Angara: Basic education will not be liberalized via Cha-cha

Senator Sonny Angara on Tuesday told the Department of Education (DepEd) that the proposed amendments to the 1987 Constitution do not intend to open up basic education schools to full foreign ownership.

Angara, who leads the Senate subcommittee on constitutional amendments and revision of codes, allayed DepEd’s concerns after the agency expressed strong objection to Charter change, particularly the allowing of full control and administration of basic education institutions in the Philippines to foreign entities.

“The intention is not to liberalize basic education. The intent is to liberalize higher and vocational and technical. So, I think you can be rest assured that we will not open up basic education,” the lawmaker said.

“At the outset of the educational institutions’ session, we already said that the intention was not to open up basic education because of the importance of values formation, nationalism, among others,” he added.

In an ambush interview, Angara said they will amend Resolution of Both Houses No. 6 and remove the ambiguities on the provision on basic education.

"We will amend it kasi medyo na-realize namin na parang ang interpretation is baka pwedeng galawin din 'yung basic education. Hindi naman 'yun ang intensyon," Angara, one of the authors of RBH 6, told reporters.

"Basic educational institutions shall be restricted to Filipinos actually ang nakalagay doon, pero dahil nga 'yung succeeding sentences, 'yun ang nagbigay ng parang ambiguity doon. So kaklaruhin namin 'yun na applicable lang siya sa tertiary education, meaning college, [technical vocation], anything after high school," he said.

During the continuation of the hearing, Education Assistant Secretary Francis Bringas reiterated DepEd’s stance regarding the resolutions seeking to amend the Constitution by lifting the 40% limit on foreign ownership of vital industries, including education.

He stressed that the Philippine curriculum should be exclusively implemented by Filipino citizens to ensure alignment with the specific needs and context of the country.

As for higher education institutions, Commission on Higher Education (CHED) chairman Prospero de Vera III has expressed support for economic Cha-cha, saying it will provide additional options to students who want to pursue their education in foreign universities, help internationalize higher education, and increase foreign student enrollment in the Philippines.

“The Commission interposes no objection to the proposal to amend the Constitution, to open up control and administration of higher education institutions to foreign nationals,” De Vera said in the same hearing.

Meanwhile, Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Philippine Science High School (PSHS) System deputy executive director Rod De Lara said that they also have no objection to allowing foreign schools in the Philippines to offer basic and/or higher education services.

“The PSHS System, being the country’s premier STEM high school catering to Filipino scholars with high aptitude in science and mathematics, welcomes all government initiatives that will improve the standard of education in the country at all levels,” he said.

A university official and officials of two national student organizations on Monday said that allowing more foreign ownership of schools would not improve access to quality education in the Philippines but instead worsen it. —with Hana Bordey/AOL/VBL, GMA Integrated News