Science and Technology Education: How and For Whom? WRITTEN BY SALVADOR CAOILI 1989-90 VOL 2 NO 2
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EDITOR’S NOTE: National industrialization has graced the oldest pages of Scientia and has been called for by the very first movements of Filipino scientists. In this persuasive piece, Salvador Caoili makes the strong case for a better science education, an essential part of national industrialization but which has taken less of the spotlight. Caoili notes that science and technology education must be prioritized and taken seriously not just in order to have better researchers but also to shift the labor force to a higher degree of technical capability, which is required to transition into industrialization. Although the article was written in 1989, many of the traits of Philippine education it stated are still true today. But what’s new is we now have the K-12 education system that only works against industrialization since its promoted need, to make students “job ready,” really just means to ease the production of batches of semi-skilled workers for the exploitation (via contractualization, low wages) of capitalists.
SCIENTIFIC & TECHNICAL (S&T) education doesn’t seem to have that much appeal these days. Economic development through na tional industrialization is the primary concern of the sectors awakening to the need for scientific and technological progress. S&T provides the dynamism and vitality necessary for sustained indus trial growth through a continuous process of research and development (R&D), but this S&T base can materialize only if a nation can generate and maintain a competent and well-oriented S&T workforce of considerable size; the role of S&T education in this respect has been grossly under-emphasized and neglected. Can we reasonably expect to realize rapid industrialization with the inadequate methods of S&T education and with the very limited number of individuals actually receiving it? Philippine S&T education is deficient in both its material and human aspects. The deficiency of the material aspect — the availability of laboratory facilities, equipment and other essential educationmaterials — may be traced to the insufficient
SCIENTIA VOL 25 NO 2
