Left Behind? A study on the quality of education in public and private high schools in Manila

Abstract

Public schools are maximizing the limited resources that they have. Their attempt to address the problem of classroom shortage is through resorting to the shifting scheme. In this way, all students are accommodated. Public schools, with the help of the community, the parents, the alumni, and private organizations, are improving their facilities and equipments, although some are still behind in this aspect. Private schools are also helped by the alumni, or even the Board of Trustees of their schools. Teachers employed in both public and private schools have achieved the basic competency requirement, that is, being an undergraduate degree holder, particularly Education degree, and passing the Licensure Examination for Teachers. Thus, establishing their being qualified and trained for teaching. The government, particularly DepEd, is not remiss or lacking in continuing its effort to improve the quality of teachers by giving them seminars and encouraging them to earn graduate degrees. In this sense, private school teachers and public school teachers seem to be on equal footing because they have continuing education. Incentives are also given to teachers who are taking or have earned their graduate degrees. Based on the findings, the researcher notes that in terms of what each school can offer to the students, or the factors that were mentioned and emphasized in this report, the public schools are not very much behind of the private schools in terms of the competency of the faculty as well as the curriculum since both types of schools follow the same the curriculum, emphasizing the same subjects, although private schools are more able to add to this basic curriculum, whereas the public schools do offer special classes also, but this is for some students only. In terms of facilities, there is a much wider gap between the private schools and the public schools, but 31 public schools are also catching up. Most often public schools wait for the DepEd or other groups to upgrade or improve this area, but there is some initiative on the part of the administrator to acquire with their own hard work equipments such as OHPs, instead of sitting and waiting to be given this. As one key informant has pointed out, the facilities are important, but more important is the way the classes are conducted. Even if a school has very good facilities, what good will it do if the teachers are not able to utilize it wisely? It is important to emphasize also factors which are outside the control of the school. Life inside the school and life outside the school molds the students of each school and affect the learning process. So when there are students who do not excel, the responsibility does not only fall upon the schools as some have tended to blame the school only while not seeing the responsibility that each one also plays. As this report is confined to the Manila area, it does not necessarily reflect the condition of public schools in other areas such as cities and provinces outside of Metro Manila. Considering that Manila is the capital of the country, it would help explain why schools in the area are comparable to private schools in terms of the factors emphasized in this report, rather that what is constantly reported by the media.