Education for All

I don’t have masteral and doctorate degrees in social sciences. I have not done any formal research on social issues. I’m an accountant but I know that all our problems are rooted in our poor education system.

Like my parents who are both in the academe, I also received the calling to teach. I taught for a semester and it was the best experience of my life, yet. But reality struck me. I may receive negative feedback for what I have to say next. We’re all entitled to our personal choices and I made my decision. I quit teaching and now work for an auditing firm in the country’s biggest business district – Makati.

I chose this path because I desire to learn through experience. That way, I have much more to share to other people.

Teaching is among the most noble professions, if not the noblest. We hear this saying always; yet at this time and age, very few choose to become teachers. The teacher’s salary isn’t at all tempting. And the opportunity for promotion and salary increase is limited. I know, with my parents being teachers who plan to remain teachers for as long as they can.

So I know, too, that teaching is not really about the salary. It is about the passion and commitment to mold the young into becoming educated, responsible and productive individuals. It is about giving students the opportunity to grow intellectually, morally, spiritually and emotionally. It is ultimately about making the world a better place for everyone. Yes, I am very proud to have parents who chose to dedicate their lives not only to their children but to many other children.

I dream for a world where everyone has access to education. I can see many hindrances to achieving my dream. But I can also see hope. There is a chance and we can all contribute to make this dream a reality.

My father who is a principal was assigned for four years at Daan Banwang Elementary School, a public school located at the border of General Santos City and more than an hour drive from our residence. It was a battle everyday just to get there because he had to climb the mountain and pass through many rivers with his motorcycle. At times during the rainy season, he and his colleagues needed to travel on foot.

It was an even bigger battle to work in the kind of environment that welcomed him – poorly constructed building with only three rooms, lack of books and instructional materials, no electricity, pupils in high grade levels who couldn’t read and/or write, high rate of dropouts, unhygienic practices and many more. But love of work and commitment to service prevailed.

He asked and accepted support from non-government organizations, colleagues in the academe, private individuals and businessmen. And a big catch is the community work conducted by the Nursing students of a private school in GenSan. These students studied their health condition and taught the community people on how to improve their hygiene and health conditions. The integration also led to many other forms of assistance – livelihood programs, food feeding and donations.

Our family also became involved in the quest to improve the quality of life and learning for the people in the community where my father served. We led clean-up drives and sought for donations in the form of financial assistance, books and educational materials, school supplies, school uniforms and clothes.

I served the Student Government of my university for two years and took this opportunity to contribute. Daan Banwang became our adopted community. Together with the student publication of my school, we gathered donations from our fellow students to give to the pupils in the community. We sponsored activities like Christmas parties where we gave out gifts. We also provided financial incentives to the top students in each grade level.

At the end of my father’s second year of service at Daan Banwang, with the financial assistance from different entities, they were able to construct a new building where learning can become more conducive for the pupils. The school has also improved in many other aspects.

The lesson I learned from this experience is that we can all contribute in making education better for everyone. We need not be teachers to take on the responsibility.

But the community still faces many problems. Many pupils walk kilometers just to get to Daan Banwang. Some of them graduate in elementary but most could not make it to high school. The nearest secondary school will take more than an hour on foot. That is the easy part. The more difficult part is that they already need to wear uniform and buy school supplies.

While it is DepEd’s policy not to impose contributions, many schools still enforce payment. The PTA fees are the lifeblood of the school’s operations because the allocation from the government is never enough.

We’ve been told and taught that education is free. Believe me, it never is, even in public schools. And the teachers’ vision alone won’t make education available to everyone. Sure, they can make a difference to many students. We private individuals can also make a difference to one, few or even many. Still, “many” does not mean “all”.

I know that others can relate to my story. The media has given accounts of teachers and private individuals who work to provide a better learning experience to students, even to those who live in the mountains.

Education is the beginning and the opportunities it provides have no end.
With education, we can all have a higher quality of life with the start at getting a job. With a job, we can eat enough meals, have a place to live in and gain access to health services. Education opens the doors to continuous growth and improvement.

I look forward to the time when education will not anymore see the difference between the rich and the poor; the time when it is already a right and not a privilege; the time when education is for everyone.