The curriculum guide in education always pertains to minimum learning competencies.  However, the word “minimum” is dropped from the phrase and educators in public schools in favor of the term “learning competencies.”  However, competency competes with the terms outcomes and standards.  Although these are different words, the sector has learned to accept them as synonymous.  The much ignored word ‘minimum” cannot be substituted to any word since it pertains to one thing, and that the minimum not the opposite of it.

 

With respect to public education, schools are content on meeting the minimum competency.  But in private schools, this is not the case.  Competency goes beyond minimum because parents pay for the education of their children.  It goes without competencies on all subjects.  Parents would not be contented with the minimum learning competencies since the higher cost of education should commiserate to higher order of learning.

 

Taking the Mathematics curriculum in focus, a Grade 2 pupil is expected to count money with the following as guide:

 

            Content:   Numbers and Number Sense

            Content Standard:  The learner demonstrates an understanding of halves and

                                          fourths

            Performance Standard:  The learner is able to apply number concepts in

                                                  problem situations solving money.

            Learning Competencies:  The learner counts and tells the value of a set of bills or

                                                    a set of coins through 100 in peso (coins and bills)

 

In private schools, a Grade 2 pupil has been in school for at least four years.  In those span of years,  it is unlikely that a Grade 2 pupil has not seen money in bills and coins.  He could have handled bills and coins and already know how to count coins and bills to Php 100.  Therefore, students in Grade 2 in private schools need not wait until they reach the grade level to achieve the competency for the grade.  In fact, pupils in private schools count money as early as in their Prep years

 

That is a clear advantage private school pupils enjoy over public school pupils.  However, the learning competencies in the grade schools are mandated by the Department of Education which has no choice but to legislate for the majority of the pupils.  And since majority of today’s pupils are in public schools, DepEd implements policies for the benefit of the majority. 

 

If parents want their children to achieve the minimum learning competencies, they can send them to public schools for free.  For maximum learning competencies, they should send their children to private schools where education is achieved at a demanding cost.

           

 

 

 

 

By: Ana Paz D. Guevarra | Teacher III | Daan Pare Elementary School | Orion, Bataan