Republic of the
BARANGAY BADBAD ORIENTAL
SCHOOL CASE STUDY & REPORT
DATE : August 6, 2007
TO : Dr. Cerina Bolos
Schools Division Superintendent
Division of
FROM : Arnulfo Y. Laniba
First Kagawad
Badbad Oriental, Loon,
RE : Total Perspective and Unbiased Analysis of the Case of Badbad Oriental Primary School with Recommendations
Dear Madam:
Greetings!
Upon the request of your team of principals and assistants who visited our barangay last Saturday, August 4, 2000, and in the absence of our barangay captain, I am giving you a full picture of the situation and causes of the problem that beset our small primary school, the causes of the problem and my recommendations, to wit:
THE PROBLEM IS NOT:
Unlike what has been happening with many uppermost barangays where their schools suffered dwindling population – read: and some closures! - because of migration to the lower downtowns and cities, our small barangay does not suffer lack of pupils. We exceed the minimum of 15. In our counting, our children could reach over 20. So, population is not the problem.
THE PROBLEM IS:
Since the coming of the present teacher, Mrs. Cerenio, or shall I say beginning her stint, parents have been complaining of the following: their children couldn’t read well, could not do math easily, got behind with other children from other schools, and thus and worse, they were forced to go back to the previous grade: instead of going to grade III, there were forced to go back to grade II, etc.
In those past years this was happening, the barangay officials deemed it was too early to act or to judge. But when we saw parents sending their children to the more distant
THE FIRST IDENTIFIED CAUSE:
Our first and initial investigation focused on the parents’-children’s side, that is: the inadequacy of the teacher.
The parents put much of the blame on the shoulders of the teacher – that it is because of the teacher that their children couldn’t read, couldn’t do math, and were demoted to lower grades, etc., because of the following bases:
1) In the history of this small primary school, during the stints of past school teachers, Mrs. Iyoy, Mrs. Ceballos, Ms. Papilleras, etc., the primary school produced good students that became good performers and some were topnotchers in their chosen fields. One became 10th placer in CPA board. Another one is now founder-proprietor of a growing auditing firm with clients in Luzon,
2) It should also be noted that when the honor pupils of
3) In short, in the past, the products of this small primary school, were generally good or even excellent.
4) As far as my memory goes, the complaint of slow reading, bad math and grade demotion started during the time of the present teacher, Mrs. Cerenio.
5) Some closer look by barangay officials have yielded the following information: a) Mrs. Cerenio was very often caught allowing the children playing or moving or roaming or making noises even during lecture time; b) because oftentimes especially during mid-day class hours (e.g., 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.), she was often found sleeping or drowsing. We point out that this is due to her previously larger obesity, to eating ‘kinilaw’ and drinking ‘tuba’ during lunch with her husband and sometimes a friend, which, in her case, did not give her the energy to be fully alert and fully awake during the first hours of afternoon class. We asked someone to spy her and this is her finding: she sighted the teacher to be sleeping or drowsing during the first hours of the afternoon class.
MY RECOMMENDATION FOR THE FIRST CAUSE: OUR TEACHERS SHOULD BE MEN AND WOMEN OF LOFTY VISION AND SUBLIME
1) Self-discipline on the part of the teacher. It is a health matter. Obesity is not healthy. It is a cause of many bad effects such as diabetes, cardio-vascular diseases, and in our mild yet still bad case, DROWSINESS AND LAZINESS. Fat people are lazy. Even if they do not want to be lazy, it is the fats (of the pigs, etc.) that render them lazy. Therefore, my advice to teachers and all other workers: TRIM YOUR FATS. DISCIPLINE YOUR EATING HABITS. Keep yourself slim or reasonably ‘fat’, so you will have the energy to sustain yourself teaching your pupils.
2) HIGHER VISION AND AWARENESS OF LOFTIER
3) As a starter, may I recommend to you the work of our NGO, Agasoft, which is dedicated in nation-building through vision and mission? You can access our websites: http://Cocoy-Vision4dPhilippines.blogspot.com and http://Cocoy-ChildrenOurFuture.blogspot.com and http://Book4Blog-BecomingWiseNCompassionate.blogspot.com These websites contain visions and missions and articles written to awaken the dormant and drowsing soul (mind) and spirit (heart) of our people, including children. They are sleepy and many are sleeping. Cause: vices and lack of true vision. “My people perish for lack of vision,” so says the Book of Proverbs. Also Jehovah (Yahweh) spoke through the prophet Hoseah: “My people go to ruin for lack of knowledge.” Knowledge about their purpose of life (e.g., vision and mission) is a basic and the foremost part of the whole knowledge that we have lost sight of, being blinded by purely materialistic, pleasure-based physical knowledge.
4) My analysis to the problem that does not only affect my small primary school but the entire country with her many schools: LOSING THE SPIRITUAL PART OF THE VISION AND MISSION OF MAN AND RESORTING TO OVERLY MATERIALISTIC EDUCATION IS THE CAUSE OF PRESENT CRISIS WE ARE IN! Let them separate the Functions of the Church from the functions of the State, but never can a nation last if we separate morality (spirituality) from governance. That is tantamount of making our politicians character-less -- which is sadly the present case! We must walk in our daily life and do our daily works, as politicians or farmers or what, taking with the lessons and teachings of the Church. We cannot leave spirituality or Jesus’ teachings at the doorsteps of the Church and become a different person once outside the house of God. People are pious once inside the Church, but as soon as they are outside it, they go back to selfishness, greed and pride and thus, break the law taught in the Church: You shall love the Father your God above all in the persons of His many poor children and you shall love your neighbor as yourself. Church-State separation is only in function; the Church concerns with spiritual education (that is, the education of the heart with love and the mind with the wisdom of God, showing us how to implement and practice the law of love) while the State is concerned with MATERIAL EDUCATION on how her people CAN EARN A LIVING. The Church is concerned with the EDUCATION HOW TO LIVE. Our Church is concerned with how to be saved from the sufferings and death that we are bringing upon ourselves. How to avail of the salvation of Christ? How not to despise God’s grace and offer of salvation? How not to forfeit the precious gif of salvation that Jesus offered to us? (Hebrews 10:26-31).
5) We MUST RESTORE spiritual EDUCATION OF THE HEART, meaning: re-instill the ancient love, respect and reverence for God, the ancient love and respect to parents and authorities, the ancient respect for the lives and properties of others, etc. These have been lost. The hearts of our children and people are instead filled with greed, lust, pride, selfish selflove, as perfectly foretold by the apostle Paul: “But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love [for God and neighbors], unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasures [e.g., epicures, hedonists, materialistic] rather than lovers of God – having a form of godliness but denying its power [that is, having a resemblance but lacking in substance, hence, a fake and outwardly godliness]” (2 Timothy 3:1-5).
6) Because this generation has lost this basic love for God, neighbor and has grown over-loving themselves, this has led to our case: THE GENERAL BEHAVIOR OF OUR PUPILS, as reported by Mrs. Cenerio IS AS FOLLOWS: (a) IMMORAL (they speak and act sexually immoral despite their young ages of 7 or 8) during class and playing time; they utter vindictives (b) DISRESPECTFUL (they do not listen nor take heed the teacher’s instruction or rebuke. Mrs. Cerenio has become a toothless ‘authority’ whom the children scorn and ignore. She is complaining of sour throat and fears she has a goiter from constant rebuking and shouting); (c) VERY LOW INTEREST TO GO TO SCHOOL OR TO STUDY. This has been seen also in continued absences, in addition to the children’s non-listening of the lessons when present. The pupils also are so lazy and poor in performing their home works. This is another proof of the lack of interest towards education.
This is according to the side of Mrs. Cerenio, which we also agree.
Now, we are inevitably led to the third cause of this ineffective education (the first-discussed cause is the teacher, the second is the children’s non-cooperation). This third cause – which is in this sense the root cause, the others are merely secondary and consequential – is: THE PARENTS AND SOCIETY.
THE DEEPER CAUSE: PARENTS’ IMMORALITY AND LACK OF INTEREST ON THIS TYPE OF EDUCATION
During our discussion last Saturday, I had hinted the following FACT: CHURCH SHOULD TAKE CHARGE IN THE EDUCATION OF THE HEART OF THE PEOPLE (namely: EDUCATION TO LOVE GOD, NEIGHBOR AND SELF PROPERLY),
Parents’ Immorality
In more than one case, we saw that children have been mentally and emotionally disinterested to study because they are directed to and become more interested to sexual things and feelings which they got from their parents engaging in immoral sexual shows (videos) acts before the eyes of these children. It had alarmed your team when I told them that these children even perform their daytime plays (dula-dula) using sexual acts, words and gestures they learned from their parents. It is therefore not a surprise why Mrs. Cerenio complained of these children’s immorality in the classroom or school.
Any psychologist will affirm that BECAUSE SEX IS A MORE POWERFUL EMOTION AND IMAGES, CHILDREN AND YOUTH SHOULD NOT BE EXPOSED TO IT PREMATURELY OR BEFORE THE RIGHT TIME, TO PREVENT THEM FROM LOSING FOCUS AND INTEREST TO MORE IMPORTANT PREPARATIONS, NAMELY: PHYSICAL MATURITY, MENTAL MATURITY (they must first have a good job), EMOTIONAL MATURITY.
At first, I was saddened by what’s happening with our teenagers or youth of 13 to 20 years of age: they have been exposed by society and sometimes even parents to the power of sex to the point that their focus and emotion were diverted away from school, decent work and thorough preparation for a successful married life.
SEX TO THE YOUTH IS A BIG DIVERSION BUT HARMFUL DIVERSION. IT DIVERTS THEIR ATTENTION AWAY FROM THEIR STUDIES AND CAREER. IT DESTROYS THEIR FOCUS. Result: Inability to finish or acquire enough education and skills for earning a good living and above all, emotional instability to maintain a strong relationship with God, mate, and fellowmen. Hence, broken marriages, broken families, or worse, no marriage and no family, only live-ins or mothers without husbands, or illegitimate children, etc.
When God’s ancient proper ORDER OF MARRIAGE AND FAMILY is disturbed – read: destroyed – by pre-occupation to sex and pre-mature sex, then, proper preparations could not be accomplished. Thus, the resulting home is not strong, the resulting marriage, if there is, and family, would be built upon sandy foundation. Even a slight wind could cause its collapse.
More than two pairs of parents of our pupils in
So, immorality of the parents is the first error of the parents.
The second that I have mentioned is the lack of interest to education. They do not realize the importance or usefulness of education. In addition to these immoral parents, there is an additional number of parents who do not appreciate education, nor are they appreciative of what education will do to their children and to them, once they are old, if their children will have been all well-educated. They are not sad if their children do not attend class or cut classes. They can easily decide to let their children be absent. They are happier to take their children to downtown or to
Quickly though, may I touch on
SOCIETY’S BAD CONTRIBUTION TO THE PROBLEM: NEIGHBORHOOD INFLUENCE AND THE MASS MEDIA ESP. THE TELEVISION.
I and my wife (and I know there are others) are a case of a pair of parents swimming upstream – against the present tide of materialism, lustfulness, greed and wrong pride which are evil attitudes effectively and powerfully transmitted by the TELEVISIONS.
Who would like to see their children become immoral, adulterers or adulteresses, fornicators, rapist, prostitute, or going topsy-turvy in their future marriages and occupations? No parents in their right mind would wish!
But, look, not many parents are strong enough to defend the children from the powerful transmissions of the television and radio and printed as well as video shows which force the children to be materialistic and lusty and make their stomach, tongue and genitals to be their gods – the masters they can’t resist. They no longer obey God who said: Love God above all through the poor and love your neighbor as yourself. They do not obey this will of the Father. They obey what their new modern masters tongue, stomach and for the older than the children, their genitals (god Lust). This is being accomplished by highly influential commercial advertisements and soap operas and pornographic films circulated around the world.
In the television, the outward appearance such as hair, dress, face, skin, etc. – in short, material features – has been given greater importance by the businessmen who are behind those ads. They can’t make money with the development of the heart or the mind. They can make a lot of money from the shampoos, lipsticks, or food they processed and made very palatable -- I am not against physical beauty. I am only against giving it the greater importance and undue value it doesn’t deserve.
From the perspective of the Bible, the beauty of the mind (called wisdom) and the beauty of the heart (called love, compassion, gentleness, etc.) exceed the value of the beauty of the face and body. The development of the mind (soul) and the development of the heart (spirit) are more important than physical beautification!
“Like a gold ring in a pig’s snout is a beautiful woman who shows no discretion” (Proverbs 11:22).
That is only one of the many scriptures depreciating shallow beauty of the body and face.
On the other hand, Peter spoke praise of “Women who won over their unbelieving husbands by their behavior,
When they see the purity and reverence of their lives.
Whose beauty does not come from outward adornment,
Such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry
And fine clothes;
But women whose beauty is that of their inner self –
The unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit,
Which is of great worth in God’s sight.
Like the holy women of the past who put their hope and trust in God,
By that they made themselves beautiful.
They were submissive to their own husbands,
such as Sarah who obeyed Abraham and called him her master.
You are her daughters if you do what is right and do not give in to fear,[1]
[but instead live in faith, hope and love].
These and many other similar scriptures are unison in their points: inner beauties of the heart and mind are more important than outward beauty of the face and body.
DEFECTIVE EDUCATION
This is the last area of my critique against our education: Defective education.
What do I mean by defective education? A number of things:
First, it is fragmented, incomplete, not whole. Whole education should recognize that man is three: soul (mind), heart (spirit – emotion) and body. Therefore, education should address all three.
Hence, the focus of education, work and occupation and the nation’s pre-occupation should be in the three: beauty of the heart (read: all-encompassing love taught by Christ), beauty of the mind (read: wisdom, and not just material knowledge), and beauty of the body – all these three in their right order.
But look! What have we emphasized and given more of our time, efforts and quest? That which benefit mainly or only the body and face, stomach and tongue and genitals! All is material. Even the so-called mental education has been confined to education that will make us materially rich, but spiritually (read: emotionally) poor! We are spiritually (emotionally) poor that, for example, we do not even know how to love our pets; many of us maltreat their dogs, cats, etc. We are spiritually (emotionally) poor that we do not have feelings of compassion for those who live outside our fences: we pre-occupy ourselves with tiles-installation while the nipa roof of our neighbors shows heaven and the stars! Is that how we understand and implement what Jesus told us, “You have only one Father who is in heaven, and you are all brothers and sisters, so do not behave as master or superiors”? (Matthew 23:8-9).
Yes, full days, 7 days a week, we are in pursuit of what benefit our here and now! We have abandoned the welfare of our soul and spirit or merely paid lip-service and part-time work for these – namely: only on Sunday morning and up to the Church’s door only. Soon, women are up to their selfish self-beautification and own family-aggrandizement, neglecting the duty of including the ugly, the crippled, the disabled in their celebrations (Luke 14:12-14), the preparation (e.g., act of saving money, etc.) to visit and aid the widows and orphans in their needs (James 1:27). We have neglected God’s Household and have been pre-occupied with installing royal panels of our houses (Haggai 1). We lost the comprehension of what visiting the sick and the poor could also do to us as personal return benefit – IT BUILDS COMPASSION IN OUR HEART. That is why the wise King Solomon once said, “It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting, for death is the destiny of man; the living should take this to heart” (Ecclesiastes 7:2). “Sorrow [in this sense] is better than laughter, because a sad face is good for the heart. The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of the fools is in the house of pleasure” (verses 3-4).
What’s again is the benefit of going to the house of those who suffer – of the orphans and widows, of the poor and the sick – of the disabled? As King Solomon indicated, THIS EXPERIENCE SOBERS US – IT REMINDS US OF OUR COMMON END, DEATH, AND SO IT PREVENTS PRIDE AND WASTING LIFE. FURTHERMORE, THIS LEADS US TO BECOME HUMBLE AND COMPASSIONATE – TWO MOST IMPORTANT TRAITS RELATED TO LOVE, WITHOUT WHICH WE CANNOT BE GIVEN ENTRY TO THE
So, what’s the point of focus in education therefore? First, the focus must be in the beauty of the heart – namely: love for God (that is, gratitude, reverence, appreciation, loyalty, etc. towards Him), love for neighbor or fellow creation, and proper love for self. The second focus is in filling the mind with the first kind of education, namely: education composed of Christ’s Truths which will lead us to fulfill the selfless love taught in our heart. Material, technical, technological and scientific knowledge which is for the physical body and for the here and now, should not take precedence. Spiritual knowledge of the mind should take precedence. This is the BEAUTY OF THE MIND – the spiritual wisdom composed of truths taught by the true Christ. This BEAUTY OF THE MIND (wisdom of the mind) is directly equal or consistent to the BEAUTY OF THE HEART (i.e., all-encompassing love for All, as opposed to selfish love).
What do these BEAUTY OF THE MIND AND BEAUTY OF THE HEART mainly consist? What do these EDUCATION OF THE MIND AND EDUCATION OF THE HEART CONSIST?
Simply stated, these are composed of positive thoughts and feelings defined by the 10 Commandments and expounded in the teachings and examples of Christ. For example: the 10 Commandments taught loving-loyalty to the two most important authorities, namely: Himself and our parents, taking note that the parents are appointed as extension arm of God and who would implement God’s will. This is being emphasized in the first five of the 10 commandments. Authority comes from and so obedience is towards God and parents. Another very important point of the 10 Commandments is what we have unfortunately and tragically missed to understand in the Sabbath commandment (4th commandment in Exodus 20): WORK WHOLE WEEK, NO IDLENESS, NO LAZINESS, NO GAMBLING, NO WASTING TIME! Why? Simply because we are to obtain or acquire our needs including our happiness and also riches by work, that is why God prohibit in the following five commandments not to obtain our needs nor attain our ambitions by killing, committing adultery (husband grabbing), stealing, lying or cheating, nor by covetousness. If we want to have our needs met, or if we want to be rich, IT MUST BE BY HONEST WORK.
That is the most basic of all education that we should teach ourselves and then our children!
Wait a minute! I have said education of the heart, not just education of the mind. And so, it is not enough to know the 10 Commandments and its ramifications by Jesus’ teachings and examples. Mere head knowledge – mere memorization of the law and commandments – is not enough.
The 10 Commandments, being love commandments, should be FELT AND BECOME A HABIT OF THE HEART! Ingrained, internalized.
This is easier to understand if we read Jesus’ statement when He was still a little boy. He told His audience:
“God has indeed given the Law [recorded in the Old Testament books of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers & Deuteronomy] – but only for the heart, and not [to be diluted with or corrupted by or become part of] the wisdom of the world. Moses himself based the entire Law on love to God! The Law [in its written form] has in fact remained – but love has long since died out. For a law in which there is no more love is useless, and he who keeps it without love is a dead slave thereto. That is why I prefer a pagan and a free sinner to a dead [loveless] and bound slave to the Law.”
The child Jesus lamented: “The Law [in its written form] has in fact remained – but love has long since died out.”
I want to emphasize the point of the Child Jesus that without love, the law remains a head knowledge. And head knowledge of the law including memorization of The Ten Commandments is not enough – even useless – if in the heart, supposedly the seat of love, you do not agree nor like it – if in the heart you dislike, spurn and hate the law and commandments. Thus, to many, obedience to the 10 Commandments has become burdensome.
Thus, I tell you, of all things that God abhors, it is most obnoxious to Him to see us obey without the heart. Unwilling obedience is to God, as indicated in the above statement, worse than paganism or full-scale disobedience. Better is full-scale disobedience (often called “being cold” in the Bible) than hesitant Christianity or “doubtful faith” or uncertain loyalty. That is why He said in the Revelations, “either hot or cold” – He hates lukewarmism which is swinging between obedience and disobedience or partial obedience, such as incomplete head obedience while the heart is not in it. Partial loyalty. Jesus once said, You cannot serve two masters and be loyal to both. Time will prove that you will love one and hate the other. In short, God is only after of one thing – yes, only one: WHOLEHEARTED LOVING OBEDIENCE.
That’s all. If we and our children give it to Him, then, we have completed our long sojourn in this world and universe. We have fulfilled all that which has been told and said in thick books and voluminous Scriptures. Just loving obedience. That’s how simple life’s purpose and the entire point of educating is all about.
We need to grow in experience and knowledge to the point of LIKING TO OBEY THE COMMANDMENTS – of loving the law and commandments of God. We need to reach the level of King David who said, “Oh how I love thy law. It is ever with me. It is my meditation all the days of my thoughts…O how sweet are thy words, more than honey is sweet…” (Psalms 119).
That’s the goal of the HEART EDUCATION.
We have not reached that point YET. We have not arrived the level when, to us, God’s law-will-way is the most precious and the sweetest of all, which our hearts cherish and value above all. We still could not say with David, “O how love I thy law…O how sweet are thy words.”
Hence, experience is necessary. Time is needed. Teaching is necessary. Proofs and fruits are required. We need to experience the bitterness of the opposite way. We need to taste personally the pains of violating His commandments so as to hate disobedience and like obedience, to abhor sins (violations of God’s law) and to love God’s law and commandments.
And that is the whole aim of Christ: To create a new heart in us. A heart that loves God’s law. A heart that likes to obey God.
“The time is coming when I will make a new covenant with the house of
“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you. I will remove from you your heart of stone [callousness] and give you a heart of flesh [gentleness, compassionate]. And I will put My Spirit in you and move you to [willingly and happily] follow My decrees and be careful to keep My laws.”[3]
Then…
“You will live in the land I gave to your forefathers. You will be My people and I will be your God. I will save you from all your uncleanness. I will call for the grain and make it plentiful and will not bring famine upon you. I will increase the fruit of the trees and the crops of the field…”[4]
What a wonderful promise!
Let us put our hope to it!
And let us start putting it to work. How?
By letting everyone comprehend not just in their minds but also in their hearts that God’s law, way, and will IS THE PEARL OF THE GREATEST PRICE to acquire which the trader was willing to trade in his other pearls and treasures.
We, as educators, in and outside the classrooms, must sell the Law and Love of God with gusto. But we cannot sell effectively and convincingly unless we are also sold out of the product. So, first of all, we must come to love God’s law and ways. We must, for example, come to be fully convinced of the excellence of the way of diligent work balanced with proper rest (e.g., Sabbath rest, nightly rest), versus the way of murder, stealing, prostitution, cheating, lying, deceit, covetousness which the 10 Commandments prohibit. We must come to behold the excellence of the way of compassion, mercy, meekness, love and humility – which was and is personally taught by Christ.
And to help it, let us look it this way to obtain quicker result: If we just can direct and confine (or must I say, just to drive home my point, IMPRISON) each of our people and children to the field of their own God-given talent – if we can just extract and extricate all misplaced men and women, adults and children, from their present locations today, and then place them to where they are strong and talented to do, then, 70% of the Filipinos’ laziness shall be automatically removed! Then, it will be easier to work with the remaining 30%.
That is one of the first reform I want to see in the Philippine education. Let each one be confined and supported in his talents. Let each one shine in his own talents. Do not place him or her in the wrong place or field. Here, the DepEd can do much to help.
If we can place each child and person in their own appropriate field, then, expertise will be attained, productivity will rise, profitability will experience unprecedented increase. Our people will attain prosperity. Poverty will be eradicated among the majority. Many of our problems will be solved.
That is what EDUCATION BASED ON THE TEN COMMANDMENTS can and will accomplish. And as I have emphasized, it must be based on LOVE.
This shall lead to our realizing the way of God defined by the Law of Love for God, neighbor and self and ramified by the 10 Commandments as virtues and values. Virtues are something we admire, cherish and hold dear. Values are something we hold high and important.
This is how we should view God’s law and commandments, way and will. We must come to the point or level where we do not consider God’s law as burdensome or something obnoxious or something we want people to keep for our benefits but at the same something we break to make short cuts to riches and pleasure.
For example, we want other men to not to covet our wives, but at the same time we want to taste their wives!? We want and many of us do steal the properties or land of others but we do want them to keep the commandment not to steal and not to covet! We break the 10 Commandments easily in our mind and hearts, and when opportunity has it, we break them in deeds; but we do not want people to break them because that is to our perils! We want them to obey God because we have figured out that it will be for our advantage and safety, while, on the other hand, we break the same commandments in order to short-cut our way to riches.
I call that selfish obedience. I call that one-sidedness.
Such a double standard! Such a hypocrisy! Such a lukewarmism!
Since we are half-baked, hypocrite Christians – since we have only a head knowledge of the commandments, God thought it right to spew us out of His mouth, that is, to leave us in the world without His protection, so that we will learn by firsthand experience the effects of disobedience and to lead us finally to yearn for Him and love His way spelled out in His commandments of love for God, neighbor and self.
If we analyze properly, the 10 commandments is the way of love and justice, of respect and faithfulness, peace and order, of honesty and patience, of humility and diligence – all of these and the likes are the precious values and virtues held very dear and cherished by our ancestors.
This forms the missing dimension of education today. Lots of volumes have been written and published discussing the minute and microscopic details of God’s creation but missing the honor, admiration, awe and gratitude due to the Creator.
Indeed, I testify in my 30 years of study and research and 16 years of development work, that LOVE IS THE MISSING FACTOR IN OUR LOVELESS BIASED LAW TODAY AND IT IS ALSO LOVE THAT IS THE MISSING DIMENSION OF OUR EDUCATION TODAY.
That explains why our personal life and the world in general have become so messy and trouble-filled.
Who should get educated of this? It is the parents, of course.
Then, once the parents have fathomed the whole value of this holistic education, they should take heed what God the Father has instructed parents to do as full–time spiritual educators of the hearts and minds of their children:
“Observe the laws carefully…be careful and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them.”[5]
“These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands (e.g., work examples) and bind them on your foreheads (e.g., be the basis of your thoughts and speech). Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates (that is, make them the foundation and framework of your family).”[6]
Parental example of morality, virtues and values is the most important of all. Some of the values include love of knowledge or education, diligence, teachability, interest towards learning – are very important once our children are sent to school.
Parents, in a sense, should make the minds of their children receptive and their hearts interested to listen to the teachers and eager to learn from them.
That is the duty of parents.
Education should be complete, INCULCATING THE BEAUTY OF THE SPIRIT (HEART) WHICH IS LOVE, THE BEAUTY OF THE SOUL (MIND) WHICH IS WISDOM, AND LAST AND THE LEAST, THE BEAUTY OF THE BODY or outer world.
If the emphasis or pre-occupation of the State or Government and educators are Science, Arts and Technology to the detriment and neglect of the Spirit, then, we have it – our present predicament and sufferings.
My criticisms of our present materialistic education
I am not against Science and Technology, per se. I am a scientist in my own right. But I am against the over-emphasis of S&T and Arts (baccalaureate) education that undermine the Spiritual values which should form the very foundation of the entire education of man.
And because we have paid lip-service to these spiritual values and virtues, we have reaped what we sowed.
We are now witnessing an uprooting of our people from their roots and homeland and a diaspora (dispersion) reminiscent of what happened to the Jews. Our materialistic city-suited education is uprooting us from our native soil, birthplace, homeland and detaching us from our loved ones. Our present education uproots and scatters us. That is two-fold lacerations: we are being lacerated from our roots (homeland, parents, relatives, loved ones); and secondly, we are being lacerated from one another by being scattered.
Education that uproots and scatters – I do not see it to be God-pleasing, nor do I think it is God’s will. Is it God’s will to be educated just to be dispersed as maids, domestic helpers, and worse, prostitutes in Asian and Western bars or oftentimes unwilling sex slaves of Arab households?
Have we seen an education that has no value abroad except as domestic helpers, care givers and prostitutes, with the exception of the very small percentage of the 9 million OFWs? Have you seen the American, European or German or Japanese women educated just to be sent as domestic helpers in other hostile nations?
What kind of education is ours!
I do not hate education that makes us great and experts in our chosen fields and earn the respect of foreign employers. What I condemn is this present education that has made majority of our students and graduates of no value, educationally before the eyes of foreign employers. I condemn this education that does not enable us to stay and survive in our land and turn wilderness into something like Ayala parks and orchards! Why can’t we turn our parches land into
The present phenomenon or rather tragedy of OFWism continues to present us the hard facts and painful consequences, one marriage broken one after another, one family disintegrated after another, big earnings abroad lost to the drug lords or querida, middle-aged Filipinas coming home spreading the germs of AIDS and STDs, turning the nation into another Africa where millions of adults die from AIDS, leaving their children with AIDS and orphans! What future does await them and us?
OFWism is the product of our education. And it is not long-term in benefits. As a matter of fact, its benefits tend to be half-way and medium-term, meaning, that there is half or a quarter of the life of the OFW and his family where they will be faced with the prospect to be penniless! Why? Because the earnings of OFWs are not based on home-industry and investment so as to keep it bearing profits up to old age. Most of the former well-off OFWs are suffering now in their old age for having not caused their money to bear long-term benefits.
That too is a fact and a harsh limitation – read: error of our overall education and mind-set. Ma’am, I am not here only talking about the education limited in the classroom. I am speaking of the overall education of the Filipino, in which the school education forms only a small part.
We need the part of the whole education we call wisdom. We need wisdom more than ever so as to read our past lessons and possess the insight to see (understand) our present predicaments and foresee (and get forewarned of) our future.
I despise this education that UPROOTS AND DISPERSES. It is more similar to the curses pronounced against the backsliding Israelites.
I envision and yearn of an EDUCATION THAT SETTLES US IN THE LAND WHERE GOD HAS PLACED US. And I bet it is an education of the heart and mind, plus the S&T education that can deliver us an effective AGRO-INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT here in our own country.
I do not oppose the coming out of some of our countrymen to other countries – so long as they got respected there and gain success and bring honor and add to the wealth of our country. I only despise the present education or lack of the missing right education that brings dishonor, shame and indescribable pain to many families of our countrymen, especially the parents when abused OFWs are brought home inside the coffin.
I condemn the forced overseas work of the majority of our fellow countrymen. They are not happy out there. They are not respected. They are abused and treated like animals. One of them was shown on newspaper to be given to eat with the pet turtle and dog of the employer family. A young Filipina domestic helper in the
One was kidnapped by a gang who raped her for 10 days in a motel. She could not stand it anymore and so she decided to leap from the 4th floor and broke her spinal cord, leaving her the prospect of being crippled for life.
Is that the promised comfort of college education?
I am tempted to think that somehow the disinterested parents and discouraged droupouts have heeded their subconscious, namely: that this present kind of education is not bringing us to paradise, still less to heaven. We are more and more put into prison cells by the kind of education that we have: prison of poverty, prison cell of family disintegration and marital breakdown, prison cell of fear, anger, despair. Our education is not giving us true and complete liberation. We are more and more led to become slaves of cruel foreign masters!
MY FINAL RECOMMENDATIONS:
A. GENERAL
We MUST PUT BACK the SPIRITUAL EDUCATION BASED ON THE TEN COMMANDMENTS OF GOD, BUT THIS TIME, WITHOUT FAILING TO HAVE ITS MOST IMPORTANT INGREDIENT AND BASIS, NAMELY: LOVE.
The Church or spiritual teachers are to take charge of this with the parents as their extension arms in the practice and implementation.
With regards to the S&T and other baccalaureate education, teachers should acknowledge always the love and wisdom of God so as not to make the secular education materialistic and godless.
This kind of godless education has already penetrated all aspects: sciences, history, math, languages, music, arts, medicine, politics, business, etc.
This godless education is simply the appreciation of the creation but non-acknowledgement of the Creator. The whole first chapter of the epistle of Paul to the Romans discusses this kind of education and its consequences.
Atheism is not only an oral pronouncement, but it can be subtle and one hidden under the guise of Christianity. To be direct, our Sciences such as Chemistry and Medicine, have been promoted into the position of savior – messiah - albeit false ones! In reality, it is man who wants to be the savior and above all, interested of the honor, wealth and power that go with it; he is merely using sciences as instruments of his innate desire to be like god and be worshiped like one.
Anyway, unless we put things in their right order, let the true master be the master, and the servants be faithful servants, we cannot get out from this mess, from this personal and global crisis, which is economic, political and spiritual in nature.
I believe that ONLY THE EDUCATION BASED ON THE SPIRITUAL VALUES AND VIRTUES TAUGHT BY CHRIST CAN GIVE US TRUE LIBERTY AND LASTING PROSPERITY, AS WELL AS AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, SALVATION, ETERNAL LIFE AND PERFECTION.
If we do not place it back to our myopic materialistic education, we will be in for some greater troubles!
B. SPECIFIC
1) On our school: I pray that this would not be closed. First reason: we have really enough – yes, more than enough number of children exceeding the minimum of 15. In our last count, there are over 20 children. Second, the parents are willing to let their children return as soon as they see a new teacher. The reason why the disinterest among the parents continue to show in the form of absences of their children (despite their recent pledge to help ensure perfect attendance of their children from now on) is probably because there is no new teacher yet as assured by DepEd! Return your children, and we will give you a new teacher. That is how we understood the agreement. Now, we had let our children returned, howbeit not in perfect attendance, but let us see what will happen once you give us a new teacher. Can you trust? It is therefore the move of the Schools Division that is needed. After the parents’ pledge, the Schools Division should have been quick in fulfilling its promise to replace the teacher. There were the first days after signing the pledge that the attendance was 15 or more. So why is the DepEd delaying the new teacher? It is now the DepEd’s move. It has not been done, for, I think, already over a month. This must be enough time for the parents to get discouraged and feel being short-changed. Who can blame the people for believing thus? Government has been characteristically slow to respond, for valid or invalid reasons.. Third, the support for the primary school from the barangay and her professional sons is overwhelming. I therefore think that if the School Division will grant the request of the parents/people via the Barangay Council, namely: replacement of the present teacher, IMMEDIATELY, something good may be attained.
2) On teacher: I favor the replacement of our present primary grade teacher for a stricter person and if possible, one who is vision-driven, mission-led, value-driven. Dedicated. If despite of this, the children will continue to perform badly in behavior and poorly in the academics, then, more of the blame should be directed to the immoral and disinterested parents of these children.
3) On parental improvement: Other agencies than the DepEd are needed to help return the focus and interest of these parents back to spiritual and secular education, and away from vices and immoralities. They need to be convinced and persuaded. May these disoriented parents get helped.
4) On teaching/education: We need a sum total of secular education that will not uproot us from our birthplace or home-country, and prevent us from becoming slaves of cruel foreigners. An education that can harness the remaining resources of the mind, heart and land and sustain us right here where we are – at home. An education that will not uproot us nor disperse us. Something what the strong Germans, Americans and Japanese have accomplished: they do not send their wives abroad to sell the latter’s bodies to feed themselves back home!??
May these findings merit acceptance, and the recommendations be accepted.
Very respectfully,
[SGD] Arnulfo Yu Laniba
First Kagawad
Badbad Oriental,
Loon,
