Illustration by Micha Pancho
Universal human rights start in small places, close to home, according to Eleanor Roosevelt. But when small places like the Philippines, a third world, developing country, would never acknowledge that there is a billowing crisis on the education sector, the children's right to education and a free access to one will just continue to remain on papers, like the provisions of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and never on the ground.
Today, November 11, marks the annual celebration of the Philippines of the National Education Day. But behind a what seemed like a harbinger of an already achieved endeavor, there is a crisis that continues to loom in and poses grave threats on the future of the nation. In fact, Philippines still ranks 77th out of 132 countries in 2022 Global Knowledge Index, a huge 21 places drop down from 2021's 56th out of 123 countries rank. Not to mention the 40.98 percent attrition rate in SY 2022-2023 in universities and colleges. And the education chief continues to shun these problems in the sector and instead continue to prioritize non-aligned programs like the rebirthing of the mandatory ROTC and the recently retracted confidential funds.
However, the problems in the education sector is even more imminent in local schools. In Mindanao State University, the newly accorded as one of the best university institutions in Asia, will have to face a huge budget cut for the fiscal year 2024. The MSU System ranks the second, after the University of the Philippines, as one of the state universities and colleges (SUCs) who will suffer huge cuts, with the university set to receive only Php4.01 billion in total funding in 2024, down by Php2.4 billion from its current 6.4 billion budget.
This impending cut just manifests the lack of priority of the Marcos administration to a quality tertiary education in the country.
As in the words of Kabataan Partylist Rep. Raoul Manuel, the proposed budget cut is a form of injustice to the students and the academic community. How can the MSU system, with its fundamental inception to combat the ‘Mindanao Problem’, live on its mandate, and work on pursuing excellence and quality education for the Mindanaoan people when the ones who should be receiving priority of the government fund are burdened of budget cuts in the first place?
But to give Philippine government the benefit of the doubt, sure, this right can be derogated in circumstances beyond the government's control such as the lack of resources especially with the billowing current economic status quo.
However, with the impending total of Php10.1 billion in the proposed 2024 budget allotted for both intelligence and confidential funds, it is already very clear that it was not the lack of resources that is the clear problem on top of the table, but the wrong utility of the resources of the government.
It is important to note that the right to education is a right for all, not for the limited few, and everyone is entitled to it. Because even if human rights advocates like Eleanor Roosevelt (if she were still alive) would continue to fight for the human rights of all, when these rights are only guaranteed to the limited few because of the problem in the government policies, we will still not achieve the hallmarks of the adoption of the UDHR 75 years passing.
What we need in the status quo of the education sector is progressive reforms, not mismanagement of programs and projects relatively different from the demands of the significant stakeholders of the sector.
The education chief should start doing its job: increase the wage and salary of education teachers and instructors, invest on learning facilities and equipment, and recalibrating the education curriculum, among others.
This will ensure there is something in the Philippine education sector worth celebrating for every National Education Day.
As this day sparks its celebration, may the government be reminded that it is hypocritical to continue marking this day as a celebration of something that has not been yet achieved in the paradigm of the country. Shunning education is shunning a better future of and for the nation. Until the closest to homes are deprived of education, universal rights will never be achieved because it had not even marked its beginning in the first place.
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