Digging up the Trash (Opinion)

Ah, one of the most used tactics for degrading a political candidate. These people would more often than not, do the same tactics every time a presidential candidate is getting more spotlight than its competitors. Well, that’s Philippine politics for you---- So predictable. So Dirty, and yet a bit entertaining.

Back to the subject, we’ve been hearing about some presidentiables getting the bag from their pasts. Some of these came from positions during the First Quarter Storm, some from past positions in the congress, some even from their personal lives.

I would like to take an example from the recent clamors against a leading presidentiable. Recent bloggers are starting to attack Sen. Escudero’s statement on secondary education last 2006. He said that advanced math subjects like trigonometry and algebra should be removed from the curriculum. This had been an uproar since then, and I’ve been hearing it again lately as a propaganda against him.

Just like in 2006, what Escudero said was again placed out of context. What he meant was he wanted the students to experience more on other subjects like sports and the arts. Advanced Math subjects should be taught, not as a core subject, but as an elective for those who want to experience a higher understanding of mathematics. What he wanted was a strong foundation in the basic skills on Mathematics that we would be needing in real life, not to mention a higher aptitude in sports and the arts. Sen. Escudero looks at his proposal more on the practical side, which in fact more important than complex numbers and formulas.

If we look at past records of the country, the Philippines rank as one of the lowest in the field of sports (Well, boxing is an exception). Remember the 2006 Olympics, we only sent seven (I think) athletes to compete from the hundreds of sports events. Doesn’t that say anything to our current status in the field of sports?

While I do support Escudero’s proposal to revamp the High School Curriculu m----especially since I’m one of those who has a BIT of problem in Math--- I have mixed feelings on the subject. Recently, I realized that there is something important that we are unconsciously learning and I don’t agree that it should be removed as a core subject in High School. Algebra and Trigonometry (though I hated it and I can’t seem to remember how I passed trigo since I can’t even remember a single bit of it) stimulates the mind in having a deeper analysis compared to other subjects. It tests our mind to think of a solution, not based only on the formula given, but on how we manipulate it to suit our need. Perhaps we might not like the subject as much as the next person, but it is a way to stimulate our minds to think rationally. So instead of thinking it as a worthless subject, think of it as a way to challenge the mind.

But I do agree that there should be a revision in other subjects to increase the student’s awareness on the other fields. Instead of focusing the curriculum based on science courses like Medicine or Engineering, there should be an equal focus in the field of Arts like social sciences. Because out of Millions of students entering colleges, more than half of them would be choosing B.A. courses than B.S. ones.