A 2010 Stanford University research brief noted that ever since Finland topped the OECD’s Programme for International Student Assessment in 2000, much research has been devoted to studying how the country was able to turn around its non-descript education system into the world’s best in just two decades. Among the factors identified, it was Finland’s excellent teachers that trumped everything else.
In Finland the teaching profession is held in high regard. Some note that primary-school teaching has become the most popular profession among Finnish youth today. In 2010 the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) reported that some 6,600 students applied for only 660 slots available in Finland’s eight teaching universities.
At first glance, the teaching profession in the Philippines appears to enjoy similar prestige, given many students continue to be drawn to it. Commission on Higher Education data show that courses in the “education science and teacher training” disciplines have remained in the past decade among the country’s top 5 courses in terms of college enrollment.
However, a 2015 University of the Philippines (UP) survey, published in the Asian Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities, found that Filipino school teachers feel they rank low in social status and occupational prestige compared to other professions, particularly doctors and lawyers. For the teacher-respondents, an indicator of this inferior social status is the meager social benefits they receive, including low salaries and diminished fame or social recognition.
Filipino respondents to a 2015 survey on the status of the teaching profession by Education International said teachers and education workers in the Philippines are generally underpaid and overworked. Thus, it is crucial that teachers’ salaries are raised to a level commensurate to their critical role.
But while imperative, raising teacher salaries is only one step. Finnish teachers, in fact, receive a salary roughly equivalent to Finland’s national average. They are held in such high regard, in part, because of the rigorous screening and training process students have to go through to become teachers.
Would-be teachers are screened through a two-stage process, where both their academics and out-of-school accomplishments are considered. They are asked to take a written exam; conduct a demonstration class; and undergo a rigorous interview to assess the strength of their motivation to become a teacher. These occur before they are even admitted to university. To be eligible for employment, all teachers in Finland are required by law to be master degree holders and expected to conduct research throughout their teaching career. In short, high professional standards raise the public profile of Finnish teachers, underscoring how much training and expertise are needed to be a successful educator.
This may not be the case in the Philippines. In 2015 Philippine Business for Education (PBED) noted that in 2014, roughly 50 percent of the graduates of more than half of the country’s 1,200 teacher education institutions (TEIs) failed to pass the Licensure Examination for Teachers that year. PBED estimated that for every good-performing TEI, there were two TEIs that performed poorly.
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Tomorrow, October 5, is World Teachers’ Day. October 5 marks, as well, the end of National Teachers’ Month in the Philippines, which started on September 5.
Among all philanthropies in the Philippines, the Metrobank Foundation is unique in giving recognition and monetary reward to exemplary teachers through its annual Search for Outstanding Teachers (SOT). Metrobank’s SOT is a pioneering award that started 31 years ago, way back in 1985. Unquestionably, Metrobank’s teachers’ award is the most coveted and prestigious teacher award in the country today.
E-mail: angara.ed@gmail.com.
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