Cause and Effect Essay - Cause of Low Standard of Education in the Philippines

Education is a privilege that most Filipinos have. Being able to attend a prestigious school can be beneficial for our future. It can have many different implications in our lives, especially when we are looking for a job. Most of the time, companies look for graduate students who have degrees in specific areas to work for them. But there are times wherein some Filipinos cannot find a good job because they do not have college degrees. Bearing this in mind, this essay will explain further the causes of low standard of education in the Philippines, which are due to child labor, lack of teachers, and the poor allocation of the government to educational funds.
The first reason why the standard of education in the Philippines is low is because of child labor. It was found in previous studies that around sixteen percent of children ages five to seventeen are already working (“Child Labor in the Philippines”). Children are forced by their parents to work at a very young age without thinking twice if this may affect the future of their children. They tend to force their children to work just to earn money and to be able to buy their necessities. According to the article “Child Labor in the Philippines”, most children are working in various sectors and occupations. This includes working in plantations or working as a domestic servant. As a result, children spend most of their time earning a living instead of learning in classrooms.
The second reason why the standard of education in the Philippines is low is because of the lack of professional teachers. According to Ramota (2005) there is an employment crisis in our country in terms of low salary and unrealistic professional regulation policies that affects the education profession. The salaries of the teachers remain the same from the year 2001 to the year 2005. The salary of the teacher is not enough to sustain him/her and it does not correspond with the service that he/she provides. Teachers have an average of one thousand one hundred seventy-six hours of work per year and they teach over fifty students per class. Therefore, teachers prefer to migrate to other countries where their services will be appreciated and given the proper salary. At times, teachers remain in the country but end up working as a housemaid. As a result, the decline in education is more imminent.
The last reason why the standard of education in the Philippines is low is because of the poor allocation of the government to educational funds. Instead of prioritizing the education of the Filipino youth, they allot more funds to the travels that the president made. According to “Around the World in Eight Days”, the report that shows the travel expense of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo amounted to six hundred ninety-three million, which is higher than the budgetary allocation for education. If this continues, more and more Filipinos will lose the chance to attain the education they deserve especially sine we are going through an economic crisis. The government should have focused more on the implications of the economic crisis and allotted the funds to better programs that will help the country recover form difficult times. As Chiz Escudero said “The times call for judicious use of the government’s dwindling resources.” As our resources are dwindling away, we should use it wisely and make sure that it will be beneficial to all.
Child labor, lack of teachers and poor allocation of the government to educational funds are some of the causes of the low standard of education in the Philippines. Therefore, we should learn to value our education since it is one of the things that will help us have a better future. Getting a quality education entails us a better job.

References:
Around the World in Eight Days (2009) retrieved on November 23, 2009 from the senate of the Philippines website http://www.senate.gov.ph/press_release/2009/0625_escudero2.asp
Child Labor in the Philippines retrieved on November 23, 2009 from ILAB – Advancing the campaign against child labor: efforts at the country level website http://www.dol.gov/ILAB/media/reports/iclp/Advancing1/html/Philippines.htm
Ramota, C. M. (2005) Education: A low state priority retrieved on November 23, 2009 from Bulatlat – The Philippine’s alternative weekly magazine website http://www.bulatlat.com/news/5-11/5-11-priority.htm