Unit 1

Basic Concepts of Politics and

Education

Educational Planning and Development

(VTE 221)

Presented by:
Mr. Froilan Copiling
Ms. Vanessa B. Solayao
MA-VTE

AR. OFELIA M. BAWAN, PhD

Subject Professor
Basic Concepts of Politics and Education
Objectives:
1. Describe the structure of education in the Philippines
2. Highlights the importance of government in Philippines Education.
3. Address current issues in education system
Introduction
The Philippines has a vibrant and diverse education system, with the government,
assisted by the private sector, providing a wide range of education from early years up to college
and university across the archipelago. The Department of Education (DepEd) oversees the
provision of basic education. Educational planning and management that embodies and promotes
good governance, transparency, and accountability can protect education systems from
corruption and malpractice, helping to ensure efficient and equitable educational financing and
that educational plans are well implemented.

Education creates a smart citizen; these smart citizens make a strong democracy.
Education helps people understand the world, know their rights, and make good choices.
Teaching people about how society works and their role in it, it makes a country stronger and
keeps it going. The government plays an important role in the education system in the
Philippines.

Topics

POLITICS

Latin word “Politicus” meaning “anything of the state or belonging to the state”.

It’s the science of government which has to do with the regulation, protection and government of
a nation or state.

politics is a multifaceted word. It has a set of fairly specific meanings that are descriptive and
nonjudgmental (such as “the art or science of government” and "political principles"), but it can
and often does carry a negative meaning closely related to these (“political activities
characterized by artful and often dishonest practices”).
Type of government

A government is a system of order for a nation, state, or another political unit. A government is
responsible for creating and enforcing the rules of a society, defense, foreign affairs, the
economy, and public services. While the responsibilities of all governments are similar, those
duties are executed in different ways depending on the form of government. Some of the
different types of government include a direct democracy, a representative democracy, socialism,
communism, a monarchy, an oligarchy, and an autocracy.

Most common type of govern in the world are Autocracy, Oligarchy and Democracy

Autocracy

An autocracy is a form of government in which one ruler has absolute control and decision-
making power in all matters of state and over all the country’s people.

An autocracy is a form of government in which one ruler has absolute control and decision-
making power. Autocracies have existed since ancient times, when kings and emperors ruled
over great countries and tribal lands, and they exist today in the form of absolute monarchies
and dictatorships. Unlike in a democracy, the people living in countries with autocratic
governments have no say in determining the nation’s laws, or in how those laws are enforced. An
autocratic ruler is accountable to no one; there is no system of checks and balances, no
constitutional limit on the ruler’s power, and the ruler is not held accountable by a cabinet of
advisors, a system of courts, the people, or the press.

In autocratic governments, the power of the ruler is absolute; dissent is not tolerated. For this
reason, scholars have often linked autocracy with totalitarian regimes, such as that of Adolf
Hitler in Germany and Josef Stalin in the Soviet Union. Autocracy is a general concept rather
than a specific form of government. Though autocratic rulers have complete power over the
people of their countries, their methods of governing can be vastly different.

Absolute monarchies and dictatorships still exist in modern times. Today’s kings and queens, as
in ancient times, often rule by right of succession. Their royal lineage can be traced back to
ancient times when their royal ancestors ruled by divine right—as it was widely believed that
they descended from the gods. Dictators are absolute rulers who acquire their power rather than
inherit it. Most commonly, dictators gain power as a result of revolution—typically, when a
group of rebels rise up in protest and overthrow the existing government. Then,
the dictator assumes control with the goal of establishing a new order. Dictators, especially
military dictators, acquire their power by force.

Throughout history, during times of political unrest, people have tended to accept the command
of strong leaders who could take control of their countries. In fact, Niccolo Machiavelli, an
Italian political philosopher from the 15th century, recommended autocracy as a temporary
measure and as a means of restoring political order and ending dissent.

Oligarchy

Oligarchy is a form of government in which a small group of people hold most or all political
power.

Broadly speaking, an oligarchy is a form of government characterized by the rule of a few

persons or families. More specifically, the term was used by Greek philosopher Aristotle in
contrast to aristocracy, which was another term to describe rule by a privileged few. However, to
Aristotle, an aristocracy signified rule by the best members of society, while an oligarchy was
characterized by the rule of the few for corrupt and unjust purposes.

Although the term has, generally, fallen out of favor, oligarchy is sometimes used to describe a
government or society in which rulers are selected from a small class of elites. These elites
exercise power on behalf of their class rather than for the greater good. German-born,
Italian sociologist Robert Michels coined the phrase “iron law of oligarchy,” which holds that
there is an inevitable tendency of organizations to become less democratic and more oligarchic
over time.

In modern times, “oligarchy” is a term generally applied to China and Iran. China describes itself
as a communist “people’s republic,” but leadership of the country has been maintained by a
select few for several decades. Members of the oligarchy have included those who were part of
the Communist Party and the revolution in 1949, as well as those who came into wealth and
power since the opening of China to the global market in the 1980s (often descendants of the
early revolutionaries). This system has helped the wealthy and powerful maintain their control,
while providing relatively little power or freedom to most citizens.

In addition, there is a Council of Guardians, which consists of six clerics and six parliamentary
appointees. The Council has to approve bills passed by Parliament, and also has influence over
who can be elected to political office (Parliament and the Assembly of Experts).

Democracy

Democracy, literally, rule by the people. The term is derived from the Greek dēmokratia, which
was coined from dēmos (“people”) and kratos (“rule”) in the middle of the 5th century bce to
denote the political systems then existing in some Greek city-states, notably Athens.

The etymological origins of the term democracy hint at a number of urgent problems that go far
beyond semantic issues. If a government of or by the people—a “popular” government—is to be
established, at least five fundamental questions must be confronted at the outset, and two more
are almost certain to be posed if the democracy continues to exist for long.

Definition of term

Politics – involves the production, allocation, and use of decision-making powers among large
groups of individuals.

Culture – refers to everything socially created (Fiske, 1996). It is shared by different groups of
interacting humans.

Filipino Political Culture - covers all thoughts and feelings, group-accepted practices shared by
large groups of Filipinos as they produce, allocate, and use political powers within, outside, and
in interaction with the state.

EDUCATIONAL STRUCTURE OF THE PHILLIPPINES

The Philippine education system covers both formal and non-formal education.
Formal education is a progression of academic schooling from elementary (grade school)
to secondary (high school) and tertiary levels (TVET and higher education).
 The system is tri-focalized by law into basic, technical-vocational and higher education
under three different agencies: the Department of Education (DepED) headed by a Cabinet
Secretary for basic education; the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority
(TESDA) headed by a Director General for technical-vocational education and training; and the
Commission on Higher Education (CHED) under the Office of the Philippine President headed
by the Chairperson of a collegial body of five Commissioners.
The country’s colonial history, population growth, financial funding and educational
reforms all contributed to the nuances of the Philippine education system.
A. Basic Education (K-12)
Structure
The current basic education system consists of a 13-year four-stage program with
research-based curricula and methods of assessment that are appropriate to each Grade level at
each stage. The stages are Kindergarten to Grade 3 (Primary School; 2) for pupils 5 to 8 years
old; Grade 4 to 6 (Intermediate School) for pupils 9 to 11 years old; Grades 7 to 10 (Junior High
School) for students 12 to 15 years old; 4) Grades 11 to 12 (Senior High School) for students 16-
18 years old.
Formal basic education is provided mostly by public schools which constituted 83% of
all basic education institutions in 2017.
An Alternative Learning System is in place as a practical option to the existing formal
instruction with DepEd authorized providers. Recognizing non-formal and informal sources of
knowledge and skills, learners under ALS can take the Alternative Learning System
Accreditation and Equivalency (ALS A&E) Test, formerly known as the Non-formal Education
A&E Test which is designed to measure the competencies of those who have neither attended nor
finished elementary or secondary education in the formal school system.
Current Reform
This basic education structure is a result of the K to 12 reform which requires
Kindergarten and Senior High School. Pre-school education became compulsory in the
Philippines only in 2012 with the legislation of the Kindergarten Education Act (Republic Act
10157) although many private elementary schools have prescribed—since the 1950s—one or
two years of Kindergarten/Preparatory school for their learners who usually hailed from middle
and upper-class families. These private schools include those based on Maria Montessori’s
philosophy and the Waldorf School.
Prior to 2012, the Department of Education had pursued initiatives that eventually
facilitated the institution of the Kindergarten Program. But two important breakthroughs led to
the universalization of Kindergarten: the passing in 2000 of the Early Childhood Care and
Development Act (Republic Act No. 8980) and the Barangay (village) Level Total Protection of
Children Act” (Republic Act No. 6972). The former law sustained an inter-agency and multi-
sectoral collaboration to guarantee delivery of holistic services to children aged 0-6 years old
while the latter required all local government units to establish a day-care center in every village
(UNESCO, 2016). These laws paved the way for the formally instituted integration of
Kindergarten into the Department of Education’s Basic Education Program.
The Enhanced Basic Education or K to 12 Program is inclusive, promoting the right of
every Filipino—regardless of age, sex, gender, ethnicity, cultures, and religion–to quality,
equitable, culture based and complete basic education. Adhering to a lifelong learning
framework, it provides opportunities for all learners to access quality basic education. For
instance, learners in difficult circumstances who are prevented from physically attending classes
are offered flexible learning options (FLO) to complete their studies while equitable and
responsive educational interventions are crafted to give learners with special education needs the
opportunities to actualize their potential.
The Senior High School (SHS) Curriculum requires students to choose one of four tracks:
1) Academic, 2) Arts and Design, 3) Sports, and 4) Technical-Vocational-Livelihood. The
academic track is further subdivided into four strands: 1) Accountancy, Business and
Management (ABM); 2) Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM); 3)
Humanities and Social Science (HUMSS); and 4) General Academic (GAS).
It is important to note that while Senior High School offers tracks and four strands within
the Academic Track, SHS graduates–regardless of tracks—can gain admission to Baccalaureate
degree programs. Tracking students early and making them progress within the same track is not
acceptable in Philippine society, college education for the social mobility of their children being
a universal aspiration of Filipino parents.
For this reason, all SHS learners, regardless of track, are required to take 15 core subjects
(e.g. Statistics and Probability) to ensure that they are equipped with competencies required for
specialization studies in their chosen SHS tracks. In addition, learners are expected to take 16
additional subjects in the Applied Track and in Specialized areas within their chosen Track.
Geared toward the acquisition of common but critical competencies in SHS, i.e., English
language proficiency, research, ICT, etc., Applied Track subjects are prescribed for learners in all
tracks but are delivered with teaching- learning content and strategies customized to the
requirements of each track. Figure 3 presents a picture of the basic education curriculum map.
Apart from the K to 12 reform, Philippine basic education has made the paradigm shift to
lifelong learning and a learning outcomes-based approach at the level of policy and professional
teacher standards and is currently refining its implementation in the classroom.
Basic education provides the foundation of the Philippine Qualifications Framework.
While a Senior high school diploma does not correspond to any of the PQF levels, a student who
completes junior high school may already obtain a qualification at Level I if he or she is passes
the certification requirement. A Senior high school graduate on the other hand may acquire
qualifications up to Level III upon fulfillment of the requirements for each level.
The Philippine Qualifications Framework
The PQF is a system that defines levels of education and skills in the Philippines. It’s like a
roadmap that shows what you can learn and achieve at different stages of your education and
training.
Objectives:
 Sets standards: It ensures that everyone has the same understanding of what knowledge
and skills are expected at each level.
 Recognizes qualifications: It gives official recognition to the skills you’ve gained,
whether through formal education, training, or experience.
 Creates pathways: It helps you move between different education and training
programs, and between education and the job market.
 Increases mobility: It makes it easier for you to work in other countries, as your
qualifications are recognized internationally.

Key points
 It’s a quality-assured system, meaning it’s reliable and trustworthy.
 It’s based on learning outcomes, not just years of study.
 It applies to everyone, from students and workers to professionals.
 It’s a collaboration between different government agencies.
B. Philippine Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET)
The Philippine Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) is a competency-based
education and training system strategically designed to meet labor-market demand and provide
unskilled Filipinos, opportunities for decent employment and personal advancement. The system
subscribes to the principles of lifelong learning and recognition of prior learning by recognizing
learning outcomes achieved through formal, informal and non-formal modalities.
he qualifications and the skills formation programs are designed in modular form to provide the
needed flexibility that allows the packaging of programs according to present and future needs,
ease of amendment and an incremental approach to volume and size while addressing the
minimum requirements for a qualification.
The TVET system is reflected in the Quality Assured Technical Education and Skills
Development Framework or QATESDF (Figure 4) which adheres to the following principles:
 A National Technical Education and Skills Development Plan anchored on national
priorities as spelled out in the Philippine Development Plan and in the Investment
Priorities Plan; current labor market information; and customer needs. National
 development priorities spelled out in the national plans as basis for the TESDA Board to
draw up the national TVET policies and priorities;
 A system driven by competency standards and training regulations derived from industry
requirements and specifications and guided by TVET priorities identified by the TESDA
Board;
 Training Regulations as minimum national standards that serve as basis for the
development of a competency-based curriculum and learning packages, competency
assessment tools and standards and the training and qualification of trainers and
assessors;
 Accessibility of the System to a broad range of customers including the unemployed, the
underemployed, displaced workers, new entrants to the labor force, technical vocational
institutions and enterprise-based training providers;
 Quality of training delivery premised on an efficient and Unified TVET Program
Registration and Accreditation System (UTPRAS);
 The incorporation of a competency-based Philippine TVET Qualification and
Certification System (PTQCS) that serves as the basis for the grant of national credentials
including trainer and assessor certificates;
 Recognition of prior competencies acquired through alternative means and through
related work experiences through a system of equivalency within the entire education
system;
 Employment and productivity enhancement as ultimate metrics of the technical
vocational education and training system to effectively bring about the effective matching
of labor supply and demand;
 TESDA-enhanced TVET sector capability and capacity through financial resource
management, human resource development, physical resource management, information
management, marketing and advocacy, administrative management, customer feedback,
management of external relations and environmental concerns;
 The entire system operationalized in a quality management system to ensure continual
improvement.
Qualifications
Philippine TVET programs provide qualifications from Levels 1 to 4 of the PQF in the
form of National Certificates—e.g. animation NC 3, automotive servicing NC2; Bread and
Pastry Production NC 2 issued when a candidate has demonstrated competence in all units of
competency that comprise a Qualification.
TVET qualifications at Level 5—e.g. diplomas and ladderized programs are at the
interface with higher education.
 C. Commission on Higher Education

Structure

Degree and non-degree programs at the undergraduate or graduate levels are provided
by 1,943 higher education institutions (HEIs) as of 2017—excluding 453 Satellite campuses
of State Universities and Colleges. A total of 1,710 or 88% of these HEIs is private. About
half of these institutions are small with less than 500 students. While they dominate in
numbers, private Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) enroll only 55% of the estimated 4.1
million students in college. The rest study in State Universities and Colleges or Local
Universities and Colleges.

In terms of enrollment by discipline, the cluster of business and related programs has
the highest enrolment (26%); followed by education and teacher related trainings (21%);
engineering and technology (12%); information technology (11%); health-related programs
(6%). Enrollment in the other disciplinal clusters make up the remaining 24%.

The process of establishing higher education institutions differs depending on whether

they are public or private.

The Commission on Higher Education processes and approves the creation of new
private HEIs while State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) are established by legislation with
prior inputs in Congressional deliberations from CHED. Local Universities, and Colleges
(LUCs), which are oriented to local needs, are created by local ordinance.

CHED grants autonomous and deregulated status—for a renewable period from three
to five years—to private higher education institutions that have consistently shown exemplary
performance in the provision of education, research and extension services evidenced by their
long tradition of integrity and untarnished reputation, commitment to excellence and
sustainability and viability of operations. Institutions granted Autonomous Status by CHED
demonstrate both exceptional institutional quality and enhancement through internal QA
systems and excellent program outcomes. On the other hand, institutions granted deregulated
status demonstrate very good institutional quality and enhancement through internal QA
systems and demonstrate very good program outcomes.

Institutions granted autonomous or deregulated status benefit in terms of exemption

from regular monitoring and evaluation by CHED and priority in the grant of subsidies and
other financial incentives/assistance from CHED.

Autonomous institutions have greater benefit in curricular autonomy since they have
the privilege to determine and prescribe their curricular programs and they may offer new
programs, through the various delivery modes, without securing permit/authority from CHED
except in disciplines/degree programs that are under moratorium, the Doctor of Medicine
degree, and any other field duly specified by CHED. Autonomous HEIs also has the privilege
of offering extension classes.
 The institution of undergraduate and graduate programs in private HEIs that are not
autonomous or deregulated is authorized by the Commission on Higher Education based on
compliance with Policies, Standards and Guidelines (PSGs) developed by legally mandated
Technical Panels of experts composed of academics, professional organizations, members of
the Professional Regulations Commission (for disciplines leading to regulated professions)
and industry representatives (for industry-oriented disciplines). The PSGs set minimum
standards operationalized as the minimum set of desired program outcomes in terms of
knowledge, skills and values that learners are expected to demonstrate at the end of the
learning experience or at the time of graduation.

The charters of SUCs and LUCs assert that their governing boards approve academic
programs.

However, except for the University of the Philippines, the country’s national
university, the Commission on Higher Education requires SUCs and LUCs to obtain
certificates of compliance of programs that were created without going through the CHED
technical review and approval process.

The CHED Policies, Standards and Guidelines (PSG) for the various programs have
been revised to hew closely with the learning outcomes-based education paradigm that
underlies the Philippine Qualifications Framework.

CHED recognizes and supports both conventional and non-conventional modes of

delivery in higher education. The conventional mode entails traditional face to face classroom
interaction between the learners and the faculty members. The common approach involves a
variety of instructional methods such as lectures, laboratory experiments, demonstrations,
visualization exercise, concept maps, film showing, class and group discussions, problem
solving exercises, computer modeling, field trips, tutorials, among others.

Higher education degrees may also be obtained through the following non-
conventional models of learning being implemented in the country:

1) open and distance learning (ODL);

2) ladderized education programs;

3) Expanded Tertiary Education Equivalency and

Accreditation Program (ETEEAP); and 4) transnational education (TNE) programs.

Qualifications

Graduate Education

Graduate education in the Philippines is expected to achieve a clear progression beyond

baccalaureate/undergraduate education by underscoring integrative and interrogative teaching
and learning contents and methods and recognizably higher competencies in knowledge
production (research), knowledge transmission (teaching) and knowledge application
(professional practice, vocational arts, technology).

Master’s and doctoral programs in the Philippines have two tracks: Academic or Research
Track (PhD by Research) and a Professional Track. Since the Philippine higher education
system is heavily influenced by the United States, Master’s or PhD degrees by research is a
relatively recent development. The prevailing graduate curriculum is based on coursework
with thesis/dissertation.

Lifelong Learning

Lifelong learning entails the institution of pathways and equivalencies that enable individuals
to weave in and out of the formal education system while acquiring competencies from non-
formal and informal settings that could be credited towards formal qualifications in the formal
system.

Such pathways and equivalencies are increasingly put in place to provide different routes to
basic education for adult and overage learners. Their path will be determined by their life and
employment experiences and their purpose for seeking basic education. The conceptual
paradigm in Figure 6 shows the pathways and equivalencies between the formal and
alternative basic education curricula and programs.

Beyond basic education, the Philippine Credit Transfer System (PCTS), currently still work in
progress, would allow a seamless progression/transition between levels of qualifications.
Figure 7 illustrates the possible movement between education levels facilitated through
various access ramps or pathways of the respective professions/discipline covering
mechanisms for both conventional and non-conventional learning.

What Challenges Remain in Quality Education?

Several challenges persist in achieving quality education globally. These challenges include:

Access Disparities

In many regions, there are still disparities in access to education, with marginalized groups,
girls, and those in remote areas facing greater obstacles in attending school.

Educational Infrastructure

Insufficient infrastructure, such as overcrowded classrooms, lack of proper facilities, and

outdated resources, hampers the delivery of quality education.

Inequality
Socioeconomic disparities often result in unequal access to quality education. Students from
lower-income families may face barriers, including lack of resources and educational support.

Digital Divide

The digital divide exacerbates educational inequalities, with students in underserved areas
having limited access to technology and online resources.

Curricular Relevance

Ensuring that educational curricula are up-to-date, relevant to real-world challenges, and
inclusive is an ongoing challenge.

Assessment and Evaluation

The effectiveness of educational systems relies on fair and accurate assessment methods,
which can be challenging to implement consistently.

Global Learning Crisis

Despite progress, there is a global learning crisis where many students complete formal
education without acquiring essential skills, leading to a gap between schooling and actual
learning outcomes.

Teacher Motivation and Retention

Ensuring that teachers are motivated, adequately compensated, and provided with professional
development opportunities is crucial for retaining high-quality educators.
 Conclusion

Education is compulsory for all children, and free public education is provided for pre-
elementary, elementary, and high school. Schooling is divided into pre-elementary school,
primary education, called elementary school, and secondary education, divided into junior
high school and senior high school.

Education in the Philippines serves multiple purposes aimed at enhancing human

capital development, fostering national identity, and addressing societal challenges. The
educational system plays a crucial role in instilling key Filipino values like nationalism, unity,
and participatory democracy.

Recommendation

Government investment in education should increase to be able to provide better

teaching materials and to improve the salaries of teachers and professors. One of the primary
issues facing the education system in the Philippines is the lack of funding and resources.
Many public schools and universities struggle to provide basic necessities like textbooks,
classroom materials, and even chairs and tables. Investing on our young learners is a long
term plan for our education. infrastructure development, strengthening partnerships and
collaboration among stakeholders, prioritization of faculty development.
 The best recommendations for developing curriculum include studying objectives,
selecting and organizing content and methods, evaluating the curriculum, considering the total
situation, exploring various settings for curriculum development, and utilizing cooperative
curriculum planning.

For the learners, eliminating distractions so you can focus on what you are learning.
Organizing the information, you are studying to make it easier to remember. Using elaborative
rehearsal when studying; when you learn something new, spend a few moments describing it
to yourself in your own words.

References:
https://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/politics-and-education/88865014#29

https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/resource-library-forms-government/

https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/autocracy/

https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/oligarchy/

https://www.britannica.com/topic/democracy/The-Roman-Republic

About the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) | British Council

Overview of Philippine Education – iEducationphl (ched.gov.ph)
Philippine Education System – iEducationphl (ched.gov.ph)
Politics and Education | PPT (slideshare.net)
TESDA EXPANDS ONLINE PROGRAM - The POST
What is the importance of education in the philippines? |