Textbooks that miseducate
ONE of the urgent problems that education troubleshooter Romulo Neri may look into is the big number of textbooks that miseducate Filipinos because they are shot through with grammatical and factual errors.This anomaly is public knowledge and has existed for decades. Efforts to correct the mistakes have generally been unsuccessful. The books continue to be printed, reprinted, sold and taught at elementary and secondary public schools. According to the experts, solecisms in language and in fact also crowd many college textbooks.
Two or three years ago, the Department of Education commissioned a study to look into the problem. The department asked the National Historical Institute, the University of the Philippines and other offices to make an assessment of the trouble and to offer solutions. We have not heard from DepEd regarding its study.
On history, we have had the investigations of Dr. Augusto de Viana of the historical institute, the essays of the historian Ambeth Ocampo and books by Benito Legarda Jr. and others to show the historical lies that popular myth and schools have helped perpetuate.
On language and logic, we have heard from Antonio Calipjo Go, academic supervisor at the Marian School in Quezon City, (read his ad in The Times and other papers), our language policeman Jose A. Carillo, parents, scholars and journalists who have heard complaints about these heresies or have read their contents for verification.
A host of reasons explains why substandard books have entered the public school: a reported book cartel among authors, middlemen and publishers, poor evaluation system, the reported influence of supervisors on the choice of reading materials, poor oversight and monitoring, authors writing out of their depth. The collective failure to write and speak English correctly has victimized students.
The UNESCO National Commission of the Philippines and the Department of Education are working on an aspect of the problem but we wish they could do no more.
While admitting the abundance of flawed textbooks in public schools, Dr. Jaime Galvez Tan, former Health secretary and project leader, said that their study is focused on books dealing with social studies and health education, and on the production of “resource books.”
At a news briefing, Galvez-Tan said an earlier study by the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization confirmed the poor quality of these textbooks. The researchers gauged the accuracy, balance, readability, consistency and organization of the materials to arrive at their conclusions.
He singled out a Grade 5 textbook on health and science for having “condemnable” errors. Errors filled every page, he moaned.
His approach, however, to the problem is to publish a “resource book” for every subject “so that teachers can correct what they see wrong in the previous textbooks.”
What does it mean? In previous press releases on the subject of “resource books,” DepEd said such a guidebook would simply take note of a published error and correct the mistake. It’s like adding an “erratum” page to a book.
Not enough. What the Department of Education should do is get rid of all badly written textbooks and replace them with well-written ones.
Education Secretary Jesli Lapus should also create a national commission to deal with the problem, hire experts, define their work and give them a deadline. If he doesn’t do it, Mr. Neri should look into the matter.
Here are a few gems culled by Mr. Go: 1. “Jose Garcia Villa wrote the story “’Woman With Two Navels.’” 2. “He became the primetaker of his family’s farmland.” 3, “’Here’s for you!’” the guard said while hitting Basilio.”
Here’s for you, you poor student!
How to save water
HERE, according to Maynilad Water Services, are some practical tips on saving water:
Report leaks, busted pipes and hydrants to the government or to your water provider.
Make sure all taps are closed.
Have leaks repaired promptly.
Recycle water. Use rinse water from the laundry or kitchen for flushing the toilet, cleaning the car or watering plants.
When washing clothes, don’t let the basin overflow under a running tap.
When using the washing machine, wash with a full load every other day.
Use only the right amount of water to cook food or wash dishes.
Use a basin or fill up the sink halfway when soaking, soaping or rinsing dishes or cleaning vegetables. Don’t use running water for this purpose.
Don’t water your plants too often.
Never soak your lawn with water.
When washing your car, use a pail, not a water hose; a cotton rag, not a sponge.
Don’t hose down your driveway. Use a water pail and broom.
Avoid unnecessary flushing.
Turn the tap off when washing, shaving or brushing your teeth.
Using a timba and tabo is preferable to using the shower.
Don’t stay under the shower longer than necessary.
Place a heavy brick in the water tank to reduce the volume of water.
And our small contribution: Shower with your wife or girlfriend.
