the miseducation of the filipino

this article is written by Renato Constantino. i would just like to share my ideas regarding his write-up.

few comments

The first thing that I would really like to comment about is the choice of vocabulary of the author. The author blatantly has a wide command of the English language. And it’s such a good thing for him. But sometimes not good for me, cause I really have to prepare our mini dictionary on my side in case I’ll encounter an alien word.
On the content, it’s really not a waste of time reading the article. Not only will you learn new vocabulary but also your eyes will be opened to a fact that has long existed in which our eyes are just so blinded to see, because we are just so pre-occupied with the idea that the Americans are totally of help. But then again, we must remember that the world is created with symmetry, that in every evil, there’s goodness, and that in the presence of advantage, there’s a disadvantage.
Education is indeed a very vital factor for one’s development. And as we all know, through education, one’s mind is molded because of the teachings, ideas, and values taught to him. Due to this fact, it’s only either of the two that will happen: the person will become productive provided that he was taught with the right things, or, the person will become otherwise since he acquired negative things. So here comes Renato Constantino, educating us the right way.
I wrote some learning and comments from selected parts of the article. And these are as follows:
Compared to US, our country is still in the process of improvisation or still underdeveloped. Culturally speaking, US has firm tradition or has it’s own culture which was not influenced by other cultures. It has developed freely which sprang from it’s indigenous people. Indeed, US is the master of it’s own house. And provided that we are a corollary of the certain country’s intense desire to spread their seed, we couldn’t deny the fact that we have already adopted some of their cultures and traditions, including their language. American education stresses the importance of internationalism and we simply follow the lead without knowing that our very own foundation of nationalism is weak, making this move disadvantageous. To site is our national virtue of hospitality which, according to the article, has transformed into a stupid vice. (Adoption of Western Values)
Due to the failure of Philippine education, we became so ignorant to the fact that we allowed aliens to strip us of our possessions and wealth. We even praise them for their success, not knowing that some of it is mainly caused by us. They even labeled our country as paradise, but as a matter of fact, Philippines is a heaven just for them but not for some of our countrymen. Because we are still an indirect colony of other countries, many Filipinos fought for complete or total independence and freedom, getting nothing in return but negative thoughts and opposition. Due to colonial education, Filipinos find it hard to grasp the nationalistic principles that must be learned. (Un-Filipino Filipinos)
For a child to master a foreign language, he must first master his own. Because no one is brave enough to advocate the use of our native language as the madium of instruction, the use of English has become dominant. Because a lot are illiterate on this, the use of English as a medium of teaching is an ineffective step, thus producing citizens who do not have mastery of English as well as their native language due to the deliberate neglection to it. Simply put, the masses are becoming more and more illiterate even to their own language. Since many find it hard to use English, many also find it hard to express and lack of expression prevents learning or development of thought, leading to cultural stagnation. (Impediments to Thought)
It is true that we are being dumped with American forms of media. And we can’t deny the fact that mass media is a great factor in molding our character and ideals. It greatly affects our system. Due to this fact, we can’t help but get affected and infected with the whole Americanization thing. And the only way to cure this? Philippine Education. I agree with what is stated that Philippine Education should produce men and women who are not only educated or who do not only know how to read and write and add and subtract, but also men and women who know and who are aware of the present situation of the country and should do something about it for it’s betterment. Philippine education should not only teach the students the basic knowledge and skill but also inculcate within their hearts and minds the values and teachings of our fellow noble countrymen such as Bonifacio and Rizal. Filipino should not only go to school to get a degree or diploma, but should also embed within themselves the values and characteristics that this drowning nation needs. As a saying goes, “Application should always go with education, because the latter is nil in the absence of the former.” (Needed:Filipinos)

*the continuation is in my next posts. :)