LOGOS: A Collection of Action Researches and Other Papers

L O G O S

A Collection of Action Researches & Other Papers C A R L O

V E N S O N

P E Ñ A

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EIC Training & Consultancy RNC Commercial Complex, Brgy San Carlos, Lipa City, Batangas Philippines 4217 https://eictrainingconsultancy.com/ Copyright 2018 © EIC Training & Consultancy

LOGOS: A Collection of Action Researches & Other Papers

by Carlo Venson Peña (2007-2010) All rights reserved. No part of this compilation may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system , or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying , recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the copyright owner.

Published in Philippines Editing, Layout & Design by Carlo Venson Peña

L O G O S A Collection of Action Researches & Other Papers

C A R L O

V E N S O N

P E Ñ A

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C O N T E N T S

1

UNDERSTANDING STUDENT-RELATED QUERIES AND CONCERNS: The Lyceum of Batangas University Mass Communication Programme

2

FINDING THE RIGHT CHAKRA: A Comparison of Indian and Philippine Educational Systems

3

TAKING EVERYTHING IN CONSIDERATION: Training Module on Understanding by Design

4 CROSSING THE T’S AND DOTTING THE I’S:

Report on The Hay Method of Personnel Management 5

THE BRAZILIAN FLY ON THE REDNECK’S NOSE: A Comparison of Educational Systems from the United States of America and Brazil

6

THE AMERICAN DREAM’S FINNISH FANTASIES: A Comparison of Educational Systems from the United States of America and Finland

Understanding Student-Related Queries and Concerns: The Lyceum of Batangas University Mass Communication Programme

Intelligence plus attitude is the goal of true education.

- Martin Luther King Jr.

AREA OF INTEREST As an assistant professor for the Liberal Arts and General Education Departments, and concurrent department chairman for Mass Communications, Paralegal Studies and Foreign Service, the present curricula of these courses have always posted great interest to the researcher, both as a professional and as a practitioner. Having been part of the local community media since his early college life, he has found it immensely important that the curriculum of a course, either in the fields of communications and legal studies, should be aligned to the needs that both the society and the individual heed.

Background of the Study Established in the early 1980s, the Department of Mass Communications under the College of Arts, Sciences and Education, aims for the realization of the integral development of the individual to enable him to effect changes in himself and his environment. At the end of the program selected, the student should have developed the degree of competence in his/her chosen field of specialization necessary for gainful employment or as a foundation for further training beyond the baccalaureate degree.

Course highlights for this Department include the following: (1) Students are provided with training through local and national linkages in their chosen field; (2) Laboratories provide ample in-house training for Communications in editing, broadcasting and set production; (3) Non-quota scholarship grants are provided for qualified students; (4) Departments are headed and composed of faculty members who are connected with the industry, and have Master and Doctorate degrees; and (5) Offers innovative major subjects for Communications, including hands-on broadcasting and Language Proficiency Training for Call Centers.

Training linkages for the Department include the following: ABS-CBN 2* GMA 7* RPN 9* ABC 5* Philippine Star* Bombo Radio Philippines* Daily Tribune* FBS Radio Network, Inc.* 99.1 Spirit FM* 99.9 GVFM* DWEY 104.7* Philippine Information Agency-Batangas* Journal Group of Companies* DZMM 630* International Academy of Film and Television - Cebu* STV 6 Batangas.

Features of the curriculum for the program include basic and advanced broadcasting skills for radio and television, advertising, TV and film production, development and community communications, and media management, among others.

The Department boasts of three integrated laboratories used for production and skills development. The Mass Communication Laboratory is a one-stop-shop for communication majors for their production needs.

Housed in the Laboratory are three major sections: (1) the Mass Com studio, fully equipped with stationary and movable studio lights, backdrops, dressing rooms and storage area; (2) the Mass Com Editing Booth, with houses production tapes and CDs, linear and non-linear editing equipment, video and digital cameras including their peripherals, and most of the audio-visual materials like sound slides and tapes; and (3) the student-manned campus-based radio station, 103.7 Lyceum Campus Radio, which serves as training ground for future disk jockeys, technicians, and news personnel.

Currently, enrollment has picked up for Mass Communications, with classes now comprised of around 45-50 students, compared to measly enrollments during the past few years. This may be been attributed to the influx of information and communications technology (ICT), and the improved saturation of adolescents to the media and its functions.

The Problem After the researcher took over the Department in June of 2006, several key considerations had to be addressed, including: the dwindling enrollment for Mass Communications and Paralegal Studies; and the low retention rate among old students for the aforementioned courses.

Undoubtedly, after their first year in the course, most shifted, dropped out, or transferred schools, without any indication of underlying reasons for such actions, in spite of the mandatory exit interviews conducted by the College for students who do decide to leave.

This study therefore, posts the following inquiries:

1. Why do students prefer to shift, transfer of drop out from their courses? What are the underlying reasons?

2. What enhancements could be done to amend or prevent such decisions? To what extent will the enhancement affect the Department?

The study was participative and qualitative in nature. It used three key informant groups (KIGs) representing the year-levels of Mass Communications, each with five (5) members randomly selected from each class. A set of take-off questions was used for all KIGs during the informal interviews.

METHOD Three key informant groups (KIGs) were identified from the four yearlevels of Mass Communications to act as participants in the study.

Randomly selected, these students were interviewed as a group to identify the viable reasons why some of their classmates may or have opted to shift, drop out or transfer schools. Set in an informal discussion,

and spoken mainly in the vernacular, the following take-off questions were used:

1. Why did you take up Mass Communications?

2. Describe your classmates’ attitude towards your course.

3. Why do your other classmates decide to shift, drop out or transfer?

The groups were interviewed in accordance with their availability. None of the students were also made cognizant that they were part of a study, to ensure that the information they supplied would not be undermined.

Set in a pleasant and informal conversation, the KIGS were met in places where they usually flocked as a group, like the canteen, the school library, the Mass Communications Lab, and the study lounges outside the Department.

After all informal interviews were through, the following basic answers were drawn:

(1) Most of the respondents took up Mass Communications out of interest in the course. Some of the participants intend to focus on broadcasting and become field reporters and news anchors for both radio and television. Still, some participants took up the course because their parents either have work related to communications, or have had a lifelong dream of becoming communication majors;

(2) According to the respondents, especially those in the freshman level, most of their classmates were either coerced to take Mass Communications, or were merely swayed to take the course because of friends. A good number of the freshmen, according to them, have no heart for the course, and plan to shift or drop out by the second semester of this year. Similarly, the higher-level participants found that most of the current freshmen imbibed valuations that concluded that Mass Communications is mere glamour and prestige; they believed that most of the freshmen would shift or drop out by the second semester;

(3) According to the higher-level respondents, most of their classmates who shifted, dropped or transferred to other schools had the following reasons for doing so: low financial resources, inability to adapt to the Mass Communication culture, and inability to identify themselves with the course.

Implementation of the Solution After the interviews, a consultation was then conducted with the Dean of the College of Arts, Sciences and Education to find possible alternatives to amend the problems posited by the participants.

In response to the high cost of tuition and miscellaneous fees, the Department offered a financial grant scheme for incoming freshman students of Mass Communications, among other courses under the College of Arts, Sciences and Education. Under the financial grant, students paid 25 percent less than the usual fees paid for by incoming freshmen. The scheme is good for the next two years. Meanwhile, to adapt new students to the Mass Communications culture, the department’s local student arm, the Mass Communications Students Association (MASA), launched a series of get-togethers and general assemblies for the freshmen, and opened the Mass Communications Lab as a hangout place for all Communication majors.

The third problem posited by the participants was addressed through a shift in the current curriculum that was recently approved for SY 20062007. In the old curriculum, communication major subjects were offered during the first semester of the sophomore year. Realignment was proposed for batch 2006-2007, where COMM 1, the initial major subject for Mass Communications, was offered immediately on the second semester of the freshman year. Consequently, for SY 2007-2008, another realignment ensured that freshmen had COMM 1 on their first semester under the Mass Communications program.

RESULTS Currently, the enrollment for the program is enjoying a 30 percent

increase in turnout, with the freshman class now pegged at 52 students, compared to only 36 students last year. Although sophomore classes have seen dropouts over the past year, attrition has been reduced to a mere five percent. Retention woes in the higher levels have hovered to just around two percent reductions, with virtually no dropouts during the senior year.

The introduction of major subjects as early as the first semester has prompted some incoming sophomores to think twice about shifting or transferring. Freshmen now look forward to a revitalized curriculum that offers cutting edge subjects as digital photojournalism, filmmaking and advance broadcast and advertising skills.

In general, the reaction to the realignments, among other measures enacted, was positive.

CONCLUSIONS/RECOMMENDATIONS

The results of the data gathering for the study gained the following conclusions:

1. That most of the participants and their classmates found that they shifted, dropped out or transferred to other schools because of (1) their inability to pay fees due for the course; (2) their inability to immediately adapt and adopt the culture of the course; and (3) their lack of identity towards the course;

2. That enhancements like monthly general meetings, providing hangout places, and revitalization and realignments of curriculum may be done to relieve student woes in taking Mass Communications.

The researcher recommends the following:

1. A further review of the existing curriculum should be made to ensure that it is responsive to the needs of the learners, and the heed of the industry. Curricula should be at pace with the industry that it caters to.

2. A study of the satisfaction levels towards the course may also be made.

FINDING THE RIGHT CHAKRA: A Comparison of Indian and Philippine Educational Systems

ABSTRACT This paper purports to illustrate the educational systems of India and the Philippines, as defined by their social, political and cultural contexts, with the hope of further enriching one’s understanding of both their complexities and peculiarities as specimens of educational administration. It presents both similarities and differences of the two educational systems, in terms of structure and flow or organization and the comparative prerequisites of both educational structures as mandated by their governing laws and existing social norms.

The paper starts with a brief discussion of both of the two countries’ educational history as translated and transcended in their philosophies of education, moving to the establishment of formal educational set-ups, and finally delving into the local flairs, issues and concerns that both educational systems posit to the educational administration paradigm and its stakeholders, taking care in highlighting similarities and differences that both educational systems could offer.

I. INTRODUCTION: The Philosophy behind Education and its Administration Tantric adepts learn, from a guru, how to raise their psychosexual

energy—the curled serpent power (Kundalini) that lies at the base of the spine—through successive focal points (chakras), until it reaches the highest chakra, at the top of the skull, and the adept experiences, within, the union of the god and the goddess. 1 As used originally by the ancient Greeks, the term “philosophy” meant the pursuit of knowledge for its own sake. Philosophy comprised all areas of speculative thought and included the arts, sciences, and religion. As special methods and principles were developed in the various areas of knowledge, a specific philosophical aspect separated one from another, with each concerned to answer the most basic questions about the field. This gave rise to the philosophy of art, of science, and of religion. The term “philosophy” is often popularly used to indicate a set of basic values and attitudes towards life, nature, and society—thus the phrase “philosophy of life”. Because the lines of distinction between the various areas of knowledge are flexible and subject to change, the definition of the term “philosophy” remains a subject of controversy.2 Transcended into education, O’Connor3 mentions the philosophy of education as translated into its core goals. Education, he says, referred to: (1) a set of techniques for imparting knowledge, skills and attitudes; (2) a set of theories which purport to explain or justify the use of these techniques; (3) a set of values or ideals embodied and expressed in the purposes for which knowledge, skills and attitudes are imparted and so directing the amounts and types of training is given. The variety then of ways to translate these into a philosophy, one thus anchors on personal valuation, in the long run.

To further understand a particular educational system, one then needs to look at the philosophies that are embedded in them, to ensure that what needs to be seen is translated unto the products of such systems, i.e. the graduates.

Two very quaint examples of paradoxical educational philosophies which this paper intends to illustrate are those from the Republic of the Philippines and of the Republic of India, both having philosophies

anchored on their constitutions and their social norms, thereby creating their first similarity.

But before further looking at the similarities, and consequently, their differences, let us look at the schema of these countries’ educational systems, to aide in finally arriving at a comparison of these educational administration specimens.

INDIA. Officially Republic of India, this federal democracy in southern Asia is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations, comprising, with Pakistan and Bangladesh, the subcontinent of India. India is the seventh-largest country in the world and the second most populous, after China. It geographically consists of the entire Indian peninsula and portions of the Asian mainland. India is bordered on the north by Afghanistan (if Pakistan-controlled Kashmir is included), Tibet, Nepal, China, and Bhutan; on the south by the Palk Strait and the Gulf of Mannar, which separate it from Sri Lanka, and the Indian Ocean; on the west by the Arabian Sea and Pakistan; on the east by Myanmar (Burma), the Bay of Bengal and Bangladesh, which almost cuts off north-east India from the rest of the country. The capital of India is New Delhi, and the country’s largest cities are Mumbai (formerly Bombay), Delhi, and Kolkata (formerly Calcutta).4 For the most part, India, aside from its myriad varieties of curry and Mahatma Gandhi, is probably most known for its caste system, which is one of the finer tenets of Hinduism, its major religion. In India, families are segregated according to “varna,” which is Sanskrit, meaning “color,” thereby further elucidating the racial implication of the system.

Caste is a rigid social system in which a social hierarchy is maintained by the heredity of defined status in society, allowing little mobility out of the position into which an individual is born unto. 5 In the Indian caste system, the four varnas include, in descending

order, the “Kshatriyas” (kings and warriors); the “Brahmins” (priests); the “Vaishyas” (farmers and merchants); and the “Shudras” (servants). Over time, the status of Brahmins grew ever more elitists, especially with their authority to divinize kings and warriors, while Shudras took the roles of cultivators and traders. Currently, the most menial tasks, such as garbage collection or street sweeping, are given to the outcasts called the “chandalas.” Quaintly, a system of sub-castes was also created in affinity to the line of occupation one has, called the “jati.” As per societal norm, one is restricted by his jati to mingle with those not within his own, particularly in marriage. This is peculiarly seen in dating websites where particular jati sites are provided for each sub-caste.

Although anthropologists argue over the queer disparity between the caste system and that of the Western class system, where people are categorized by sizeable material possession, both the class and the caste systems nonetheless have lasting effects on educational administration, since both seemingly restrict everyone’s right to access free education, making it a humanitarian issue rather a societal norm that needs to be fostered, least recognized: a probable reason for the enactment of the new “education for all children policy” that was recently promulgated in India.

Education in India has a history stretching back to the ancient urban centers of learning at Taxila and Nalanda. The Nalanda University was the oldest university-system of education in the world.

Western education became ingrained into Indian society with the establishment of the British Raj. Education in India falls under the control of both the Union Government and the states, with some responsibilities lying with the Union and the states having autonomy for others. The various articles of the Indian Constitution provide for education as a fundamental right. Most universities in India are Union or State Government controlled.6 By history, monastic orders of education under the supervision of a guru was a favored form of education for the nobility in ancient

India.7 The knowledge in these orders was often related to the tasks a section of the society had to perform.8 The priest class, the Brahmins, were imparted knowledge of religion, philosophy, and other ancillary branches while the warrior class, the Kshatriya, were trained in the various aspects of warfare.8 The business class, the Vaishya, were taught their trade and the lowered class of the Shudras was generally deprived of educational advantages.8 The book of laws, the Manusmriti, and the treatise on statecraft the Arthashastra were among the influential works of this era which reflect the outlook and understanding of the world at the time.8 Apart from the monastic orders, institutions of higher learning and universities flourished in India well before the Common Era, and continued to deliver education into the common era.7 Secular Buddhist institutions cropped up along with monasteries.

These institutions imparted practical education, e.g. medicine.8 A number of urban learning centers became increasingly visible from the period between 200 BCE to 400 CE.7 The important urban centers of learning were Taxila and Nalanda, among others. These institutions systematically imparted knowledge and attracted a number of foreign students to study topics such as logic, grammar, medicine, metaphysics, arts and crafts.8 By the time of the visit of the Islamic scholar Alberuni (973-1048 CE), India already had a sophisticated system of mathematics and science in place, and had made a number of inventions and discoveries.7 With the arrival of the British Raj in India a class of Westernized elite was versed in the Western system of education which the British had introduced.7 This system soon became solidified in India as a number of primary, secondary, and tertiary centers for education cropped up during the colonial era.7 Between 1867 and 1941 the British increased the percentage of the population in Primary and Secondary Education from around 0.6% of the population in 1867 to over 3.5% of the population in 1941. However this was much lower than

the equivalent figures for Europe where in 1911 between 8 and 18% of the population were in Primary and Secondary education.9 Additionally literacy was also improved. In 1901 the literacy rate in India was only about 5% though by Independence it was nearly 20%.10 Following independence in 1947, Maulana Azad, India's first education minister envisaged strong central government control over education throughout the country, with a uniform educational system.11 However, given the cultural and linguistic diversity of India, it was only the higher education dealing with science and technology that came under the jurisdiction of the central government.11 The government also held powers to make national policies for educational development and could regulate selected aspects of education throughout India.11 The central government of India formulated the National Policy on Education (NPE) in 1986 and also reinforced the Programme of Action (POA) in 1986. The government initiated several measures the launching of DPEP (District Primary Education Programme) and SSA (Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, India's initiative for Education for All) and setting up of Navodaya Vidyalaya and other selective schools in every district, advances in female education, inter-disciplinary research and establishment of open universities. India's NPE also contains the National System of Education, which ensures some uniformity while taking into account regional education needs. The NPE also stresses on higher spending on education, envisaging a budget of more than 6% of the Gross Domestic Product. While the need for wider reform in the primary and secondary sectors is recognized as an issue, the emphasis is also on the development of science and technology education infrastructure. 12 PHILIPPINES. Officially the Republic of the Philippines, found in the western Pacific Ocean, it is a country made up of islands forming in physical geography a part of the Malay Archipelago. Situated about 1,210 km (750 mi) east of the coast of Vietnam, the Philippines

is separated from Taiwan on the north by the Bashi Channel. The republic is bounded on the east by the Philippine Sea, on the south by the Celebes Sea, and on the west by the South China Sea. The country comprises about 7,100 islands. Eleven islands have an area of more than 2,590 sq km (1,000 sq mi) each and contain the majority of the population. These islands are Bohol, Cebu, Leyte, Luzon, Masbate, Mindanao, Mindoro, Negros, Palawan, Panay, and Samar. Manila is the capital and largest city of the Philippines.13 Known for many things other than the usual string of controversies that one may think of when mentioning the country (including several scams and scandals, corruption, a doting new presidency and calamities), the republic is teeming with abundant wildlife and colorful cultures and sub-cultures that have both defined and undefined who the Filipino is.

Colonized by Spain for three centuries, the Americans thereafter for around 50 years, and the Japanese for five, the Philippines has created for itself a diverse array of understanding of both the learning process and educational administration in general.

The Philippines has one of the highest literacy rates in Asia and in the world. As of 2006, its literacy rate is 93%. As a result, Filipinos are highly demanded in many parts of the world because of its professional skills, proficiency in English and ability to learn other foreign languages and adapt new cultures and traditions. English remains the primary language used in schools and universities.

Majority of educational materials and references are printed in English. A lot of these technical resources do not have a counterpart version in Filipino because of the complexities of the said language.

School year begins in June and ends in March. Primary education consists of grade 1 to grade 6 students whose age ranges between 7 and 12 years old. Secondary education has four levels starting with first year up to fourth year with 13 to 16-year old students. Most universities and colleges offer 4-year degree courses consisting of 2 semesters a year. There are some universities that offer 3-4

semesters a year.14 Sadly though, in spite of the high regard for education among Filipinos, in 2005, the Philippines spent only about US$138 per pupil compared to US$1,582 in Singapore, US$3,728 in Japan, and US$852 in Thailand.15 Historians from the Department of Education16 relive the story of Philippine education, narrating that during the early Spanish Era, education in the country was religion-oriented and was primarily for the elite, especially in the first years of Spanish colonization.

Access to education by Filipinos was later liberalized through the enactment of the Educational Decree of 1863, which provided for the establishment of at least one primary school for boys and girls in each town under the responsibility of the municipal government; and the establishment of a normal school for male teachers under the supervision of the Jesuits. Primary instruction was free and the teaching of Spanish was compulsory. It was also through this decree that the Superior Commission of Primary Instruction was established, the seminal agency of the Department of Education.

The defeat of Spain by United States forces paved the way for Aguinaldo's Republic under a Revolutionary Government. The schools maintained by Spain for more than three centuries were closed for the time being but were reopened on August 29, 1898 by the Secretary of the Interior. The Burgos Institute in Malolos, the Military Academy of Malolos, and the Literary University of the Philippines were established. A system of free and compulsory elementary education was established by the Malolos Constitution.

However, this first sovereign education system was interrupted with the Philippine–American War, and was finally dismantled. A secularized and free public school system during the first decade of American rule was established upon the recommendation of the Schurman Commission. Free primary instruction that trained the people for the duties of citizenship was enforced by the Taft Commission per instructions of President William McKinley.

Chaplains and non-commissioned officers were assigned to teach using English as the medium of instruction. 16 A highly centralized public school system was instituted in 1901 by the Philippine Commission by virtue of Act No. 74. Act No. 74 also established the Department of Public Instruction, which was headed by a General Superintendent. The implementation of this Act created a heavy shortage of teachers so much so that the Philippine Commission authorized the Superintendent of Public Instruction to bring 600 teachers from the United States to the Philippines.

These would later be popularly known as the Thomasites. The Organic Act of 1916 would reorganize the Department of Public Instruction, mandating that it be headed by a Secretary. This act also mandated the Filpinization of all department secretaries, except that of the Secretary of Public Instruction. During World War II, the department was reorganized once again through the Japanese's Military Order No. 2 in 1942, which established the Commission of Education, Health, and Public Welfare. With the establishment of the Japanese-sponsored Republic, the Ministry of Education was created on October 14, 1943. Under the Japanese, the teaching of Tagalog, Philippine History, and Character Education was given priority. Love for work and the dignity of labor were also emphasized. On February 27, 1945, the Department of Instruction was made part of the Department of Public Instruction. 16 In 1947, by virtue of Executive Order No. 94, the Department of Instruction was changed to Department of Education. During this period, the regulation and supervision of public and private schools belonged to the Bureau of Public and Private Schools. 16 With such a virile array of information to work with, one would then seem to wonder why, after a few clicks of the mouse, aside from the sites dedicated to giving definitive understanding of the nature of each educational system, a hodgepodge of other sites concerning complaints, fumbles, issues and scams queue right after.

One then is left to inquire about the tenacity of the existing

educational systems, given several changes in governance and administrative handling of the educational sector for both India and the Philippines, with the former creating a new resolution requiring each child to undergo compulsory primary education, and the latter, adapting several revised curricula and a learning-by-design approach that is new to both the stakeholders (the students) and the frontline personnel (the teachers) themselves.

II. SIMILARITIES TO WIT: Stones to Keep the Show Rolling For starters, there are several aspects where both the Philippine and Indian educational systems are equivocal: their legal bases, goals and objectives, and implementation woes. Let us discuss each briefly.

CHAKRA EKAH: LEGAL BASES. In 1972, the Philippine Department of Education became the Department of Education and Culture by virtue of Presidential Decree No. 1 and subsequently became the Ministry of Education and Culture in 1978 by virtue of Presidential Decree No. 1397. Thirteen regional offices were created and major organizational changes were implemented in the educational system. The Education Act of 1982 created the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports, which later became the Department of Education, Culture and Sports in 1987 by virtue of Executive Order No. 117 of President Corazon C. Aquino. The structure of DECS as embodied in EO No. 117 has practically remained unchanged until 1994, when the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) was established, and in 1995, when the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) was established to supervise tertiary degree programs and non-degree technical-vocational programs, respectively. 16 The trifocal education system refocused DECS’ mandate to basic education which covers elementary, secondary and non-formal education, including culture and sports. TESDA now administers the

post-secondary, middle-level manpower training and development, while CHED is responsible for higher education. 16 In August 2001, Republic Act No. 9155, otherwise called the Governance of Basic Education Act, was passed renaming the Department of Education, Culture and Sports (DECS) to the Department of Education (DepEd) and redefining the role of field offices, which include regional offices, division offices, district offices, and schools. The Governance of Basic Education Act of 2001 removed the administration of cultural activities from the Department of Education. It also abolished the Bureau of Physical Education and School Sports. The law is also known as An Act Instituting A Frame Work of Governance for Basic Education, Establishing Authority and Accountability, Renaming the Department of Education, Culture, and Sports as the Department of Education, and for Other Purposes. 16 The National Historical Institute, Records Management and Archives Office, and the National Library are now administratively attached to the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (Philippines) (NCCA). These are no longer with the Department of Education. The program for school arts and culture, however, remains as part of the school curriculum. With the enactment of the law, all functions, programs, and activities of the Department of Education related to sports competition were all transferred to the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC). The program for school sports and physical fitness, however, remains part of the basic education curriculum. In addition, the Bureau of Physical Education and School Sports was abolished. 16 In comparison, the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) is the apex body for curriculum related matters for school education in India. The NCERT provides support and technical assistance to a number of schools in India and oversees many aspects of enforcement of education policies. In India, the various curriculum bodies governing school education system

are: The state government boards, in which the majority of Indian children are enrolled, including: The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) board; The Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) board; and The National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) board; International schools affiliated to the International Baccalaureate Programme and/or the Cambridge International Examinations; Islamic Madrasah schools, whose boards are controlled by local state governments, or autonomous, or affiliated with Darul Uloom Deoband; and Autonomous schools like Woodstock School, Auroville, Patha Bhavan and Ananda Marga Gurukula. 6 In addition, NUEPA (National University of Educational Planning and Administration)[28] and NCTE (National Council for Teacher Education) are responsible for the management of the education system and teacher accreditation. 6 The Indian government lays emphasis to primary education up to the age of fourteen years (referred to as Elementary Education in India). However, due to shortage of resources and lack of political will, this system suffers from massive gaps including high pupil teacher ratios, shortage of infrastructure and poor level of teacher training. Education has also been made free for children for six to 16 years of age or up to class X under the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act 2009. 6 Article 45, of the Constitution of India originally stated: “The State shall endeavor to provide, within a period of ten years from the commencement of this Constitution, for free and compulsory education for all children until they complete the age of fourteen years.� 11 This article was a directive principle of state policy within India, effectively meaning that it was within a set of rules that were meant to be followed in spirit and the government could not be held to court if the actual letter was not followed. However, the

enforcement of this directive principle became a matter of debate since this principle held obvious emotive and practical value, and was legally the only directive principle within the Indian constitution to have a time limit. Following initiatives by the Supreme Court of India during the 1990s the Ninety-third amendment bill suggested three separate amendments to the Indian constitution. 11 The constitution of India was amended to include a new article, 21A, which read: “The State shall provide free and compulsory education to all children of the age of six to fourteen years in a such manner as the State may, by law, determine.” Article 45 was proposed to be substituted by the article which read: “Provision for early childhood care and education to children below the age of six years: The State shall endeavor to provide early childhood care and education for all children until they complete the age of sixteen years.” 11 Another article, 51A, was to additionally have the clause: “...a parent or guardian [shall] provide opportunities for education to his child or, as the case may be, [a] ward between the age of six to fourteen years.” The bill was passed unanimously in the Lok Sabha, the lower house of the Indian parliament, on November 28, 2001.[94] It was later passed by the upper house—the Rajya Sabha—on May 14, 2002. After being signed by the President of India the Indian constitution was amended formally for the eighty sixth time and the bill came into effect. 11 Article 46 of the Constitution of India holds that: “The State shall promote, with special care, the education and economic interests of the weaker sections of the people, and in particular of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, and shall protect them from social injustice and all forms of social exploitation.” Other provisions for the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes can be found in Articles 330, 332, 335, 338–342.[51] Both the 5th and the 6th Schedules of the Constitution also make special provisions for the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. 11

In essence, what legal bases provide is an anchor to hold on to when issues and concerns arise. It is evident that both systems have ample amounts of legal bases to pursue what needs to be done in their respective educational scenarios, problem is, at some point, having laws are not enough to ensure that systems are always good to go.

CHAKRA DVAU: GOALS AND OBJECTIVES. Goals and objectives provide a more organized set of movements for any setup, may they be educational or otherwise. It is identifying which goals to prioritize and to pursue which educational planners should look into to further understand the true workings of the systems.

Going to the educational setups under analysis, we begin with the stipulated general principles of the Magna Carta for students authored by Senator Manuel Villar: ”The educational system being the principal institutional mechanism for imparting knowledge and developing talents and skills shall be given priority attention and support by the government (…)”

According to the Declaration of Principles and State Policies, Article II, Sec. 17 of the 1987 Constitution, the State shall give priority to education, science and technology, arts, culture and sports to foster patriotism and nationalism, accelerate social progress, and promote total human liberation and development. It is undeniable that education does play an important role in the achievement of the country’s development goals. Leaving the molding of future leaders’ minds in their hands, educators have the Herculean task of ensuring that the future would look bright for the Philippines.

Among the myriad of national development goals mentioned in the Constitution, several of these may be achieved through the Philippine educational system, including: (1) the promotion of social justice; (2) the development of the youth and their roles in society; and (3) honesty and integrity in public service.

As academic institutions, most schools merely focus on heightening

cognitive skills, figuring that at some level, this would be the most helpful in ensuring that their graduates would become productive and efficient members of the workforce in the near future; a veritable reason for emphasis on cognition, yes, but at some point may be all too altruistic for their own good. Knowledge, cognition for this matter, uncoupled with the right valuation for social justice and equity, is dangerous. Schools therefore are given the task to mold students holistically, as stated in BP 232, where the State shall achieve and strengthen national unity and consciousness and preserve, develop and promote desirable cultural, moral and spiritual values in a changing world. Undoubtedly, to achieve such a national goal, the concept of concerted efforts for emancipation, through social justice, equitable opportunity for work, and understanding of the workings of the Filipino value system are and should be part of the educational system.

Section 3 of BP 232 emphasizes that the State is to ensure the maximum participation of all the people in the attainment and enjoyment of the benefits of such growth. To achieve this, it must realize that mobilizing its most bountiful resource can be the key to national development, i.e. the youth. Dominating Philippine population stats with a ratio of almost 3:1, the country has a viable source of human manpower that may very well be its bloodline for economic emancipation. Sadly though, the country’s educational system has not fully tapped this resource due to several other things, such as lack of funding, lack of teachers, and a “complete, adequate and integrated system of education”, among others.

Realizing that the youth, if and when trained in the arts and trade, and that tertiary education does not become a right but rather a privilege, the country may have a fighting chance in the bandwagon to globalization.

Last of the objectives of the Education Act of 1982 states that it intends to “achieve and strengthen national unity and consciousness and preserve, develop and promote desirable cultural, moral and spiritual values in a changing world.” Such a line should be then

addressed by quality education as transcended by its goals. Quality education is supposed to be anchored on a superb track record of the tri-functions of a school, especially that in the tertiary level, which includes: instruction, research, and community extension.

To many, quality education translates to high-tech facilities, English-fluent teachers and staff, high-rise school buildings, and massive libraries that hold tons of books and journals in its bosom.

Sadly, the ideals of quality education have actually been tainted by commercialism, and a weakening emphasis to end-results, i.e. graduates, that should be the prime measure of a school’s quality delivery of education.

It is undoubtedly immanent to note that for more reasons than one, social class systems are dominant in the country as a macrocosm of existence, and in schools, as a microcosm. Take the University of the Philippines as an example. With the hodgepodge of current student enrollees in the country’s premier university, it is easy to note the economic differentiations that arise from its students.

Before the 1990s, most students who went to UP were poor and middle-classed individuals whose parents could only afford to send their children to college because of the STPAF program of UP that identified deserving yet financially-challenged families in the country.

Moving forward, Indian education, on the other hand, is founded on four major objectives: access, retention, achievement, and monitoring. With a list of almost 405 scheduled castes and scheduled tribes released as early as the 1960s, India intends to enroll every child universally, including girls of age to attend school. It also intends to reduce the number of drop-outs in both t\ primary and middle school before the children reach the age of 17, and the performance of minimum levels of learned skills in micro and macrocosm proportions in the primary and middle stages of schooling, respectively. Finally, it intends to create a monitoring structure that provides ample participation of women and teachers, with the aim of assisting in the overseeing of the functions of the

educational system.

Quaintly, the government objective for the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), started in 2001, is to provide education to children between 6–14 years by 2010.[82] The programme focuses specially on girls and children with challenged social or financial backgrounds. The SSA also aims to provide practical infrastructure and relevant source material in form of free textbooks to children in remote areas. The SSA also aims at widening computer education in rural areas.[82] SSA is currently working with Agastya International Foundation - an educational NGO - to augment its efforts in making science curriculum current and exciting. However, some objectives of the SSA, e.g. enrollment of all children under the scheme in schools by 2005 remain unfulfilled. Education Guarantee Scheme and Alternative and Innovative Education are components of the SSA.12 Seeing that both educational systems have set their goals and priorities in order, one then is left to wonder why both systems have a similar problem as well: implementation.

Undeniably, Philippine education has had more than enough share of classic governance issues, especially with the allocation and disbursement of its funds. Although it has the biggest piece of the general appropriations of the government’s annual budget, the system is still riddled with a lack of classrooms, ample books that have lesser typographical and denotative errors, and the dearth of qualified teachers (seeing that the passing rates for the National Licensure Exams for Teachers have dwindled to surprisingly low rates over the past decade).

India is not so lucky as well. One study found out that 25% of public sector teachers and 40% of public sector medical workers were absent during the survey. Among teachers who were paid to teach, absence rates ranged from 15% in Maharashtra to 71% in Bihar. Only 1 in nearly 3000 public school head teachers had ever dismissed a teacher for repeated absence. A study on teachers by Kremer etc.

found that 'only about half were teaching, during unannounced visits to a nationally representative sample of government primary schools in India.17 Modern education in India is often criticized for being based on rote learning rather than problem solving. BusinessWeek denigrates the Indian curriculum saying it revolves around rote learning,18 and ExpressIndia suggests that students are focused on cramming.19 A study of 188 government-run primary schools found that 59% of the schools had no drinking water and 89% had no toilets.20 2003-04 data by National Institute of Educational Planning and Administration revealed that only 3.5% of primary schools in Bihar and Chhattisgarh had toilets for girls. In Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh, rates were 12-16%.21 Fake degrees are a problem. One raid in Bihar found 0.1 million fake certificates. In February 2009, the University Grant Commission found 19 fake institutions operating in India.22 CHAKRA TRAYAH: SOURCE OF FUNDING. As a part of the tenth Five year Plan (2002–2007), the central government of India outlined an expenditure of 65.6% of its total education budget of Rs. 438250 million, or (Rs. 287500 million) on elementary education; 9.9% (Rs. 43250 million) on secondary education; 2.9% (Rs. 12500 million) on adult education; 9.5% (Rs. 41765 million) on higher education; 10.7% (Rs. 47000 million) on technical education; and the remaining 1.4% (Rs. 6235 million) on miscellaneous education schemes. 12 And according to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), India has the lowest public expenditure on higher education per student in the world. 6 In terms of funding, Philippine public schools and state colleges and universities are provided with an annual revenue allotment from the national educational budget. Sadly, although there

is an existing budget, like that of India, expenditures for many school allocations are questionable and are riddled with red tape.

Bureaucracy interplays with local demeanor and societal norms, including “pakikisama” and “padrino,” which evidently play crucial roles in making or breaking available budgets III. DIFFERENCES GALORE: Pebbles that Tear Down Mountains Along the road, both educational systems carry several differences, primarily in structure and in focus.

STRUCTURE. The matrix, marked Appendix A, shows the difference in structure of the two educational systems. As gleaned on the table, although both educational systems find it non-compulsory to send children to pre-school, Indian children spend more years in primary school, starting at around the age of 6 until they reach the age of 14. In the Philippines, although pupils do start at the age of 6 for First Grade, they graduate two years earlier than the Indian pupils.

This disparity in the number of years spent in elementary education has spurred several concerns over Philippine shores, bringing the issue to its tipping point early in 2005 when public talks and technical panels were re-created to address the seeming lack of years spent in grade school. In the 1970s, elementary students battled seven years in grade school before moving on to secondary or middle school, but the rise in inflation rates, the changing times, and the diversification of learning needs soon cut the years spent in elementary to just six. Now people in the Department of Education are finding it essential to add additional years in the Philippine Educational System, through the grade school level, bringing back an extra year for it. A similar move was seen in the latter part of the millennial century when the Commission on Higher Education created technical committees that studied and drafted new curricula that led to the possible implementation of five-year

degree programs across all specializations by 2012. To date, Nursing has had a revised five-year curriculum that has been redesigned to fit four, which shows the audacity of educational planners in the country.

In Appendix B, it could be gleaned that although children from both countries start at the tender age of 6, Indian pupils spend more time in middle school, giving them, by theory, better grounded foundation to prepare them for the rigors of tertiary education, particularly in the liberal arts, as language and literature, and pure sciences, such as math and science.

In a recent encounter with a group of newly-graduated Hawaiian high school students who dropped by FAITH’s Communication Laboratory, it was highly noticeable how the Filipino students pitted with these senior students in terms of maturity and comprehension of the conversations that were going around between them and the researcher. The Filipino students, apparently, were taken by several things: one, that one of the students actually pursued a Ophthalmology scholarship in Oregon (taking into consideration the distance of the mainland from Hawaii), while others were taking Ministerial Leadership; two, that the Hawaiians were independent enough to wander around in a foreign country without parental supervision; and three, they found it difficult to understand why there are issues which for them were vital, but for the visitors, were simply passÊ, such as the issue of gay marriage and the like. Taken into the current context of the comparison at hand, it may seem that, in the long run, Filipino students, who are primarily taught technical skills, such as the emphasis on Home Economics and Electronics, and are urged to take technical courses in college, such as hotel management, engineering and marine transportation, because of the lure of immanent employment, may not be prepared enough to battle the workload and the life skills that their industries may demand of them.

PRIMARY FOCUS. Indian education is anchored n the teachings of

Hinduism. And although the variety of available courses given to Indian students who make it to tertiary school is diverse, primary and middle school education is jati-oriented and functions as a societal limiter as well. The foci of these educative levels is sociallydriven by the existing caste system, which has created both a positive and negative insight on the nature of the caste system and its impact on educational administration in India.

In the Philippines, focus of instruction is on English, Mathematics and Science, but statistics show that Filipino pupils have had dwindling scores in national aptitude tests, which tells of the veracity of the curricula and the manner of instruction that our recent-day teachers are providing the children, especially in the public schools.

In a country where the socio-economic benefits gap is wider than the Grand Canyon in Colorado, the author is amazed by the audacity of how private schools are deemed with high regard, while those in the public schools, with remorse. Both in India and the Philippines, parents are enticed to send their children to the private schools (yes, even the poorest families aspire), thinking that the public school systems do not work. This then creates an implied impact to those who can only afford to go to public schools, and to those who work in public educational institutions, especially in the primary and secondary stages. The author, for one, might have graduated from a private school, but it was run almost like a public one, seeing the immense number of students it had in high school: a staggering 20 sections with 55 students per section. In such a setup, only the upper five sections are seemingly “blessed with quality education,� while the remaining 15 sections are left with the scrap lessons of the week.

With a mentality such as this, one inquires whether enough has been done to address this seeming lack of focus within the educational system.

IV. FINDINGS: What else is there to talk about?

The author herewith divided his findings and conclusions into five chakras or paths to elucidate his point.

EKAH: It is sad to note that in the earlier part of the 21st century, surveys on corruption and graft in Philippine governance has not spared the Department of Education (DepEd). With scandals on procurement and resource management, a dwindling resource of teachers, and an even more saddening overall situation for classrooms and instruction materials, it is difficult to accept that at some point of another, the Philippine educational system will become complete, adequate and integrated.

India has not been spared as well, with a dwindling number of teacher-student ratio, a sizeable displacement of funds in the past 20 years, and an increasing number of children put into child labor, which spurred the implementation of a new state policy.

DVAU: Undeniably, there is something wrong with the systems; it is in this light that both teachers and parents posit quandaries.

For education to become quality-based, it has, in essence, to fix itself up first. Philippine education has become a guinea pig for national planners, throwing at it plans-of-action that have neither been tested fully, or have been adapted outside the context of Philippine society and valuation. As example, one may look at the basic education curriculum (BEC) where, in less than four years, the DepEd has launched a revised BEC, and a modified BEC, among others. Couple this with a dwindling morale among teachers whose wages and back-wages have not been fully distributed, it becomes a sorry excuse for DepEd’s existence.

India, on the other hand, has had little remorse for absenteeism among its teachers. In further readings on the India educational system, not only is there a large disparity in the ratio between

students and teachers, of those who actually have teachers assigned to classes, around 15 to 20% are absent during the school year. Little has been done to address the system’s insouciance for teacher tardiness and absenteeism.

TRAYAH: Selfishness and self-preservation hamper delivery of quality education. Sad to note is the reality that schools are in constant competition with each other, thereby defeating the purpose of a concerted effort to provide quality education at all levels, at all geographical locations. Since most schools want to be the best, or claim to be so, at some point they implement any and all means to ensure that they become as such.

In the long run, the more capacitated schools get more prestige through accreditation and marketing, while the perceived nonperforming, less marketed schools gain lesser affinity to the public (eventually feeding the idea that private schools, i.e. those with the funding and marketing, are better than the public schools, i.e. those whose marketing and funding are limited). Students thereby fall prey to maniacal schools that bank on such misconceptions and rake in money for education that is not at par with the standards of the educational landscape. This is both true for the Philippines and India.

CATVAARI: In reality, the Philippines fosters a distinct set of cultural values that seem to exacerbate its present situation, and hamper national development goals. Among these are: the culture of poverty; the bahala na system; and the padrino system. The Philippines has sadly accepted the fact that it is poor, and shall remain as such. This culture of poverty has pervaded all walks of Filipino life, with almost 50 percent of the population believing that they are living below the poverty line. Such a value system hinders positive thinking, in the end, the belief that one is poor, and that no amount of perseverance will enable one to succeed in life in the end, limits the Filipino to his state. The bahala na system or the belief that everything else will fall into place eventually, is

anchored on the idea that God can provide everything, without one doing anything to “help” God do so. Taoist in some aspects, but this values system can be utterly detrimental if at some point, little “participation of all the people in the attainment of such growth” is observed simply because everyone thinks that things will magically fall into place at the whim of some unseen deity or worse, by destiny. At any point, leaving things to the Fates actually hurts the possibilities of economic, social and spiritual emancipation since educating one within the confines of this concept also limits a person’s direct participation to the attainment of national goals for development. By allotting a measly role to a Filipino, and asking him to just stay put as the government hurdles with life and limb to achieve “progress”, he has been reduced from a key player to development to merely an observer. What then is his use for the country?

Indians, on the other hand, are highly constricted by the existing caste system which defines who studies what under which conditions. The current goal of universal enrollment for all children is a noble gesture indeed. But segregation of societal castes has also spurred a variety of means to address the educational dearth of the population. A friend of the author who was recently transferred to Bangalore said that although the city, which is the communications hub of India, is filled with opportunity, little is given to undereducated individuals whose castes and educational attainments do not meet the cut.

PAJCA: As a future school administrator, we must open our eyes to the reality that the world is indeed getting smaller by the minute.

Technology mandates that we adapt; and it is in this light that the world posits a challenge for most of the people in the academe. It is thus, one’s willingness to adapt and accept the notion of not being left behind that should next occupy an administrator’s pondering.

Although technology usually entails expenses, most of these translate to benefits that trickle down to the students, a school’s center of its educative process. These are times that even students

are expecting schools to adapt; and sticking to old ways may prove dismal, even catastrophic, to the old, conservative administrator.

Indian and Philippine educational systems are at a standstill, mainly due to the lack of understanding of the changes of the times.

They may have a robust foresight of it, but implementation has a kilometric difference from aspiration.

In the end, the primacy of addressing the concerns raised in this paper, through the comparisons provided is immanently obvious: better implementation, improved monitoring, unbridled concern for the students. At the end of the day, the school administrator should ask himself only one question: “Have I made my students competent and committed to the rigors of life.” Answer this and only then will we know if we have reached the primal level of addressing what needs to be and what should be discarded.

REFERENCES 1

Tantra. 2005. Microsoft Encarta. Microsoft Office Suite.

2

Philosophy. 2005. Microsoft Encarta. Microsoft Office Suite.

3 O’Connor, D.J. 1957. The Philosophy of Education, An Introduction. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul Ltd. 4

India. 2005. Microsoft Encarta. Microsoft Office Suite.

5

Caste. 2005. Microsoft Encarta. Microsoft Office Suite.

6 Educational System of India. 2010. Found in URL: www. wikipedia.org. Retrieved: 07.21.10 7 Blackwell, F. 2004. India: A Global Studies Handbook, United States of America: ABC-CLIO, Inc.

8 Prabhu, J. 2006. "Educational Institutions and Philosophies, Traditional and Modern", Encyclopedia of India (vol. 2) edited by Stanley Wolpert, 23–28, Thomson Gale 9 Ferguson, N. 2003. Empire: How Britain Made the Modern World. Penguin.

10 Literacy Scenarion in India (1951-1991). Found at URL: www.education.nic.in Retrieved: 07.21.10 11 Sripati, V. and Thiruvengadam, AK. 2004. India: Constitutional Amendment Making the Right to Education a Fundamental Right.

International Journal of International Law 2(1): 148-158: Oxford University Press.

12 India 2009: A Reference Annual (53rd edition), New Delhi: Additional Director General (ADG), Publications Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India. Found at URL: www.wikipedia.com Retrieved: 07.21.10 13

Philippines. 2005. Microsoft Encarta. Microsoft Office Suite.

14 Educational System of the Philippines, The. Found at URL: http://www.spainexchange.com. Retrieved: 07.21.10 15 Education in the Philippines. Found in URL: www.wikipedia. com. Retrieved: 07.21.10 16 The Department of Education. Found in URL: www. wikipedia.com. and www.deped.gov.ph Retrieved: 07.21.10 17 Kremer etc. 2004. "Teacher Absence in India: A Snapshot", Journal of the European Economic Association.

18 India. BusinessWeek. Found at URL: http://www. businessweek.com/magazine/content/04_22/b3885015.html

Retrieved: 07.21.10 19 Rote system of learning still rules the roost. 2008.

ExpressIndia. Found at URL: http://www.expressindia.com/latestnews/rote-system-of-learning-still-rules-the-roost/375996/.

Retrieved: 07.21.10 20 Combating India's truant teachers. 2004. BBC. Found at URL: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/4051353.stm.

Retrieved: 07.21.10 21 Education cess: Are gov’t schools any better now?. 2005.

The Times of India. Found at URL: http://timesofindia.indiatimes. com/articleshow/1070939.cms. Retrieved: 07.21.10 22 universities across India fake: UGC". ExpressIndia. Found at URL: http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/22-universitiesacross-India-fake-UGC/425697/. Retrieved: 07.21.10

TAKING EVERYTHING IN CONSIDERATION: Training Module on Understanding by Design

I. INTRODUCTION At the onset, the rise of new approaches and trends in educational administration, planning and development has given development planners and educationalists alike with a broader perspective of how the Philippine educational system should flow and prosper.

Sadly, the same influx of new approaches to teaching, and the hodgepodge of teaching methods and ideologies have given rise to a myriad of concerns, including the validity and appropriateness of Western educational planning practices which find their way to Philippine soil through the educational planners who attend international conventions and trainings, as well as the consistency and the efficiency of using such "transplanted technology" to the stakeholders of Philippine society, i.e. the students.

In the past, like many national development planning strategies inaugurated in the country, most of the approaches used by educationalists followed a linear pattern, similar to what was forwarded by the likes of W.W. Rostow, where it was assumed that all countries had to pass through the same linear levels of development, eventually finishing the process by becoming fully saturated with the interaction of marginal propensities to save and to spend.

Translated into training, the seeming linear approach to understanding the training process of personnel, as in the case of teachers for example, tends to create a safer, more stable approach to training, yes, but more so, a daunting understanding of the workings of the human psyche, which is more than just a yolk in a shell.

Training demands a more sublime approach of inculcating organizational and departmental goals and objectives, using a variety of methods, until at a point, a trainee or newly-hired employee is made either fully aware or becomes fully docile and absorbent of the workings and dealings of the organization, as translated through the company (or in the teacher's case, school) mission and vision.

II. INSIGHTS GAINED FROM THE REPORT The report started off with an overview of the objectives of the training module, gathering all satellite objectives under a major idea or thought.

The whole report revolved around the goal of creating a training module as an output of the lecture – it being one that was designed for fellow planners who were supposedly attending the training module. Furthermore, the report dichotomized the would-be content of a standard training module, referring to the general goal ever so often, since the module was UbD by approach.

A rundown of the steps in making a training module was also discussed, alongside the various means of delivering such a module to targeted recipients. The report ended with a review of the subtopics discussed, along with a checklist of what has been achieved for the lecture. The reporter ended by challenging the class to craft a mock training module as its output.

III. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: What Should Have Been There Substantial as it was, the report might have had a few more parts to discuss. For one, the report could have had a workshop towards the end, at least asking participants to reflect on the module and create a set of goals and objectives for their own tailor-fit training modules.

The report could have also included more insights on how to deliver the training module, since a big chunk of the attendees were first time administrators. This could have leveled the playing field of sorts for some of the masterate students.

Although the report was substantial and easy to understand, the lecture was also crafted under the assumption that everyone has had management experience. This would have been amended if more examples of training guides were flashed or at least discussed in the short open forum provided for the report during its delivery.

IV. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS In general, the report was very substantial, and was goal-directed.

It did achieve its aims of providing adequate information about training modules, their importance, and the various methods of delivery.

The use of the UbD approach might have been an overkill though, since at the onset, no “doing� was asked of the participants. The output was a mere imaginary training module for their respective schools. What could have been more fun was the actual crafting of training objectives, as the lecture coursed through.

Inasmuch as educationalists and national planners seek new ways of developing the Philippine educational landscape, one major consideration to look out for is the very approach they use to reshape the landscape.

The inability to match the approaches to learners actually defeats the purpose of learning itself, since no matter how noble and novel the information being imparted to learners, unless the approaches used were appropriate, no amount of learning could be achieved.

The adeptness of learning new insights is not merely anchored on content. More times than not, it is also anchored on the methods of delivering the information in the first place.

CROSSING THE T’S AND DOTTING THE I’S: Report on The Hay Method of Personnel Management

I. INTRODUCTION Acknowledging the process of personnel management is respecting both the company, or in the case of teachers, the school's, mission and vision. It is a translation of the cognitive and affective attributes into psycho-motor deeds that enable a company to grow and achieve its fullest potential.

The ability to make amends with how personnel should be hired, trained and kept for that matter, resounds as a daunting task for many personnel managers, seeing that there are myriads of ways of hiring and training, more so the various methods of keeping attrition and turnover rates among employees to a minimum.

With the enactment of a republic act on teacher training and its Professionalization, one looks at how such hiring and training processes have evolved to address the growing (rather dwindling) number of individuals who enter the teaching career.

In a country where teaching is regarded by many olden folk as the last resort to a decent profession, (as epitomized by the ad lib “Magteacher ka na lang”) it is difficult to discern whether targets are met and whether trainees are getting what they need to ensure that they do come out as the teachers that we need them to become, especially now that learners have evolved into something far

different from how teachers have been trained for.

The question now is not whether we know what we are doing. The better query now is whether we are ready for the landscape or not.

II. INSIGHTS GAINED FROM THE REPORT The report started off by introducing the Hay Method of staff development, presenting its definition, and a web of processes that it was known for.

After a brief interaction with the audience, the report coursed through with a discussion of each of the various parts of the method.

The reporter, be as anxious as he was, gave several insights to the process, including a system of evaluation towards the end of the module, which at some point confused the audience, since the data that were presented had variations in values and labeling. Sadly, only a few examples were given to provide a more lucid picture of the method. The reporter was, at some point, clueless with the workings of the report.

Clarifying the dichotomy between the process and the evaluation tool, the report ended with a hodgepodge of questions and interactive exchange of ideas, in an effort to decipher the module that was presented.

III. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: What Should Have Been There A lot of things could have made the report more substantial, inasmuch as content was concerned. For starters, the report could have had a more concrete backgrounder on the method, translated into Philippine setups, let alone the educational landscape.

It could have also discussed how the method transcended into Philippine context, provided that conditions were as directed by the method. More interaction could have saved the report, provided that a clearer picture of the report was given, i.e. A more sound

understanding of the method's flow and basic elements, on the side of the reporter.

It was sad to note that moving towards the end of the report, the lecturer was clueless of his report, seeing that many of the attendees, including the myself, was a neophyte to the method he was trying to present. This would have posed as a great opportunity to enlighten everyone, let alone merely report as a class requirement.

IV. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS There has often been a mishap in Philippine educational setups for several reasons, but for the most part, it is either due to negligence on the part of the educational planners in terms of policy implementation, or a half-baked, bland understanding of the approaches and the policies they are trying to implement.

More oftentimes than not, it is the inadeptness to the policy and the implementing guidelines that spell the demise of many management initiatives to reshape the educational landscape in the country. Such a menagerie is costing the country billions of pesos, not to mention a variety of problems and a young population hungry for guidance.

It is the ability to handle the knowledge that we intend to impart which actually directs the flow of implementation. Now that knowledge societies have sprung in many developing and developed nations, the ability of both government and front liners, i.e. The teachers, is both a necessity and a tool to ensure that messages get across and goals are achieved within plausible time frames and plans.

THE BRAZILIAN FLY ON THE REDNECK’S NOSE: A Comparison of Educational Systems from the United States of America and Brazil

ABSTRACT The paper looks into the Brazilian educational system as contrasted and compared with the American (US) educational system, taking into account the cultural differences of both systems. The paper also discusses the similarities and differences of both systems to the Philippine educational system, in terms of philosophy and structure, with a hindsight on current trends and issues that may have similarities with the plight of Philippine education.

I. INTRODUCTION As a forerunner of public education, the US has gone far and wide in ensuring that compulsory education benefits everyone. This on top of the problems frolicking the system in general, with issues on curricular planning and funding haunting it.

Philippine education is no different. With myriads of problems haunting the Department of Education, not including the decreasing national budget on education, and the dwindling number of teachers who have chosen to work abroad, rather than locally, have all contributed to the miasma that is Philippine Education.

Browsing over the various educational systems in South America (to satisfy the dilemma of comparing educational systems), the author chanced upon Brazil and its even starkly similar educational

situation.

In the onset, the educational system in Brazil is compulsory for children ages 7 to 14. Brazil has both public and private sectors in education. Public education is free to allBrazilians. Private schooling is not free. The government gives 25% of its revenue to the public schooling system and some to the private. Significant changes have been made in Brazil's education structure in the past 25 years, however, there is still a long battle to fight for the educational development in Brazil. Public schools in Brazil are sadly not well cared for.2 In hindsight, similar to Brazil, Philippine education is riddled with politics which has become one of the primary reasons for the lack of growth in the education landscape.

Moving on, the building structures, plumbing, and heating in Brazil are usually in terrible condition. Many schools lack equipment needed and resources. In the Northeast region of Brazil, teachers are not well educated toteach. Many of them have not completed primary school themselves. Poverty and lack of schooling contribute to a vicious cycle of illiteracy in Brazil. Some areas of Brazil have more than half of the population that cannot write their own name.

The country's private schools, however, are in a much better state as more money is given to them and educated teachers work for these institutions.2 In close comparison, typically, the curriculum in American public elementary education is determined by individualschool districts.

The school district selects curriculum guides and textbooks that are reflective of a state's learning standards and benchmarks for a given grade level. Learning Standards are the goals by which states and school districts must meet adequate yearly progress (AYP) as mandated by No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Policy. This description of school governance is simplistic at best, however, and school systems vary widely not only in the way curricular decisions are

made but also in how teaching and learning take place. Some states and/or school districts impose more top-down mandates than others. In others, teachers play a significant role in curriculum design and there are few top-down mandates. Curricular decisions within private schools are made differently than they are in public schools, and in most cases without consideration of NCLB.3 Public elementary school teachers typically instruct between twenty and thirty students of diverse learning needs. A typical classroom will include children with a range of learning needs or abililtyies, from those identified as having special needs of the kinds listed in the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) to those that are cognitively, athletically or artistically gifted. At times, an individual school district identifies areas of need within the curriculum.

Teachers and advisory administrators form committees to develop supplemental materials to support learning for diverse learners and to identify enrichment for textbooks. Many school districts post information about the curriculum and supplemental materials on websites for public access.3 Teachers receive a book to give to the students for each subject, and brief overviews of what they are expected to teach. In general, a student learns basic arithmetic and sometimes rudimentary algebra in mathematics, English proficiency (such as basic grammar, spelling, and vocabulary), and fundamentals of other subjects.

Learning standards are identified for all areas of a curriculum by individual States, including those for mathematics, social studies, science, physical development, the fine arts, and reading. While the concept of State Learning standards has been around for some time, No Child Left Behind has mandated that standards exist at the State level.3 Similar to the American NCLB policy, the Philippines has once enacted a law on the mass, almost blind, progression of pupils in the elementary level, so that children would assumably by in the proper year levels based on age groups. This then created several

problems and issues, where it was emphasized that some children moved on to higher grade levels without the necessary cognitive, affective and psychomotor skills intended for higher levels.

Critics have attributed this to several other factors, such as learning conditions and teacher training, but for the most part, bureaucracy is being blamed for many of the mishaps in the Philippine educational landscape.

II. SIMILARITIES: Looking at the Mirror The following is a discussion of the stark similarities of both the American and Brazilian educational systems, although Brazil does reflect problems that are some what closer to home.

LEGAL BASES. The principles established in the 1988 Brazilian Constitution are the t guidelines for national education, according to which education is a right for l all, duty of the State and of the family, and is to be promoted with the collaboration of society, with the objective of fully developing the person, preparing the individual for the exercise of citizenship and qualifying him/her for work."1

The Federal Government is in charge of legislating on Guidelines and Bases for national education, coordinating and developing National Educational plans, and providing technical and financial assistance to the States, the Federal District and the Municipalities for the development of their educational systems and for priority assistance to compulsory schooling.1 The Federal Government's role mentioned above does not exclude the responsibility of the States to, in their own sphere of action, legislate concurrently and suppletorily on matters related to their own educational systems, provided that the federal legislation is respected.1

Similarly, in the US, the original Department of Education was

created in 1867 to collect information on schools and teaching that would help the States establish effective school systems. While the agency's name and location within the Executive Branch have changed over the past 130 years, this early emphasis on getting information on what works in education to teachers and education policymakers continues down to the present day.4 The passage of the Second Morrill Act in 1890 gave the then-named Office of Education responsibility for administering support for the original system of land-grant colleges and universities. Vocational education became the next major area of Federal aid to schools, with the 1917 Smith-Hughes Act and the 1946 George-Barden Act focusing on agricultural, industrial, and home economics training for high school students. World War II led to a significant expansion of Federal support for education. The Lanham Act in 1941 and the Impact Aid laws of 1950 eased the burden on communities affected by the presence of military and other Federal installations by making payments to school districts. And in 1944, the "GI Bill" authorized postsecondary education assistance that would ultimately send nearly 8 million World War II veterans to college.4 The passage of laws such as Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 which prohibited discrimination based on race, sex, and disability, respectively made civil rights enforcement a fundamental and long-lasting focus of the Department of Education. In 1965, the Elementary and Secondary Education Act launched a comprehensive set of programs, including the Title I program of Federal aid to disadvantaged children to address the problems of poor urban and rural areas. And in that same year, the Higher Education Act authorized assistance for postsecondary education, including financial aid programs for needy college students.4 III. DIFFERENCES: What's on the other side?

There are major differences in the curriculum and structure of both

educational systems. Here is a discussion of a few of them.

STRUCTURE. In Brazil, The regular school year in Brazil, independently of the calendar year, covers a minimum of 180 days of effective work, excluding tests and exams, according to the current Education Law. The new National Education Bases and Guidelines Law establishes 200 school days.

Preschool education aims at supporting all aspects of child development psychomotor, cognitive, socioaffective, and linguistic; it also aims at creating conditions for the acquisition of knowledge and its progressive systematization It comprises a diversified pedagogical program on three forms of assistance: at day nurseries, for children up to 2 years of age; in kindergartens, for children from 2 to 3 years of age; and in preschool, for children from 4 to 6 years of age. The organization and operational of specific preschool institutions follow the same rules established for fundamental school, while keeping their specificity, as determined by the characteristics of each age group. Enrollment in any of the three categories of preschool assistance depends on vacancies available; attendance is optional.2 Fundamental school, compulsory to 7 to 14 year olds, extends over eight grades, with an annual minimum of 800 hours of activities. To enroll in the firstgrade, the student must be 7 years old, although entrance at an earlier age is allowed, depending on rules and regulations of each educational system. Enrollment and attendance to fundamental education are allowed outside the appropriate age group. At 18 years of age, the student must attend suppletory education courses.2

The fundamental education curriculum consists of a common core and a diversified part. The common core, as defined by the Federal Council of Education, is compulsory in the whole country, so as to ensure national unity, and it comprises: Portuguese, Social Studies, including History and Geography, Physics and Biology Science and

Mathematics. The diversified part is defined by the needs of each educational system and of each school, taking into account regional and local characteristics, the schools' plans as well as individual differences and aptitudes of students. Each school draws up its internal regulations, which must be approved by the Educational Council of the respective Educational System (state or federal).

In many Brazilian rural areas, schools may organize their school year in relation to sowing and harvesting seasons. The requirement for entering intermediate school is to have finished fundamental school or the equivalent suppletory schooling. Also in intermediate school, after the regular age limit has been reached (21 years of age), the student may take suppletory courses or examinations.

Intermediate schooling takes up 2,200 hours of effective school work, spread over at least three annual grades.2 When the course includes professional training, it may last for four or five years, depending on the nature of course and the minimum content established by the Federal Educational Council for each area. Finishing intermediate education is one of the requirements for entering higher education. A number of jobs require specific intermediate level of schooling. Professional qualification can be specific for a certain occupation or basic for an economy sector.

Higher education is taught at isolated schools or universities.

Basically, the former is directed at providing higher education qualification in one or two professions.2 Besides providing higher education qualification, universities should promote all modes of research, as well a provide courses and other type of specialization activities to the community. Higher education in Brazil is organized in two levels: undergraduate and graduate.

The latter may be understood lato sensu (updating, specializing and further studies courses) or stricto sensu (master and doctorate courses). Besides finishing intermediate schooling, the student who wishes to enter higher education at the undergraduate level must pass an classifying entrance examination, specific to each course.2

At the graduate level, entrance requires having completed an undergraduate course and going through the selection process established by the institution. In graduate courses stricto sensu, the development of an individual paper is required a master's degree dissertation and a doctorate thesis the latter being expected to constitute an original contribution to the theme focused upon. The basic structural elements of a full higher education curriculum are a minimum core, consisting of subjects and practices established by the Federal Council of Education, and a diversified content which may be defined by the institution.2 Meanwhile, in the States, the American educational system is divided into several tiers, with each system variating depending on the states one is enrolled at. Parents from well-off families opt to send their students to known, high-subsidized districts, ensuring their children of better school environments and facilities.3 There are no mandatory public prekindergarten or crèche programs in the United States. The federal government funds the Head Startpreschool program for children of low-income families, but most families are on their own with regard to finding a preschool or childcare. In the large cities, there are sometimes upper-class preschools catering to the children of the wealthy. Because some upper-class families see these schools as the first step toward the Ivy League, there are even counselors who specialize in assisting parents and their toddlers through the preschool admissions process.3

In the Philippines, as example, the basic education curricular structure is mandated by the Department of Education. The trifocal function of the system has made way for the Commission on Higher Edcuation to handle undergraduate and graduate curricula, and the Technical Education Skills and Development Authority (TESDA) for vocational and technical education curricula.

OBJECTIVES. In Brazil, the general aims and objectives of national

education are expressed in specific statutory laws. According to the Bases and Guidelines Law still in force, "national education, inspired in the principles of freedom and in the ideals of human solidarity, has the purpose of: understanding individual rights and responsibilities, as well as those of citizens, the State and other community groups; respecting man's dignity and fundamental freedoms; strengthening national unity and international solidarity; integral development of the human personality and his/her participation in the work towards common welfare; preparing individuals and society to master scientific and technological resources which will allow the use existing possibilities to common welfare; protecting, disseminating and expanding cultural heritage; and, condemning any unequal treatment resulting from philosophical, political or religious belief, as well as any social classes or racial prejudices."1 The general educational objectives are conceived in relation to the degree of maturity and the age group of the student. Thus, the current legislation defines distinct objectives for the different educational grades.1 Children are required to attend school, however, many of them do not. In the major city centers children do attend public school, however, these are not all the children. Usually, children of rich or middle class families attend school. Most children from well off families attend private schoolsunlike the children from poor families.

Poor children have to work and cannot go to school because they have to support their families.2 Others, living in remote areas have to travel a long distance to get to school and therefore, usually do not attend. The dropout rate in Brazil is very high; 33 out of every 100 students who enter grade one make it to grade six. The numbers continue to drop in high school as well. Another issue that prohibits children from receiving an education are the availability of facilities. Many children want to go to school, however, there is not a school they can go to.

Sometimes schools are too far to travel to or there are not enough

classrooms in a school for all children to attend. School hours are sometimes divided into three sessions during the day so that all children have an opportunity to attend for at least part of the day.

Usually, this sharing of the classrooms happens in the cities. The more affluent regions provide better education for their people. 2 Although the US is merited as a vanguard and primary advocate of public education, there is no mentionn of the word “education� in the American Constitution, although education has been highlighted in the First and Fifth Amendment.

Much has been said about the close ties of the Filipino and American educational systems, since the former was actually patterned after the latter, which continues to prevail up to this time (although may have seeming differences but might be in nomenclature only, seeing that the Philippine government is set to adapt the K-12 policy by 2011). It is this stark similarity that create a buzz over the adeptness of Filipino teachers in using methodologies and approaches that are Western in origin and may bot fit the context of the Filipino learner, vis-a-vis the need to globalize and adopt best practices from the world over.

IV. CONCLUSIONS Although there has been substantial differences between American and Brazilian educational systems, one cannot but stop and think of how these differences turn into similarities when compared with the plight of the Filipino learner.

The gray areas found in both educational systems provide a vivid picture of how supposed successful educational systems actually fail, with issues and concerns falling into the cracks at some point, bridging gaps only when left unresolved for quite some time, and providing solutions that may or may not address the problems raised, in the long run.

This also translates into the assumption that no educational system

is actually as perfect as they can: a conclusion garnered after reading myriads of educational systems that were compared and contrasted in class.

The trick here is to actually find the right educational system that fit into the Philippine context of the educational landscape, if planners finally assure themselves that such a system exists.

In hindsight, one may see that although there are some other educational systems that seem to work, planners need to understand that these systems were also anchored on culture, and were very much influenced by existing social norms and practices.

Unless out national planners figure that out, we will forever be in deep s**t.

REFERENCES 1 Educational system of Brazil, The. 2010. Found at URL: www.un.int/brazil. Retrieved: 09.27.10 2 Brazilian Education. 2009. Found at URL: www.fmpsd.ab.ca.

Retrieved: 09.27.10 3 Literacy in America. 2002. National Center for Educational Statistics. Found in URL: www.wikipedia.com. Retrieved: 09.17.10 4 The Federal Role in Education. 2010. Found at URL: www2. ed.gov. Retrieved: 09.17.10

THE AMERICAN DREAM’S FINNISH FANTASIES: A Comparison of Educational Systems from the United States of America and Finland

ABSTRACT The paper takes a look at the peculiarities of both the American (USA) and Finnish educational systems, taking into account the historical and structural similarities and differences, with reference to social and cultural standards and norms. It provides a dichotomy of the two educational systems, with emphasis on the matrix of organization, funding and teacher training provided for by each of the systems to ensure ample facility. The paper also discusses several issues that haunt the aforementioned systems, with a crossreference to the current Philippine educational landscape.

I. INTRODUCTION In hindsight, it is public education that history merits as the biggest contribution and influence of the United States to the Philippines.

Starting with the arrival of the Thomasites in the early 1900s, public education, the use of English as the mode of instruction, the linearity of the Philippine educational system, and the paradigms on pedagogy used by many Filipino educationalists are primarily anchored on principles that were sown onto the Filipino mindset.

AMERICAN EDUCATION. Education in the United States is mainly provided by the public sector, with control and funding coming from three levels: federal,state, and local. Child education is compulsory. School curricula, funding, teaching, and other policies

are set through locally elected school boards with jurisdiction over school districts with many directives from state legislatures.

School districts are usually separate from other local jurisdictions, with independent officials and budgets. Educational standards are usually made by state governments. In the year 2000, there were 76.6 million students enrolled in schools from kindergarten through graduate schools. Of these, 72 percent aged 12 to 17 were judged academically "on track" for their age (enrolled in school at or above grade level). Of those enrolled in compulsory education, 5.2 million (10.4 percent) were attending private schools.1 Among the country's adult population, over 85 percent have completed high school and 27 percent have received a bachelor's degree or higher. The average salary for collegeor university graduates is greater than $51,000, exceeding the national average of those without a high school diploma by more than $23,000, according to a 2005 study by the U.S. Census Bureau.2 The country has a reading literacy rate at 98% of the population over age 15, while ranking below average in science and mathematics understanding compared to other developed countries. In 2008, there was a 77% graduation rate from high school, below that of most developed countries.3 Most children enter the public education system around ages five or six. The American school year traditionally begins in August or September, after the traditional summer recess. Children are assigned into year groups known as grades, beginning with preschool, following by kindergarten and culminating in twelfth grade. Children customarily advance together from one grade to the next as a single cohort or "class" upon reaching the end of each school year in May or June, although developmentally disabled children may be held back a grade and gifted children may skip ahead early to the next grade.1 The U.S. uses ordinal numbers for naming grades, unlike Canada and

Australia where cardinal numbers are preferred. Thus, Americans are more likely to say "First Grade" rather than "Grade One.� Typical ages and grade groupings in public and private schools may be found through the U.S. Department of Education.1 Those who complete high school and would like to attend college or university attend an undergraduate school. This may be a community college (one that offers two-year degrees, usually to prepare students to transfer to state universities), liberal arts college (one that concentrates on undergraduate education), or part of a larger research university. The course of study is called the "major", which comprises the main or special subjects. However, students are not locked into a major upon admission—usually, a major is chosen by the second year of college, and changing majors is frequently possible depending on how the credits work out, unlike British tertiary education. Universities are either public (state-sponsored, such as the University of Michigan) or private. 1 Many students choose to continue onto graduate school for a master's or Ph.D, or to a first professional degree program. A master's degree requires an additional two years of specialized study; a doctoral degree (Ph.D.) usually takes some years, although exactly how long depends on the time required to prepare the doctoral dissertation. First professional degrees have a more structured program than the typical Ph.D. program. The standard time required for a first professional degree is three or four years; for example, law school is a three-year program, while medical, dental, and veterinary schools are four-year programs. 1 FINNISH EDUCATION. The Finnish education system is composed of nine-year basic education (comprehensive school), preceded by one year of voluntary pre-primary education; upper secondary education, comprising vocational and general education; and higher education, provided by universities and polytechnics.

Adult education is available at all levels. In Finland, pre-primary education, basic education and upper secondary education and

training, complemented by early childhood education and beforeand after-school activities, form a coherent learning pathway that supports children's growth, development and well-being. Students' opportunities to progress from one level of education to the next is safeguarded by legislation. Both general and vocational upper secondary certificates provide eligibility for further studies in universities and polytechnics. A student completing one level is always eligible for the next level studies. The qualifications of each level are governed by a separate Act of Parliament. This assures harmonised qualifications and their quality and guarantees students' rights.4 The Ministry of Education oversees education as schooling and as culture. Within education, the Minister of Education and Sciences oversees the schools and universities including the divisions of general education, vocational education, polytechnic, university, adult education and training, and science policy. Basic education is required of all pupils between the ages of 7 and 16. It is free, and students can chose the school they wish to attend, including several private schools. However, most students attend a public school in their local community. If it is not possible for pupils to attend school for medical or other reasons, the municipality in which the pupil resides must provide alternate instruction that is equivalent to that of the regular school. Free transportation is provided for students who live five kilometers or more from school.5 With such peculiarities, both American and Finnish educational systems provide a good background for the Philippine educational system, which has been loosely anchored on the former's public educational system, after the Americanization of the 1900s.

II. SIMILARITIES: Looking at the Mirror There are several stark similarities between the two educational systems, as gleaned in their legal bases and the privileges that their students get.

LEGAL BASES. Typically, the curriculum in public elementary education is determined by individual school districts. The school district selects curriculum guides and textbooks that are reflective of a state's learning standards and benchmarks for a given grade level. Learning Standards are the goals by which states and school districts must meet adequate yearly progress (AYP) as mandated by the No Child Left Behind Policy (NCLB). This description of school governance is simplistic at best, however, and school systems vary widely not only in the way curricular decisions are made but also in how teaching and learning take place. Some states and/or school districts impose more top-down mandates than others. In others, teachers play a significant role in curriculum design and there are few top-down mandates. Curricular decisions within private schools are made differently than they are in public schools, and in most cases without consideration of NCLB.6 The original Department of Education was created in 1867 to collect information on schools and teaching that would help the States establish effective school systems. While the agency's name and location within the Executive Branch have changed over the past 130 years, this early emphasis on getting information on what works in education to teachers and education policymakers continues down to the present day.7 The passage of the Second Morrill Act in 1890 gave the then-named Office of Education responsibility for administering support for the original system of land-grant colleges and universities. Vocational education became the next major area of Federal aid to schools, with the 1917 Smith-Hughes Act and the 1946 George-Barden Act focusing on agricultural, industrial, and home economics training for high school students. World War II led to a significant expansion of Federal support for education. The Lanham Act in 1941 and the Impact Aid laws of 1950 eased the burden on communities affected by the presence of military and other Federal installations by making payments to school districts. And in 1944, the "GI Bill" authorized postsecondary education assistance that would ultimately send

nearly 8 million World War II veterans to college.7 The passage of laws such as Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 which prohibited discrimination based on race, sex, and disability, respectively made civil rights enforcement a fundamental and long-lasting focus of the Department of Education. In 1965, the Elementary and Secondary Education Act launched a comprehensive set of programs, including the Title I program of Federal aid to disadvantaged children to address the problems of poor urban and rural areas. And in that same year, the Higher Education Act authorized assistance for postsecondary education, including financial aid programs for needy college students.7 The Cold War stimulated the first example of comprehensive Federal education legislation, when in 1958 Congress passed the National Defense Education Act (NDEA) in response to the Soviet launch of Sputnik. To help ensure that highly trained individuals would be available to help America compete with the Soviet Union in scientific and technical fields, the NDEA included support for loans to college students, the improvement of science, mathematics, and foreign language instruction in elementary and secondary schools, graduate fellowships, foreign language and area studies, and vocational-technical training. The anti-poverty and civil rights laws of the 1960s and 1970s brought about a dramatic emergence of the Department's equal access mission. 7 In 1980, Congress established the Department of Education as a Cabinet level agency. Today, ED operates programs that touch on every area and level of education. The Department's elementary and secondary programs annually serve nearly 14,000 school districts and some 56 million students attending roughly 99,000 public schools and 34,000 private schools. Department programs also provide grant, loan, and work-study assistance to more than 14 million postsecondary students.7

In Finland, education is mandated by the Finnish constitution, which demands children to complete a nine-year basic education curriculum. Several laws govern education in the country, but more prevailent and more recent are those that goven tertiary or university education, including the following: Government Decree on Polytechnics Degrees No. 352 in 2003; Government Decree on University Degrees No. 794 in 2004; and the Polytechnics Act of 2003.

The comprehensive school is intended for pupils between 7 and 15 years. The school can also be smaller and only have, for example, the primary school level grades 1 - 6 for children between 7 and 12 years or lower secondary school grades 7 - 9 for children between 12 and 15 years. Each school's operations are guided by its own curriculum. The curricula of different comprehensive schools may have differing focuses on education.4 A pupils support system has been created with the pupils wellbeing in mind. It provides school social worker and psychologist services, for example. Schools and different associations organise afternoon activities for 1st- and 2nd-graders at schools, day-care centres and parish premises. Parents can also organise activities for their children at the school premises, for example through the actions of a parents association.4 PRIVILEGES. Basic education in Finland is free with general education provided for the whole age group. Upper secondary education consists of general education and vocational education and training (vocational qualifications and further and specialist qualifications). The higher education system comprises universities and polytechnics, in which the admission requirement is a secondary general or vocational diploma.4 Universities, which are academic or artistic institutions, focus on research and education based on research. They confer Bachelor's, Master's, licentiate and doctoral degrees. Polytechnics offer work-

related education in response to labour market needs. A polytechnic degree requires 3.5 - 4.5 years of full-time study. The requirement for polytechnic Master's programmes is a polytechnic degree or equivalent, plus a minimum of three years of work experience in the field concerned.4 Adult education is provided at all levels of education. Adults can study for a general education certificate or for a vocational qualification, or modules included in them, take other courses developing citizenship and work skills, or pursue recreational studies. The welfare of Finnish society is built on education, culture and knowledge. All children are guaranteed opportunities for study and self-development according to their abilities, irrespective of their place of residence, language or financial status. All pupils are entitled to competent and high-quality education and guidance and to a safe learning environment and well-being. The flexible education system and basic educational security make for equity and consistency in results.4 American pupils and students also benefit from free compulsory basic education, with students given free breakfast and lunch in some districts. Moe progressive public schools provide transportation for students, and funding for extra-curricular activities such as glee club and the brass band. Alumni funding also provide for strong sports programs for favorite American pasttimes like baseball, basketball and football.

With these, one kind of wonders of the privileges that Filipino students get from the Philippine educational system, doesn't it?

Although Philippine laws mandate that education in th country should be free, public schools who get little support from local governments and their own piece of the pie in the national budget, some ask for contributions from parents and parent associations, as well as create crafty ways to get extra budget, like sponsoring snacks for the varied year levels through the school cafeteria.

III. DIFFERENCES: What's on the other side?

There are various differences in the educational systems under scrutiny, but most prominent are those concerning structure and source of funding.

STRUCTURE. The following is a discussion of the differences between the two educational systems.

AMERICAN EDUCATION. The American educational system is divided into several tiers, with each system variating depending on the states one is enrolled at. Parents from well-off families opt to send their students to known, high-subsidized districts, ensuring their children of better school environments and facilities.6 There are no mandatory public prekindergarten or crèche programs in the United States. The federal government funds the Head Startpreschool program for children of low-income families, but most families are on their own with regard to finding a preschool or childcare. In the large cities, there are sometimes upper-class preschools catering to the children of the wealthy. Because some upper-class families see these schools as the first step toward the Ivy League, there are even counselors who specialize in assisting parents and their toddlers through the preschool admissions process.6 Each state in the United States maintains its own public university system, which is always non-profit. The State University of New York and the California State University are the largest public higher education systems in the United States; SUNY is the largest system that includes community colleges, while CSU is the largest without. Most areas also have private institutions, which may be for-profit or non-profit. Unlike many other nations, there are no public universities at the national level outside of the military service academies.1 Prospective students applying to attend one of the five military

academies require, with limited exceptions, nomination by a member ofCongress. Like acceptance to "top tier" universities, competition for these limited nominations is intense and must be accompanied by superior scholastic achievement and evidence of "leadership potential." Aside from these aforementioned schools, academic reputations vary widely among the 'middle-tier' of American schools, (and even among academic departments within each of these schools.) Most public and private institutions fall into this 'middle' range. Some institutions feature honors colleges or other rigorous programs that challenge academically exceptional students, who might otherwise attend a 'top-tier' college. Aware of the status attached to the perception of the college that they attend, students often apply to a range of schools. Some apply to a relatively prestigious school with a low acceptance rate, gambling on the chance of acceptance, and also apply to a "safety school,"to which they will (almost) certainly gain admission.1 Lower status institutions include community colleges. These are primarily two-year public institutions, which individual states usually require to accept all local residents who seek admission, and offer associate's degrees or vocational certificate programs.

Many community colleges have relationships with four-year state universities and colleges or even private universities that enable their students to transfer to these universities for a four-year degree after completing a two-year program at the community college.1 Regardless of perceived prestige, many institutions feature at least one distinguished academic department, and most post-secondary American students attend one of the 2,400 four-year colleges and universities or 1,700 two-year colleges not included among the twenty-five or so 'top-tier' institutions. For this reason (among others), America's higher education status ladder remains highly controversial, and certainly not beyond reproach.1

FINNISH EDUCATION. Finnish students enter compulsory education under the Peruskoulu/grundskola or comprehensive

school, which runs for nine years. A Peruskoulun päästötodistus/ Avgångsbetyg från grundskola or School Leaving Certificate is then awarded to the student.5 After completing 9-year basic education, students can choose between general upper secondary education and vocational upper secondary education: general upper secondary school (lukio/ gymnasiet) provides general education leading to the national Matriculation examination (ylioppilastutkinto/ studentexamen), which gives eligibility to all forms of higher education; and vocational upper secondary education (ammatillinen koulutus/ yrkesutbildning) may be organized in vocational education institutions or in the form of apprenticeship training.5 An (initial) Vocational Qualification (ammatillinen perustutkinto/ yrkesinriktad grundexamen) takes three years to complete and gives eligibility to all forms of higher education. In vocational further education and training it is also possible to obtain Further Vocational Qualifications (ammattitutkinto/ yrkesexamen) and Specialist Vocational Qualifications (erikoisammattitutkinto/ specialyrkesexamen), which can only be taken as competencebased examinations and are mainly intended for employed adults.5 Students can apply for doctoral programmes after the completion of a relevant second-cycle degree. The aim of doctoral studies is to provide the student with in-depth knowledge of his/her field of research and capabilities to produce new scientific knowledge independently. A pre-doctoral degree (lisensiaati/licenciat) in two years may be taken before the Doctor's Degree programme.

Studies for the Doctor's degree take approximately four years of full-time study beyond a second-cycle degree or two years of fulltime study beyond a pre-doctoral degree. Students admitted to doctoral studies must complete a certain number of courses, show independent and critical thinking in their field of research and write a doctoral dissertation to be defended in public.5

Curriculum development is overseen and directed by the National Board of Education within the Ministry of Education. Curriculum development for comprehensive schools is usually a part of a national strategy. Curriculum formulation and implementation is based on long-term commitments and comprehensive planning, often including more that one ministry. The curriculum is locally implemented based on teacher training and supported by research and evaluation.

SOURCE OF FUNDING. Although the US is merited as a vanguard and primary advocate of public education, there is no mentionn of the word “education� in the American Constitution, although education has been highlighted in the First and Fifth Amendment.

Thus, local government units have become the primary source of funding for most public schools, which further denigrates the rich from the poor districts. Apparently, in the system, good districts get good funding, while those with little or no property taxes left for educational funding, have little or nothing left to help their students.

Despite the growth of the Federal role in American education, the Department never strayed far from what would become its official mission: to promote student achievement and preparation for global competitiveness by fostering educational excellence and ensuring equal access. The Department carries out its mission in two major ways. First, the Secretary and the Department play a leadership role in the ongoing national dialogue over how to improve the results of our education system for all students. This involves such activities as raising national and community awareness of the education challenges confronting the Nation, disseminating the latest discoveries on what works in teaching and learning, and helping communities work out solutions to difficult educational issues. Second, the Department pursues its twin goals of access and excellence through the administration of programs that cover every area of education and range from preschool education through postdoctoral research.7

Property taxes as a primary source of funding for public education have become highly controversial, for a number of reasons. First, if a state's population and land values escalate rapidly, many longtime residents may find themselves paying property taxes much higher than anticipated. In response to this phenomenon, California's citizens passed Proposition 13 in 1978, which severely restricted the ability of the Legislature to expand the state's educational system to keep up with growth. Some states, such as Michigan, have investigated or implemented alternate schemes for funding education that may sidestep the problems of funding based mainly on property taxes by providing funding based on sales or income tax. These schemes also have failings, negatively impacting funding in a slow economy.1 Meanwhile, a pupils support system has been created with the Finnish pupils well-being in mind. It provides school social worker and psychologist services, for example. Having completed comprehensive school, young people may seek further education in upper secondary schools or vocational schools. If their skills are not quite up to the standard required by further education, they can supplement their knowledge and improve on the schoolleaving certificate marks by enrolling in supplementary education in the so-called 10th grade. The upper secondary schools in the Metropolitan Area are either operated by municipalities, the state or private entities. Some upper secondary schools specialize in education with an emphasis on music, physical education, the fine arts, languages or the natural sciences, for example.8 In the Philippine context, budgets trickle down to the schools from the annual General Appropriations Act, which allocates a measly amount for the educational system. This then is divided intro the trifocal DepEd, CHED and TESDA. Additional funding and loans are gathered to make ends meet for the country's public educational system, while private schools and universities post higher tuition fees promising better educational standards compared to public education.

IV. CONCLUSIONS The variations between American and Finnish educational systems are minute, seeing that Finland has successfully crafted a system that addresses the need for a technical/vocational workforce that would support the industry, as contrasted with the American educational system which emphasizes on liberal arts and higher order thinking skills anchored on life skills.

Philippine education has a long way to go, if compared to both educational systems, seeing the levels of maturity both systems have achieved, as compared to ours. This, and many other factors, has affected the status of the Philippine educational landscape, shaping it to what it is now.

We lack funding and ample resources, a sound system of implementation, and a drive to ensure that the system works for everyone in society. Unless realized, these would continue to drag our students to the quagmire that it is currently beset.

As always, it has always been a question of when we intend to wake up from our deep slumber, and starting stretching our arms farther, to reach the goals we intend to get our hands into.

REFERENCES 1 American Educational System, The. Found at URL: www. wikipedia.com. Retrieved: 09.17.2010.

2 A First Look at the Literacy of America’s Adults in the 21st Century, U.S. Department of Education, 2005. Found at URL: www. wikipedia.com. Retrieved: 09.17.2010.

3 Ranking of World's Research Universities. Found at URL: www.thes-qs.com. Retrieved: 09.17.2010

4 Education System in Finland. Found at URL: www.minedu. fi. Retrieved: 09.17.10 5 Education in Finland. Found at URL: www.education. stateuniversity.com. Retrieved: 09.17.10 6 Literacy in America. 2002. National Center for Educational Statistics. Found in URL: www.wikipedia.com. Retrieved: 09.17.10 7 The Federal Role in Education. 2010. Found at URL: www2. ed.gov. Retrieved: 09.17.10 8 Finnish Education. 2009. Found at URL: www.education. stateuniversity.com. Retrieved: 09.17.10

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