As we have seen the Philippines to be one of the promising countries in Asia, we should also see the aspect of every sector to be successful and be aligned to the progressive change in our economy and be true to its tag as one of the promising countries in Asia. As a teacher, we could see the lacking of some substance that we could add up to the teaching force. I believe we have a very competitive teacher in our roster but we must admit that we lose some guidance and support especially through the financial aspect in terms of education. Taking up science courses here in the Philippines is somewhat expensive compared to the non-science courses. Some would say that medical courses are for the students that have a golden spoon in their mouths when they were born and taking up education courses are for the poor students that are only striving hard to earn a degree that they believe is the key to raise their family’s economic status. And while I conduct case studies, I further learn and see information that might help us to grow successfully not just in one sector but the majority in every branches of the government. The following would concern the basic problems in the Philippine science and education
A major culprit is in the performance evaluation using personal judgment by unpublished and poorly published officials and faculty members — instead of objective, internationally accepted criteria.
Consider the predicament of the National Science Consortium, which has been put up by the country’s seven top universities and the Science Education Institute of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST). Its objectives are (1) enhance the capability of the higher education system by producing technically competent PhD and MS graduates and (2) address the lack of Filipino researchers to enable our country to compete economically with its neighbors (see Time to abandon GDP).
The Consortium cites UNESCO figures showing the Philippines with 7,500 researchers in 2009 against Singapore’s 28,000. Last year, at the international conference in Japan on teaching and research activities, a report on scientific publications of 10 Asian countries showed the Philippines with the least published papers. The Philippines had only 178 valid publications in 2005, whereas tiny Singapore had 3,609, or 20 times more. Since Singapore’s 28,000 researchers were 4 times that of the Philippines’ 7,500, and Singapore’s research output was 3,609 against our 178, then Singapore researchers were 5 times more productive than their Philippine counterparts. How did this happen?
Failed programs
Data in the last 3 decades show that although the country’s number of researchers has been increasing, properly published papers per PhD even decreased; indeed, the national output hardly increased. A lot of the research funds went to unpublished or poorly published researchers who produced unpublished or poorly published papers (without adequate per review) — in short, gray literature. Gray literature is not taken seriously, and it doesn’t count in international evaluations of research performance, as the above-cited study of publications in 10 Asian countries. It doesn’t contribute to development.
Effective systems
There are objective and internationally accepted criteria for performance evaluation (The scientific impact of nations). When implemented with cash rewards for outstanding publications, these criteria greatly increased useful research output. At the UP, where a P55,000 reward has been given per published paper in an international journal, publications increased from 25 to 40 percent of the national total between 1997-99 and 2002. (The combined publication output of La Salle, Ateneo, UST, and San Carlos during the same period increased from only 7.8 to 8.0 percent of the national total; the rest was largely produced by the International Rice Research Institute in Los Baños with only about 60 PhDs.) At the Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center (SEAFDEC) in Iloilo, which offered a cash incentive of 50% of annual salary, publications of the 50 all-Filipino research staff — with only 9 PhDs — increased sevenfold in 1993 after 6 years. In fast-developing countries like China and Brazil, other forms of incentives have significantly increased published papers in international journals. (See Celebrating the UP Centennial.)
In sum, the Philippines should radically reform its approaches in solving problems to ensure the achievement of its objectives. It is not about the advancement of science just for science’s sake. Rather, it is about advancing science in the context of a desire to improve the human condition. This entails attention to the processes by which understandings from the natural sciences, the social sciences, and engineering influence—or fail to influence—public policy (S&T for sustainable well-being). The Philippines will then have a chance of catching up with its more progressive neighboring countries in science, education, and national progress. There is No shortcut to progress
References: http://blog.bahaykuboresearch.net/2011/03/06/basic-problems-in-philippine-science-and-education/
By: . Jeddah P. Valencia
