Distrust and concern are spreading across the nation concerning the education system, including school bullying and violence. Because of an escalation in competition over entrance examinations, we now face a dearth of creative talent. We have to reconsider the uniform education system that puts so much emphasis on absorbing facts.2But the public does not necessarily share his views, as another report shows:
Unfortunately, not everyone agrees that reducing the pressure on Japan's schoolchildren is either necessary or desirable. For example, the new curriculum guidelines offer no solution to the problem of "examination hell." Despite glimmers of hope on the horizon, society here remains intransigent in insisting that academic achievement is of greater consequence than individual ability. In a recent survey by a vernacular newspaper, nearly three fourths of the adult respondents expressed dissatisfaction with the education provided by the nation's schools, the highest figure since the first of such poll in 1984. Far from calling for any easing up, nearly 70 percent approved of elementary and junior high school students spending extra hours at cram schools in order to be able to pass entrance examinations.3Two phenomena are cited as consequences of the current education system:
...there's an effort to lessen rote-learning in favour of "authentic learning"--a concept that gives students hands-on experience to help them think for themselves. This is ground-breaking in a country where teachers traditionally dictate and students obey. "In Thailand, students learn strictly by remembering from teachers and textbooks. But students get quickly bored and, in the end, are lacking in reasoning skills," says Kamol Sudraprasert, principal adviser to the initiative. "At Ban Non Chan, we are making the curriculum more sensitive to the human-resource needs of the local community and of the students."5Ban Non Chan, a small village in northern Kamphaeng Phet province, provides an example of school autonomy:
[F]or the first time, the villagers have been given a say in what and how their children are taught. A committee of teachers, administrators, village leaders and parents are discussing ways to ensure students learn skills that are in demand in the local economy, such as through more vocational classes and training in agricultural technology.6The prototype curriculum and administration of Ban Non Chan School may now be tried in other parts of the country.
To promote equality, it will be necessary to provide for equal opportunity to all not only in access, but also in conditions for success. Besides, awareness of the inherent equality of all will be created through a core curriculum. The purpose is to remove prejudices and complexes transmitted through the social environment and the accident of birth (Section 3.6).The National Education Policy law includes "education for equality" provisions by focusing on women's equality, and education for scheduled castes, scheduled tribes, and other disadvantaged sectors such as minorities and the handicapped. On values education, the law provides the following:
In our culturally plural society, education should foster universal and eternal values, oriented towards the unity and integration of our people. Such value education should help eliminate obscurantism, religious fanaticism, violence, superstition and fatalism (Section 8.5).The usual gap between the literacy rates in urban and rural areas can be seen in India as in any other developing country. One report describes a situation in remote rural schools as follows:
The lessons are fixed and any child who craves some flexibility in the routine is penalised. Corporal punishment is the norm. There is no rapport between the teacher and the children or the community. But then the system doesn't give much freedom to the teachers either.8The observation significantly raises the problem of the teachers. They may have the will to change the situation, but the education system may be working against them.
Just as we once did, our kids spend most of their time in school with children of their own age. Most high school instruction is still divided into 45- or 50-minute periods. Students still have very little to say about what they will do and how they will learn. Good behavior or meritorious academic performance, as determined unilaterally by adults, is still rewarded; deviations are still punished. Grades are still handed out, award assemblies are still held. Students are still "tracked," particularly in the higher grades, so that some take honors and advanced placement courses while others get "basic" this and "remedial' that. Kids may be permitted to learn in groups periodically, but at the end of the day, eyes still must be kept on one's own paper. Indeed, even from a purely physical standpoint, schools today look much like they did decades ago.9Will there be changes in the education system beyond legal and policy pronouncements? The answer is most likely a yes. But the real questions are: What will the changes be? How much will the system change?
| Examples of Screening of Primary School Social Studies Textbooks | |||
| Prescreening description | Ministry's view | Post-screening description | |
| National flag and anthem | In the Olympic games, the national flags of the winners' countries are raised above the podium and their national anthems are played in many cases. | Instruction The description about the national anthems is insufficient. | In the ceremonies, the national flags of the winners' countries are raised and their national anthems played in many cases. When a Japanese athlete wins, the Hinomaru (national flag) is raised and "Kimigayo" (the national anthem) played. |
| The countries of the world respect each other's national flags and anthems as symbolizing their nations. | Suggestion It would be more desirable if this sentence included a phrase to the effect that the countries respect their own national flags and anthems as well. | The countries of the world respect not only their own national flags and anthems, but also other countries' national flags and anthems. | |
| Comfort women | Young (Korean) women were also sent to factories and warring areas. | Instruction This description is difficult to understand and not clear. So please manage to find better expressions. Descriptions, even in indirect references about comfort women, should be avoided. | Young (Korean) women were also forced to work in factories. |
| War reparations | New problems have emerged (between Japan and South Korea) concerning war reparations. | Instruction The issue of war reparations has been settled between the two countries. Please take into consideration that now the issue is compensation demands based on individuals' right to make such demands. | The issue of Japan's war reparations to South Korea has been settled between the two nations. Recently, some people in South Korea have launched a move to demand compensation. |
| Global warming | If the level of carbon dioxide increases further, the temperature will rise, melting polar ice and changing global environment drastically. | Instruction The cause-and- effect relationship between the increase in the carbon dioxide and the rise in temperature and melting of polar ice is too definitely described, in light of various academic theories. Please manage to find a more appropriate description | It is said that if the level of carbon dioxide increases, it will change our living environment drastically, for instance, by pushing up the temperature gradually. |
| Ainu | The Ainu were forced to change their names to Japanese ones, for example. In response they stood up to demand that the government eliminate discrimination against them. They continue this effort even now. | Instruction The law to preserve Ainu culture and to guarantee their human rights has recently been passed. Taking this into consideration, the sentence should be revised so that it will not cause misunderstanding. | The Ainu were forced to change their names to Japanese ones, for example. |
In a review of elementary school basic readers used in Cebu Central School and the other public elementary schools in Cebu, women were overwhelmingly portrayed in the traditional roles of mother and housekeeper. Men were pictured as the breadwinners, involved in a multitude of jobs: engineers, taxi drivers, farmers, businessmen, doctors, scientists, soldiers, mechanics, and fishermen.The report was made in 1982. Since then, the government has adopted many new policies on women, and new efforts are being launched to review school textbooks from the perspective of equality for women. But the realities of the education system may pose problems. Zenaida Reyes contends that "[T]he teacher must take note of gendered construction of reality in teaching and in the learning environment." The gender-typing issue exemplified by the school textbook case in Cebu is linked to the fact that while there are more women in the education system, they do not necessarily address gender typing, nor do they occupy positions of authority to make proper changes in the system. One report says that "men outnumber women in educational system's top-level executive positions." This is explained thus:
The "feature story" of the second grade teacher reader begins:
Mother works for the family.
She goes to the market.
She cooks the food.
She cleans the house.
Mother is very busy.
She washes the clothes.
She takes care of the baby.
She takes care of the other children.
Mother takes care of Father and Children.
The story then asks, "Does your mother work? What does she do?" To help the children respond six pictures of working women are presented including a secretary, teacher, seamstress, nurse, cook, and beautician.
In the third grade reader, "Mr. Virgilio Roman" is introduced as the head of the family and the breadwinner. Mrs. Roman supplements the family income as a secretary; the household chores are shared by her and a maid. A son, Lito, is shown helping his mother and father sweep the yard, water the plants, feed the pets, and play with the younger children. Mila, a daughter, helps her mother clean the house, wipe the chairs and the table, and care for the babies. She also sets the table and washes the dishes.
These examples are representative of the role images in basic readers at Cebu Central School. Women are presented as homemakers and, secondarily, as participants in occupations outside the home. Even when the women have jobs, they are shown to have the principal responsibility for the family and the house. Women are portrayed as engaged in "women's occupations," such as teacher, nurse, and secretary. Boys have as many chores as girls at home but their jobs are portrayed as more adventurous and varied. Mothers are presented as lovely, calm, weak, feminine, nurturing, and passive, whereas fathers are active, dominant, strong, and intelligent. These images correspond to the self-images of men and women. By the time Filipino children finish elementary education, there are differences in the expectations and aspirations of boys and girls for their future roles. "Femaleness" is seen as synonymous with "domesticity," while "masculinity" is associated with activities outside the home.
In the school year 1993-1994, women comprised 86.3 percent of all teachers in elementary schools, and 58 percent in colleges and universities. Over the years, women have come to gain more second level positions in the public educational system: 51.9 percent of public elementary schools principals in1993 were females as were 57.3 percent of school division superintendents. But women have yet to gain higher level positions in significant numbers. Of the 83 state university and college presidents in 1993, only 15.7 percent were women, and of some 28 Regional and Assistant Regional Directors of the Department of Education, Culture and Sports, less than a third or only 28.7 percent were women.A study of the key positions in the education system reveals the following statistics:14 How has education contributed to the perpetuation of gender typing? While the above figures are based on a 1995 survey, there is no indication of significant change since then.
Moreover, the highest DECS [Department of Education, Culture and Sports] official has always been a male except in 1986-1989 when a woman Secretary was appointed to the Department.13
| Department of Education, Culture and Sports Executives, Administrators, Supervisors, and Other Personnel, by Sex: SY 1993-1994 | |||
| Level | Total | Female (%) | Male (%) |
| 1. President of state colleges and universities | 83 | 15.7 | 84.3 |
| 2. Regional directors / assistant regional directors | 28 | 28.6 | 71.4 |
| 3. School division superintendents | 124 | 57.4 | 42.7 |
| 4. Assistant school superintendents | 158 | 63.9 | 36.1 |
| 5. Public school district supervisors | 1,090 | 56.8 | 43.2 |
| 6. Public elementary school principals | 5,309 | 51.9 | 48.1 |
| 7. Division office personnel | 11,230 | 37.5 | 62.5 |
| 8. Regional Office Personnel | 1,732 | 57.4 | 42.6 |
| 9. Elementary-school head teachers | 4,710 | 48.6 | 51.4 |
| 10. Elementary-school teachers | 268,830 | 86.3 | 13.7 |
| 11. High-school teachers* | - | 85.0 | 15.0 |
| 12. College or university teachers* | - | 58.0 | 42.0 |