Businessmen, economists, and ordinary citizens greet with alarming concern the persistent news reports and commentaries highlighting the shortcomings of our educational system.

A highly respected journalist wrote in his column entitled Mass Stupidity, “Filipino 15-year-olds are the most stupid teeners in the world. They cannot count beyond the number 20. They cannot read. If they can read at all, they cannot understand what they read. And they do not know science, the how and why of things.”

His assessment provokes a worrying trend for our declining educational standards.

Our national hero, Jose P. Rizal, must be turning in his grave reading this indictment of the Filipino youth. He once declared, “The youth is the hope of the Fatherland.” He strongly believed the younger generation had the strength and potential to build a better future.

Rizal’s confidence in the younger generation hinged on the premise of a strong education system that prepares them to inherit the responsibilities of the old guard and steer the nation towards greater prosperity.

Business is wired as a going concern with expectations of indefinite existence. It has adopted a Business Continuity Planning (BCP) blueprint based on the assumption that a responsive education system assures the supply of a competent workforce.

If there is a major disruption in the supply chain of a trained workforce due to an ineffective education system, then any BCP strategy becomes futile, imperiling industries.

In a capitalist system, businesses fuel the economy, relying on a steady stream of educated individuals to sustain their operations and thrive. It is incumbent on the government to provide adequate and dynamic learning institutions that can meet the growing and shifting demands of business.

The government needs to step up its education program to arrest the purported ailing school system and ease the discomfort of the business sector. It is unimaginable and unacceptable to submit to the continuous decline of our education network amidst the growing fierce competition in the global market and the expanding workforce requirements of commerce.

In an era marked by rapid technological advancements and constantly evolving global economic landscapes, education becomes paramount. Business survival hinges on a pool of educated youth and a workforce capable of critical thinking to sustain its vital BCP strategies.

While education is the government’s basic and primary responsibility to ensure that the system serves the national interest, promotes social equity, and adheres to minimum global standards, collaboration with the private sector under the Public-Private Partnership, or PPP, can accelerate the modernization and expansion of our academic system. Such an arrangement can funnel needed investments to infrastructure and the crafting of relevant curricula, to mention a few.

To address the reported decline, a comprehensive overhaul is imperative. This includes restructuring bureaucratic frameworks and structures, analyzing the effectiveness of current policies, enhancing teaching methodologies, and even using and leveraging AI in curriculum development. 

A complete and critical review of the education program must be urgently conducted to restore the system and plug its loopholes.

Urgent measures such as a thorough budget review, expenditure scrutiny, competency assessment of stewards and teachers, financial control adequacy, and evaluation of curriculum relevance, among other things, are necessary to restore the declining confidence in the education of our youth.

Let us ensure that the next generations inherit a world not defined by our academic failures but illuminated by our resolve to bring a brighter, better, and more promising future.