Education is very important to Filipino families. Parents make many sacrifices so their children can attend the best schools. There are free public schools, but most families want to send their children to private schools, so they must pay tuition of as much as $10,000 per year. If the parents don’t have the money to send their children to a good school, then the children often stay home. Many of the private schools are Catholic, as that is the dominant religion in Philippines. Starting at age 5, children attend primary school for 3 years. When they turn 8, they go to middle school, followed by 4 years of high school beginning at age 14. Students must take a test before they can enter school. Their test score determines their academic placement. Each school has 4 sections: 1 is the best section for the top students, while 4 is the lowest. Some report cards use a 1-5 scale. 1 is equivalent to an A, while 5 is an F. Other schools use the traditional 0-100% scale.
Students can bike or walk to school. There is no school bus. We eat lunch in school, and have a short recess that is similar to mid-morning. Class size is usually bigger than here, about 30 students in 1 class depending on the school. Boys and girls attend school together. Students must wear uniforms and IDs. We must punch in and out at a time clock when we enter and leave school. Students stay in 1 classroom, while the teachers move from room to room.
Students and teachers actually have an informal relationship. In fact, teachers often invite students to their houses. However, we do show teachers a lot of respect. We don’t usually look our teachers in the eye because we’re too shy. We always stand up when the teacher comes into the room. There is no corporal punishment. If the teachers hear a student say a bad word, they file a violation report. After 3 warnings, the student can be expelled.
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Literacy:
total population: 92.6%
male: 92.5%
female: 92.7%