A 10-year-old bruised, dark-skinned girl walks barefoot uphill a treacherous path in a rural area to go to her school. She gets up early morning so as not to be late for her class. A teacher saw her hardship and, in her little way, surprised her with footwear, giving the student slight relief as best she could. Tearful, the girl could not believe the generosity and kindness of her teacher. She would excel in class not only to get awards but also to show her teacher how grateful she is.
A brother and sister cross a river on a makeshift small boat to go to their elementary school in one of the provinces in the Philippines. They get up at 4 o’clock to allow for travel time and make it to their first class at 7 a.m. Their homeroom class adviser learned about their commute, and looking at their physique, being so thin, obviously malnourished, he came up with a plan to provide his class with nutritious snacks with the miserly amount of salary he has.
These are only two examples of how students are struggling and striving so hard to go to schools in the Philippines, especially in far-flung remote areas. Yet, they continue to tread on with their daily lives so they can equip themselves to better their lives and provide brighter tomorrows not only for themselves but also for their families.
STRUGGLES IN PH EDUCATION
A newbie College Professor is attending her first class teaching basic computer at a school’s laboratory. Nervous, she is filled with excitement, sharing the knowledge she has with her new students. But after seeing her class fill up the classroom and still lacking in chairs, she already saw a dilemma. There were more than 40 students in her class. A group of students is left standing because there were not enough chairs. Therefore, the students shared seats. The situation is not ideal or practical for the teacher to attend to each of her students so they can have the quality education they need, nor for the teacher to determine where she should focus on improving her understanding of the class.
Due to poverty, families can barely afford the basic school needs of their children. There is the story of a retired teacher who keeps a well-stocked supply of the things she needs at home. One time, she noticed her ream of bond paper was suddenly running out fast even though she was hardly using it. She discovered that a kasambahay (househelp) was providing for her grandchild’s school needs. Her salary could not augment their daily living. She could hardly afford food, let alone other expenses. Instead of confronting her, the retired teacher presented her with sets of notebooks. The househelp quietly smiled at the gifts she received. She did not utter a word of her getting the paper but understood she was forgiven. It dawned on the retired teacher that the grandchild of their kasambahay was lacking in his school supplies. As a teacher, you not only scold or reprimand a student for their mistakes, but you can also gently show them the right path to take.
VALUE HONESTY
Cheating in exams at school could result in stealing and other forms of wrong acts. It is important to instill honesty in the younger generation. They will become the future leaders of nations. Although cheating has become rampant, that should not be the norm. Hard times like these, especially after the pandemic, brought about unimaginable crimes. However, humanity is saved when the goodwill of decent people continues to spread love and hope rather than hate and cruelty. There can be good governance if there are no corrupt leaders in government who are cheating and robbing the citizens of their hard-earned money from “ghost projects” that goes to their already full pockets.
Education is not a privilege. In fact, having an education is a basic right. It is a human right. People should not go around begging themselves to be educated. It is one of the responsibilities of good governance to provide education for its citizens. It should not only be seen as an investment but rather as having a good, solid foundation in fostering a morally upright and prosperous generation to come.
Jesus did not simply tell people what to do. Instead, He spoke in parables. It was in such unique ways of teaching by Jesus Christ that He was able to spread God’s Living Word, which humankind now needs more than ever to heed the Messiah’s call to the goodness of God’s Love and to become the world’s Salvation. It is with having education that people not only spread their knowledge towards a quality of life but in sharing the Gospel of the Lord.
