitive world, we should catch up with the rest of the world. The requirement for college education in most countries abroad is six years secondary education ( equivalent to our four years high school). During the last two years of secondary education abroad, it is presumed that students have taken advanced courses called general education ( the equivalent of our liberal arts education). So, by the time students enter university, the focus is already on one’s field of specialty. In most of Western Europe, the Bachelor’s degree no longer exists; after four years in the university, all students receive a Master’s degree upon graduation. If we are to promote trade and exchange of human resources in the Asean region or in the Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines - East Asia Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA), we must facilitate a “credit transfer system” in our educational systems within the Asean region. This system will make education in the Asean region comparable in terms of credits earned in our various universities in the Asean economic region.

In our country, our educational system is divided into basic education for ten (10) years, vocational or technical education and tertiary education. It is said that the last four years of our basic education is more geared towards college preparation. Unfortunately, less that fifty ( 50) per cent of those who entered grade school do not go to college. Which is why, one of the proposed educational reform agenda ( i.e. Ten Point Education Agenda of presidential bet NoyNoy Aquino 111) is to bring back technical vocational education to high school. NoyNoy says “ Half our High School graduates want to work upon graduation rather than attend university….. We need to provide a technical-vocational education alternative to better prepare students for the world of work. I will re-introduce technical-vocational education in our public high schools to better link. “

Juan Miguel Luz, former Undersecretary of the Department of Education and consultant to the Davao City School Board echoes this and he says “ we would like to create agribusiness high schools ( for agri, aqua, food processing, etc ) where these would be meaningful and appropriate….. Pass the agenda to as many teachers, principals, educators as you know and ask them to explain what it means to our parents and university students.”

Our constitution says, particularly under the article on Declaration of Principles and State Policies, our state shall….“ promote full employment.’’
This provision is akin to promoting a right to work provision. A right to work provision is not found in other constitutions of other countries. This full employment provision in our constitution is repeated in our Labor Code and therefore with the Labor Code’s Implementing Rules and Regulations, it is like making this provision ready and enforceable through our legal and judicial system. Which is why many jurists insist that economic rights are justiciable issues in the Philippines. As we are not a litigious society, the best way of promoting full employment is through a labor friendly or work friendly educational system. Now, this needs to be communicated to the public at large.

Dreaming Of A Different Reality

During this season, I have had much time for reflection and much time to myself for as the French would say, “ A life reflected is better than life itself.” I have also been in conversation with all kinds of folks : from our perfumed European guests at my Inn and with ordinary tricycle drivers who frequent our KTV garden hall to celebrate the end of hard day’s work by singing their troubles away. One common topic is the recession or hard times which is so palpably felt by all even if for many of us nothing is changed as we have always been experiencing poverty all this time, anyway. So, I end up regaling my guests with one of my favorite classic tales that I read somewhere & I like to remember when I’m stressed :

A fisherfolk was resting in a hammock under a palm tree and enjoying the
aquamarine view of the ocean & vanilla sky horizon when a Japanese tourist asked
him " WHY dont you catch more fish?
Why? asked the fisherman.
So you can build more boats, said the old Jap
& then what? asked the fisherman?
So you can buy a fleet of fishing boats, answered the Old Jap
& then what? asked the fisherman
So you can go on vacation holiday, like me.
Ah that's what Im doing already, said the fisherman.

A friend of mine has another version of the story: A farmer...taking a siesta under the tree...and world bank consultant comes around..tells him he can work to increase harvest, to earn more, to send children to school, to buy household appliances, to save time, to do the things one wants to do (other than taking a siesta)...

I may be naïve but much of the recession scare is exacerbated by media hype.
One, for example, would immediately connect the Wall Street mayhem to the drop of copra prices in these islands. The drop in copra prices has resulted to cheapened labor as most farm workers get paid in percentage share. So, labor in the rural area is as low as two dollars a day. One need not go to the uplands ( where they are better off because they have subsistence farming) because in our malls, the wage is not enough for roof and board. Needless, to say, many wage earners in malls are women as sales ladies who have to stand the whole day.

What to do in these times? The intuitive answer is to go back to basic production : plant more, produce more ( including producing more new voices from social movements, peoples organizations, organizations with corporate social responsibilities etc. ) Those who can should invest and continue to buy and sell to cushion the slowing down of markets. Development outcomes and social goals have been articulated in many documents such as the Millennium Development Goals and must go hand in hand with good governance and democratic politics. These are big words. So, let me be vernacular about some of my observations of life in these islands. In my island city, there is no decent transportation from the poblacion to the barangays. Transportation is through motorcycles, which according to the Land Transportation Office (LTO), do not conform to the standard specification of a public utility. But, the LTO cannot regulate, accordingly, because the franchising of these motorbikes has been devolved to the local governments. This hazardous transport can also be found not only in Davao City and Samal Island but also in other third world cities like Bangkok. For me, roads and transportations are women’s issues because these are used by all including children and mothers. And, there is something amiss, if only the driver of a motorbike will wear helmets. As we say, if the roads and transport systems are not safe for women and children, then they are not safe at all. One development expert is suggesting that we urge the World Bank to finance gas-powered vehicles to keep our island garden city pristine! Mumbai has very old taxicabs but because they use compact neutral gas (CNG), there is no pollution! Or maybe use electric powered pedicabs? (at least 3 wheeled).

Each of us has a stake in the survival and future of our city. The recession will result in movement of capital from expensive land and labor to cheap land and labor. So, our islands will continue to be the haven of call centers and business processing outsource entities ( BPO ) and retirement communities for expatriates. To the extent that all these will provide jobs are commendable but relocation or displacement and destruction of the environment are potential complications. We have seen how mangroves have been denuded to give way to these kind of development aggression. While sea resorts bring in the almighty dollar, access by the poor to the sea must not be impaired. This is not to say that we should be xenophobic to foreign visitors and residents as we also deploy about 10% of our mature population to almost two hundred countries in the world.