By JONAS ALPASAN
MANILA – Not in the guise of so-called “internationalization.”
This was the statement of the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) as the current push for charter change will allow foreign ownership of higher education institutions, which may lead to the denationalization and further commercialization of the country’s education system.
“It is just to ensure that our education will remain nationalist. We should ensure quality education that is apt to the needs of our country,” said Vladimer Quetua, ACT Chairperson.
For the teacher’s group, however, it is imperative to uphold and defend educational institutions from foreign ownership and to push for a nationalist education, adding that the primary aim of education should be to contribute to national development by honing young Filipinos with capabilities and skills that will serve the country’s interest.
Such sentiment was earlier shared by former head of the Commission on Higher Education Patricia Licuanan, who said that charter change and the possible opening up of schools to foreign ownership is wasteful and divisive.
Quetua said that if the Marcos Jr. administration pushes for foreign ownership of schools, it will not prepare the country’s youth to take on the leadership someday and carry the interest of its people.
Yesterday, Teachers, Education Workers, and Academics Against Chacha (TEACH) was launched to raise awareness on the impacts of the proposed charter change to their stakeholders, calling the efforts of lawmakers “self-serving.”
“At a time when historical distortion is rampant, educators must be at the forefront of preserving the memory of many Filipinos who sacrificed their lives to fight Ferdinand Marcos’s authoritarian rule. Opposing any initiative to amend the 1987 Constitution to cater to the needs of foreign business and powers is an important act of this remembering,” TEACH said in a statement.
Meanwhile, Tanggol Kasaysayan – Public Schools, in a statement, said that the charter change being pushed by the Marcos Jr. administration is a threat to democracy.
“Charter change will make the already vulnerable curriculum of our schools, particularly basic education. There is an ongoing learning crisis now and this should be addressed first,” said Tanggol Kasaysayan – Public Schools.
The group said that Philippine history has long been removed as a foundation course in high school despite it being a requisite to learning the country better.
“Despite attempts to erase the commemoration of the 1986 uprising from history, we remember the lessons of the People Power, and how these can be applied to the present situation,” the group said. (RTS)
