I thought of posting my lingering thoughts on Education in two parts. I hope all of you would share thoughts in this matter.

March and April mark the graduation months in this country (except for those schools which adopted the trimester system). Within these months, primary, secondary and those tertiary schools out of the trimester systems would be really busy preparing for this celebration. Advance CONGRATULATIONS for our students who manage to accomplish their school requirements, KUDOS to those who are aiming for their best places in their Top 10 ranks, those who remained or new Dean's Listers, or students who belong to the Top 20 of their schools. These students are worth commending for their best talents and skills. These are the individuals worth honing for their promising future, possible contributors to the country's growing economic competency.

I was a graduate once and every year, seeing these graduates march to that pedestal claiming for their certificates/diplomas, I could still remember how exciting it was to be called "graduate," that at last, I have reasons to celebrate and yank the whole world that I now have a certification, a pass for me to be included in the list of business professionals. I was so proud because I have all the more reasons to believe that I can be a contributor to the family's budget and at least earn something for myself.

I am the daughter of the Baby Boomer generation. I still carry with me the "competitive attitude" of my parents, and from all those who belong to the baby boomer generation, something that I have been so proud of. I learned how to compete fairly in this aggressive business industry. I even enhanced my academic credentials by enrolling in the country's still-reliable and considered top-university to date in the Masters in Development communication in 2004. Unfortunately, out of schedule issues, I needed to file for leave of absence on my last semester while doing my thesis.

The workaholic me didn't learn to quit all this time. I actually am yearning for more, like shopping till you drop. But the education we have these days is far different from what I've got years ago. While it's true that the kind of education we have these days is more engaging, students are nonetheless flooded with many issues starting from their adopting the education culture that may or may not rock their world moving forward. What I mean is that the benchmark has been elevated in terms of education standard yet the challenging fact of promising education is so expensive. Parents can't afford to pay $550-$1500 every semester especially if the family is living within the boundaries of economic hardships. Imagine multiplying that amount based on how many years you'll stay in the academe? Another silent opportunity I can take note of regarding education is the competitiveness of the teachers in providing quality and practical learning to their students. But if I'm the teacher and am not compensated according to my efforts, I'd think otherwise.

So you see, the academic system is like a food chain. I think everything is connected. Get to talk to many graduates and evaluate their communication competencies and you'll be disappointed that the basic grammar and communication lessons are far from their grasps. They're flooded with info-tech but lost their appetite to communicate greatly. Little did they realize that effective communication can be their bridge towards success. But that's not the focus of academic system these days. Yes, there were programs and English language remains in the curriculum. But are the teachers competent enough to teach this subject flawlessly? I don't think so. Therefore, if the teachers are grasping the right way, what would you expect from these students?


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