Is the pen still mightier than the sword?

          The words the great Jose P. Rizal is now in question. He once said that the pen is mightier than the sword, emphasizing that knowledge is the best tool anyone could have.

This dilemma is due to the fact that the Philippines is now struggling for the quality of education. The concern about the quality of education in the Philippines has been a public concern. Year by year, there is an increasing number of unemployed graduates and the reason for this is none to be blamed than the quality of education. Moreover, the graduates are being underemployed if ever they make it to get a job.

          There are several factors affecting the quality of education. People may blamed this to the government, some might say that this is due to graduates being unprepared to have a job. If it is such thing that the educational system is producing unprepared graduates, how do we address this? Personally, as an educator, I believe that the educational system has many loop holes. However, I also believe that while the quality of education is lower as compared to developed countries, we are in the great leap. I believe that the introduction of K-12 program is the solution to the issues about unprepared graduates.

          While we have fully adopted the K-12 program in our educational system, we are still experiencing the birth pains. There several challenges encountered in the implementation of the K-12 program. The preparedness of the educators is one of the concerns. Another concern is the lack of classrooms for the upcoming grade 11 students. The increase in the school’s population will surely be experienced nationwide. This concern will then lead to another challenge, which is the budget to be used for the implementation of the K-12 program. Despite these challenges, I do believe that we can make it. The implementation of the K-12 program will prove to us that the pen is still mightier than the sword. 

By: Xylee Mendoza | Limay National High School