Philippine Social Realities Affecting the Curriculum Essay

The Philippine society today is different in many respects from what is was fifty years ago. The Philippines is now semipolitically independent in fact a full-fledged Republic. We now set out direct relations with most impertinent countries including Red China and Russia on the basis of equality, reciprocity and dignity. Because of our beliefs and commitments to the democratic path of keep we ar now ranged against the other half of this divided earthly concern in a conflict which is ideological, frugal, schoolingal, political, moral, cultural and religious. Our population has grown steadily from a few millions in 1900 to over 60 million as projected by the National Census and Statistics by 1989. But the payoff of our food supplies has non kept pace with the unabated increase of population. This instability has given birth to many intricate social problems the solution of which contract utmost resourcefulness in leadership and unflagging support in fellowship.The incr ease in population, unaccompanied by widespread enlightenment and a corresponding improvement in the economic position of the individual and the greater part of the society, generated pressures and created more problems never before encountered by our people. We now have a growing a middle class one not quite sizeable but certainly growing in number, in quality and in influence. An increasing number of Filipino physicians, nurses, educators, technicians, researchers and government calling men are now going abroad and receiving advanced instruction in foreign countries. Different means of communication, transportation and travel in our country have increased in number and have work faster and cheaper. Today, we have more newspapers, magazines, books and radio receiving sets. We also have televisions. on that point are more movie houses today some(prenominal) in the cities and in the provinces where foreign and topical anaestheticly produced pictures are regularly scheduled.W e now have thousands of both public and private schools, colleges and universities. Illiteracy has been reduced considerably. Various industries, some locally capitalized, and others foreign-owned, have grown in our countryside. Medical science has brought to our people the blessings and risks in the use of new wonder drugs. Curriculum developers must have in mind that the problems of society are the problems of education. Education can not be divorced from the economic, political and social realities of a country. Anysociety in order to progress economically, must progress educationally. Industry needs to establish the direction and dimensions of educational progress for manpower maturement. The question is, does such lend oneself true in the Philippines or does it follow a reverse pattern, that is, that educational progress runs ahead of economic development? Is our course of study relevant to the point society? Are our curricular offerings so earnd that their goals are do relevant to the economic demands of the society, not only for the present but also for the years to come?Education must enrich society, improve the funding conditions of its people, and make possible its optimum development. Herein lies the importance of the orientation, organization, enrichment, adaptation and development of the local computer programme. The curricular offerings must be made relevant to the economic demands off society if we are to achieve the goal of producing people who are to provide direction and guidance in the operation of commerce and industry. skilful skills, researchers for the discovery of new products, constant improvement of technological procedures and needed managerial pool must be taken into consideration by political program developers in the Philippines. Stress on studies and activities, related to history, values, social and economic life from the viewpoint of the Filipinos are factors for consideration. The syllabus must provide abundant ma terials to embolden the unity of the people such that it should embody the latest gains in knowledge since it must give an education for effective participation in the unexampled society.Most of our degree courses are patterned abroad without adequate local study as basis. The curriculum must keep up with the ever-changing political, economic, and social conditions of the country. In the New Society, attempts have been made to reorient the curriculum in both content and accent on liberal education providing balance between academic learnings and work experiences for the development of leaders and creators of affair opportunities. The new program is being redirected to ensure a greater quotation of the value of hard and honest work, unlike in the past when the emphasis was on languages and academic excellence. Economic development plan must be taken into consideration in order to draw guidelines for curriculum development. The Filipinos increasing dislike for colonial mentality is an indication that the curriculum must be redirected to Philippine culture. Different groups have arisen to voice drivendevelopment goals.Our national history and character, socio-economic structure and broad social eudaemonia measures have been emphasized. Much of the burden of bringing such goals to reality has move upon the schools. Evidently, if the schools are to carry out these changes, they must effect widespread curriculum change. Regarding this matter, we must recognize that the Philippines chief characteristic is her cultural diversity, that her strength does not lie in being a tasteless, odorless melting pot. In the task of redirection to Philippine culture, the initial thrust would probably be to prepare textbooks and teaching materials oriented to Philippine setting, based on native business, economics, political and social conditions. Because the Philippines is basically agricultural and there is urgent need for an amplification of agricultural production and me chanized farming, curriculum developers must take this into consideration. The curriculum must prepare the Filipinos to meet the growing agricultural needs.