Every teacher is a leader. Once you are connected with the Department of Education as a public or private classroom teacher, you are geared to be a leader. But this pattern depends upon also with the qualities that teachers possessed. He/she must possess these qualities so that he/she will trail the correct path.
In the present situation of the Philippine educational system, which is undergoing an additional 2 years in the high school, called the senior high school, teachers must be a part of the wake-up call for the much-needed upgrading of the educational system of our country, since education is really essential to our life.
It is interesting to note that there is an apparent search for an upgrading of our educational system. Various factors are intervening to the achievement of our goals as far as giving quality education is concerned. As Abad (2005) puts it in his speech during the 5th Philippine Elementary School Principals Congress last May 2, 2005, he reiterated that despite the teachers’ best and hardest efforts, we are still in the midst of a serious education crisis. We have largely succeeded in accommodating the increasing numbers of children that enter public schools each year. But beyond mere schooling education outcomes for the nation’s children have been poor for some time. Drop-out rates have been unchanged for decades just as achievement rates have similarly stagnated at low levels for some time now. As far as international comparisons are concerned, we are near the bottom among those countries that participate in these tests. Even more seriously, we are seeing signs that our educational failures are coming back to haunt us as many of our under achieving graduates come back to haunt us as many of our under achieving graduates come back as under-qualified teachers seeking to teach in our schools.These are not abstract statistics and number to you my dear principals. We have this crisis because it rages in your schools.
So my dear co-teachers, let us all be vigilant in helping our educational system to rise in its present position.
Reference:
Philippine Education In The Third Millennium. Trends, Issues and Challenges. (2005)
By: Nona M. Tañada
