No Education: No Freedom, No Opportunity

(October 1 - 13, 2006)
By Mae Salvanette D. Leyson

Mae Salvanette D. Leyson

The seminar on “No Education, No Freedom, No Opportunity” held at the International Academy of Leadership in Gummersbach, Germany was a good opportunity not only to learn about liberal education reforms but also to interact with like-minded young leaders from all over the world. From October 1-13, 2006, 25 participants from 11 countries converged in the famed training camp for liberals to grapple with questions like what are the education reforms we need and why? And how do we go about implementing such reforms?

These questions also cropped up during the seminar’s online phase which provided the perfect introduction to the basics of liberal education reforms. The online phase’s passionate and sometimes heated discussions especially on the government’s role in the provision of education offered a glimpse of the personalities I would later encounter during the seminar. Fortunately, there were no flare-ups during the sessions in the academy, thanks to the universal language of beer, table tennis and songs.

Prior to the seminar, I already knew that the state of Philippine education is in a crisis. I only had to look at the country’s dismal performance in the recent Trends in International Mathematics and Science Survey (TIMSS) as well as the low mean scores on the national achievement tests both for primary and secondary levels to confirm this. In addition, my work in a donor agency which involves coordinating with the Department of Education on projects had also exposed me to the perennial problems within the Philippine education system. Aside from the obvious problems of limited budget and unqualified teachers, the country’s centralized and bureaucratic education system and the pervasive belief that the government should provide for education have prevented our education system from really achieving excellent outcomes.

Armed with this awareness and the concepts on education reform, I arrived at the academy eager to learn about the successful reforms done in Germany and in the other participating countries. From the working group and the informal sessions at the academy’s bar, I realized that the problems plaguing our education system are universal. It is the same story of too much government interventions, lack of budget and training for teachers and low assessment results be it in India, Ghana, Tanzania, Guatemala or Argentina. There was a consensus on the apparent need for reforms, but how radical should the reforms be? Proposals included radical solutions like taking the government out completely and letting the private sector provide education. Those of us in the moderate side favored minimizing government intervention in education. Of course, there is no exact formula or a magic pill that can cure the ills of our respective country’s education system in spite of the universality of the problems. However, from our discussions, it was evident that central governments need to decentralize and to deregulate education, as well as empower schools, the private sector and the communities to make them more responsible in the achievement of equitable education outcomes in their respective areas.

The participation and involvement of the different stakeholders in education (local governments and communities, private sector, parents, students, etc.) hold the key to successful reforms. This was manifest during the session on education for the poor where we presented the observations of our visit to a school in a poor area prior to our coming to Germany. In the poor communities where the governments failed to provide education, the private sector and the communities worked together to fill in the gaps. My heart swelled with Filipino pride while viewing the creative presentations and videos of the seven Filipino participants. The presentations and videos from the Philippines showed students, teachers, parents and poor communities working hard to make their schools better, if not the best that they can be and in effect weaving dreams for the students. This session made me realize that in spite of our difficulties and challenges, we are still fortunate because we have officials, communities and people committed to liberal education reforms. Unlike other countries represented in the seminar, the Philippines has already created a liberal framework for education reforms through the Basic Education Sector Reform Agenda (BESRA) and the Schools First Initiative of the Department of Education. At the local level, Naga City has successfully strengthened its local school board to contribute to the achievement of higher education outcomes for the city.

The highlight of the seminar for me was the trip to Weimar and Dresden as this concretized what we had discussed about the German education system and the reforms being undertaken. Weimar, which was home to the likes of Goethe and Schiller, provided the baffling contrast of a highly cultured and intellectual city existing alongside Buchenwald, the Nazi concentration camp. We were already warned that the visit to the Buchenwald Concentration Camp could be depressing. And true enough, I felt emotionally heavy going through the camp’s various areas. I could not help but imagine the horrors the prisoners went through as they starved to death or got killed in the gas chambers. The German government for its part includes visits to former concentration camps as part of its civic education. This is to ensure that young generations are aware of Germany’s dark history, and that these atrocities will never be repeated. The visit left me puzzled and introspective — how were Weimar’s elite and intellectuals able to tolerate and turn a blind eye to the atrocities in the concentration camp when the camp was just a few kilometers away from the center?

After the dreary (partly due to the rain) but very enlightening visit in Buchenwald Concentration Camp, Dresden welcomed us with its magnificence and beauty. In Dresden, we visited the Marie Curie Grammar School, a public school which was awarded as a UNESCO Model School. We got the chance to interact with its principal, teachers and students as well as observe classes in different levels. I was really impressed with the level of student autonomy and participation not only in the class but also in the school administration. The head mistress and teachers consult the students on major school policies and decisions. Students are treated as equal partners and not only as recipients of instructions. This is a complete contrast to the situation in most of the schools here in the Philippines where students do not participate in crafting the schools’ policies and regulations. The school was a good choice for exposure because it illustrated that even with limited resources and budget, schools can still be successful and excellent with the commitment of the community, teachers, staff and students. I think part of its success can also be attributed to the strong camaraderie among the headmistress, students and teachers. Aside from the school visit, we also listened to a lecture on Early Childhood Education at the Technical University of Dresden. However, I felt it would have had more impact if we were able to visit one of the early childhood care facilities in the area instead of just watching a presentation and listening to the lecture. It would have been a good opportunity to talk to the teachers and students and compare that to the situation in the Philippines, and perhaps even learn from a best practice in Germany.

As a whole, I enjoyed the seminar and my stay in Germany not only because of the knowledge gained but also because of the friendships formed. The seven other Filipinos became my family while in the academy, and whenever we felt homesick, we would just grab a beer, open our baon (packed meal) of Boy Bawang, whip out the guitar and sing Filipino songs to our hearts’ content. Before the seminar, I thought I identified more with socialist ideals and ideas; however, during the seminar I realized that I am really a liberal just waiting to come out of the closet. The seminar also renewed my commitment to help the Philippine education sector, be it working in the donor community, in the government or in the private sector.

As in all of my travels outside the Philippines, I came home with a greater appreciation of my country and its efforts on education reform. Of course, there is still some frustration because I know that we have so much potential as a people and as a country, but at the same time there is also much hope. We have already laid the foundations for liberal reforms in education. The challenge now lies in getting our acts together to work for a Philippines that has more opportunities, more choices and more freedom.