More Science Education Please...

Some thoughts on science education and national development:

I have always had a hunch that religion by some circuitous means has been an obstacle to development in countries that came late in the capitalist game. In these so-called "post-colonial states," like our country, one finds the language of national development peppered by religious rhetoric.

Pardon, I don't want to sound anti-religion or anti-church here, but consider this. A study shows that the top ten “least religious countries” in the world are Sweden (up to 85% non-believers, atheists, agnostics), Vietnam, Denmark, Norway, Japan, Czech Republic, Finland, France, South Korea and Estonia (up to 49% non-believers, atheists or agnostics). Note how most of these countries are among the most developed and orderly national communities in the world today.

The survey, published by the Cambridge University Press in 2005 as a chapter in The Cambridge Companion to Atheism concluded that “high levels of organic atheism are strongly correlated with high levels of societal health, such as low homicide rates, low poverty rates, low infant mortality rates, and low illiteracy rates, as well as high levels of educational attainment, per capita income, and gender equality.”

It further noted that “most nations characterized by high degrees of individual and societal security have the highest rates of organic atheism, and conversely, nations characterized by low degrees of individual and societal security have the lowest rates of organic atheism. In some societies, particularly Europe, atheism is growing. However, throughout much of the world — particularly nations with high birth rates [underscoring ours] — atheism is barely discernable.”

Nations with high birth rates? Is this the reason for the Hierarchy's unrelenting opposition against the Reproductive Health Bill?

I know that religion and politics are a volatile mix, and I may be inviting undue stress by raising some discomfiting questions here and writing on this most delicate of topics, but then again I think no stone must be left unturned in our quest for a solution to our country’s problems. Nothing is so holy in the altar of meaningful change — in our collective effort as a global specie to uplift the human condition in the only planet that we inhabit.

Some learned student of society once argued that a particularly religious attitude — the "Protestant Ethic" (includes hard work and wealth seeking in this world) — could perhaps explain the relative development of certain societies compared to others. What about a "Catholic Ethic" therefore? Is that our key problem in the Philippines?

Now, perhaps a more constructive, precise, and perhaps less controversial way of stating my main point is that communities with a less scientific orientation tend to become less economically developed. This seems a self-evident argument. But exactly how is science then factored into governance and education in a country like the Philippines?

To put it another way, how come, notwithstanding the seeming dominance of the natural sciences in the curriculum of our schools, religion appears more influential in shaping the policy debates in this nation? How do the DOST and DEPED address science education concerns? What roles do they have?

We praise Filipinos students who win in math quizzes and science fairs but our policies on, for instance, population growth, do not seem to be based on sound scientific propositions — how do we explain this country’s cultural schizophrenia? Let's zoom in on the public school system.

I am alarmed at how, in the public school where my two nieces now are studying (pre-school and grade 2), there is a notable lack of science education. The older one told me they had no specific subject on science. Is this now the case really? I have not been too in touch with public elementary school-realities it seems. It is noticeable how she lacks appreciation of the most basic science principles that could be taught in Grade 1, considering that she is supposed to be in a “science section.” We supplement her learning through tutorial and additional materials aside from giving her some access to the Internet (yes, the Net) to satiate her thirst for knowledge.

But how about the nameless others of her cohort who must make do with what is offered to them in the public schools? No wonder we get the lowest marks in international tests on science and math achievement.

When my nieces started going to that public school, I learned that the “Panatang Makabayan” (Oath of Nationalism) has already been rewritten to in fact include the word “dasal” (pray). They make you memorize this. Mildly amused, I was thinking how I don't suppose I turned out so bad without a very prayerful life and a more secular Panatang Makabayan.

Given my primary education in another public school, I attribute the high quality of our learning to persevering teachers like Mrs. Asperas-Sabado (my Grade 1 mentor who introduced me to the beauty of Science) and not to any forced memorization of canticles. Are we now so overly concerned with values and prayers that we have forgotten that science is the base of formal knowledge? If we are, what values are these anyway? Should we not have a sustained concern for national development and not just “prayers”?

But hope springs eternal, indeed. Like my nieces, most school age Filipino youth in developing countries want to learn more science.

Through a 2006 study, “Science-Related Attitudes and Interests of Students” by Talisayon, de Guzman, and Balbin of U.P., the Philippines took part in an international research project, the Relevance of Science Education (ROSE), based in the University of Oslo and funded by the Norwegian government. The study found out that among eleven countries including Egypt, England, Estonia, Ghana, Israel, Japan, Latvia, Norway, Philippines, Russia, and Sweden, the Philippines ranked first on viewing “the importance of Science and Technology for society, and new technologies making work more interesting.” The country ranked second in perceiving “greater opportunities for future generation due to Science and Technology, greater benefits of science than harmful effects it could have, having as much science as possible in school, liking to get technology job, and important for future jobs – working people rather than things and working with machines as tools.” In sum, the Philippine results showed more than 90% of students indicating positive science related interests and experiences. Our students are thirsting for more science.

I have nothing against religious or values education. Definitely, we need more leaders with not just knowledge but integrity and patriotism for this country. However, there is much space for such learning in the private and non-formal sphere, especially in our families where such education truly begins. I am not too keen in spending precious state funds on religious education in public schools. In the public domain, through the formal school system and beyond, what we need to do is to bring science to the mainstream of people's lives.

Let us invest more into science education. I pray for a more scientific and development-oriented education in this country. Thy youth's will be done.