While we are all hoping for a more meaningful life for our people in the 21st century, the necessary changes to build the foundation for such a life are not forth coming rapidly as desired. Moral recovery, core values, quality education, Philippines 2020, peace and order, discipline and teamwork, and other slogans wishing for something better – they still remain at the level of rhetoric’s.
The children, supposedly the centerpiece of education, have simply become the footnote to camouflage large profit-taking from construction of classrooms, and supplies of books, chairs, uniforms and other items needed for education.
Quality education is still an end to achieve. Hopefully, with a bigger budget for education this year and in the future, we can finally lick the perennial problems of basic education in terms of having enough teachers, classrooms and textbooks. We can then focus on improving the quality of our education.
Instead of imbibing values through preaching, which is the least effective; the money-earning projects develop values thru hands-on experience. The students will learn that internalizing values is not the end by itself but is the means to fortify our people to enable them to complete and survive in the 21st century. They also learn that success is 99% hard-work and 1% inspiration. To succeed, they must have perseverance, hard-work and more work, discipline, team-work and entrepreneurship.
The biggest contribution of the school projects is in creating a more complete environment for learning. Instead of taking field trip to experience things about nature, things, people and places, students will see all of these elements in action through the school projects.
It is said that the transformation culture forces new ways of learning. This spirit is enhanced when students see how information impacts on actual production. The hands-on experience engages their intellectual abilities, senses, and emotions drawing them further to explore and grow. Learning then breeds more learning.
By serving as agents of change in the community, hopefully our schools will set our hearts and minds in the proper toward the 21st century. To say the least, we may produce bette people for a better world.
By: ANNA LIZA G. DELA CRUZ | EGTII | Ipag Elementary School
