All ideas in this column come from Dr. Clarita Carlos. I am merely echoing them because I fully agree with her.
After I wrote about the job mismatch problem, my former professor at UP—Dr. Clarita R. Carlos—sent me what I can only describe as a clinical, no-nonsense diagnosis of our education crisis. As always, she went straight to the point: skills mismatch is only a symptom. The disease lies much deeper.
And
because I believe her analysis deserves wider public attention, I am putting
her commentary front and center here. This column is merely my humble attempt
to amplify her voice.
A system gone awry
Professor Carlos begins with a stinging indictment:
The
mismatch problem is the result of an entire educational system gone awry—from
preschool to postgraduate and onward.
In her
words, we have allowed an entire lifetime of learning to rest on a shaky
foundation.
Our
reforms have been piecemeal — “a patchwork of this and that” — with no real
philosophy of learning behind them.
We
revise curricula, add years, shorten years, change assessment tools, introduce
new buzzwords — but with no guiding compass.
By the
time K–12 graduates enter college, most have already gone through an
“egregiously flawed first 12 years,” precisely when the brain is most primed to
learn.
What
should have been their peak learning years were instead years of fragmented,
incoherent, and poorly supported schooling.
This is
why, she says, what we see today — job mismatch, low productivity, rising NEET
rates, unemployable graduates — are only the surface cracks. The real
structural rot lies beneath.
The one
variable that matters most
Professor Carlos points out what educational research has consistently found but our
policymakers seem to ignore:
School
leaders rarely pay attention to empirical evidence on what truly predicts
learning.
The
best predictor of learning is simple: mastery of the subject matter by the
teacher.
A
knowledgeable teacher sparks motivation. A motivated student learns—even under
a mango tree.
Thus,
even with minimal facilities, if the teacher knows the subject deeply, learning
will happen.
This is
a powerful reminder that buildings don’t teach. Teachers do.
And
yet, we continue to focus on infrastructure ribbon-cuttings, not teacher
competence. We obsess over digital devices but ignore the human beings holding
the chalk—or the tablet.
The
tragedy of trifocalization
Perhaps the most structural issue Prof. Carlos raises is this:
“The
trifocalization of the education system should stop NOW.”
DepEd,
CHED, and TESDA operate as if they are in separate universes.
This
fragmentation has created three bureaucracies with overlapping functions,
disconnected curricula, and no unified vision. What was meant to create
specialization instead produced silos.
The
result? Misaligned pathways; poor K–12 preparation; confusing transitions; a
labor force that does not meet industry needs
And the
bigger ‘why’ of it all
Professor Carlos ends with a line that cuts deep:
“You
put politicians at the helm of our education department who have scant
knowledge of the philosophy of learning—and this is one of the WHYS of where we
are. At the bottom. Where else?”
We
cannot keep treating education as a political reward. The system demands
academic leadership, not celebrity appointments or political loyalties.
Where
do we go from here?
If we are
serious about solving job mismatch, Prof. Carlos is clear:
Fix the education system first. Everything else is secondary. Strengthen
teacher mastery. Ground reforms in a real philosophy of learning. Unify the
fragmented education bureaucracy. Appoint leaders who understand education, not
just politics.
I agree
with her completely, and I thank her for allowing me to share these insights.
If only more policymakers would listen.
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