CHALLENGES OF MATHEMATICS EDUCATION IN THE PHILIPPINES
Mathematics is one of the most essential subject that can be learned in school. Most fundamental mathematical concepts are interdisciplinary and can be used in other spaces of knowledge like science and technology. One can say that the development of mathematics is what determines a country’s advancement.
In the Philippines, Mathematics is a core subject in the education system, with mathematics education starting from elementary level and continuing through high school and college.
Like many other countries, the Philippines faces many challenges in improving the quality of mathematics education. One of these challenges is the shortage of qualified mathematics teachers. Students have the stereotype thinking of “mathematics is hard”. They give up answering mathematics problems before even trying. So, it is the job of the teachers to make the students love the subject. Many ways can be done like giving fun and exciting activities. It is important to have qualified teachers to teach mathematics. Teaching the mathematical concepts requires deep knowledge and mastery of mathematics.
Another challenge is the lack of resources. It is very hard to teach the students without learning resources individually. Teachers use outdated learning resources and are being left by time. Students share learning resources which are old and damaged. Since the age of technology, students are mostly considered visual and kinesthetic learners. This means that it is very hard for students to learn without seeing or experiencing the lessons. With sufficient resources, the students can bring their learning resources home and can study at home.
With the current age of technology, different types of technological devices are being invented and integrated in our daily lives including education. Traditional teaching is where the teacher is the giver of knowledge and uses traditional visual aids like cartolina and manila paper. Now, most teachers use powerpoint presentations presented in projectors. Teachers need to adapt to technological changes. With the use of technology in teaching mathematics, there are many more variations of activities that are made and shared in the internet. These activities are often made to be fun and exciting by the authors.
On my personal experience of teaching mathematics in public schools, it is very hard to individualize learning resources because it is extremely lacking. I’m teaching high school mathematics but the students didn’t even know how to do the four basic operations of mathematics. Instead of teaching high school mathematics, I instead go back to elementary mathematics and the progress is very slow and regressing.
In my opinion, recruiting high qualified mathematics teachers and giving sufficient learning resources greatly helps in improving and overcome these challenges. With the recent result of PISA 2018, Philippines is second to last in ranking in mathematics and science from all the countries that participated. It is very sad to see that two of the fundamental discipline in a country’s evolution is left behind and not highly supported by the government.
REFERENCES
Aguhayon, H.G., Tingson, & Pentang, J.T. (2023). Addressing Students Learning Gaps in Mathematics through Differentiated Instruction. International Journal of Educational Management and Development Studies, 4 (1), 69-87.
SEI-DOST & MATHTED, (2011). Mathematics framework for Philippine basic education. Manila: SEI-DOST & MATHTED
https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000191776_eng
https://slejournal.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s40561-021-00168-5
https://theconversation.com/mathematics-why-we-need-more-qualified-teachers-2161
https://gpseducation.oecd.org/CountryProfile?primaryCountry=PHL&treshold=5&topic=PI#:~:text=In %20reading%20literacy%2C%20the%20main,30%20points%20higher%20for%20girls).