Further Education in the Philippines
 

Our two daughters are currently doing their Grade 12 in the local High School and will be ready for University/College in 2018. We are finding it extremely difficult to find out what the procedure is here to get a place in further education. The school seems reluctant to discuss this topic and we keep being fobbed off. I have tried finding information out on line but the University web sites are very poor and lack any useful information such as how to apply for a place or minimum requirements etc. I feel time is running out to apply for places but I have no idea. Is there a central 'UCAS' style system here because I can't find it? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Re: Further Education in the Philippines
 

Unfortunately there is no UCAS type system here ( a friend's son enquired last year ). Further education here is based more on money making and less on education, they are hardly likely to share possible students details with another college/university. A friends daughter is half way through a 4 year college degree on how to become a waiter and kitchen assistant.

Re: Further Education in the Philippines
 

Our children go to kindergarten and nursery school here... and like you I was trying to do it online - basically waste of time.

You'll need to go to the University and ask them how you can enrol your child there.

As the other poster said as long as you can afford the fees you'll probably be able to send them where they want.

Re: Further Education in the Philippines
 

No UCAS here, but just like the UK certain public, but mostly private schools have "links" to certain Universities. But I think anyone can take entrance tests like UPCAT.

Re: Further Education in the Philippines
 

I am staggered, but not surprised that it takes a 4 year course to become a waiter/kitchen assistant. I would have thought such a course would take about one month max to obtain a qualification. Which begs the question....who would want to pay for 4 yrs tuition to obtain a menial job with a low wage?

I have a friend here who has just graduated from a 4 year course to become a nurse. But can she get a job? No. Because although she has "graduated" she has to go on an evaluation course and then take an exam. Which costs money she does not have at the moment. "Graduation" here does not appear to be same as it is in the UK.

Anyway....I digressed from the subject. Apologies.

Regards

Pete

Re: Further Education in the Philippines
 

There's probably periods of OJT included but it's essentially a racket and probably sold as an opening to getting more glamorous and lucrative jobs abroad. I think they got this 4 year degree idea for anything and everything from the US. Some logic in it if your primary and secondary systems are poor.

But I also think they just like complicating, "making a meal of," extending things in many areas of life here!

Are they still going to have these 4 year courses in vocational areas when the public schooling has been lengthened here by the K12?

Re: Further Education in the Philippines
 

Education in the Philippines is a business. The so called university's will literally accept anyone to collect the tuition fees. As other members have suggested the standard of education at these establishments is very low, and the lecturers fail to advise the students that the chances of obtaining relevant work in the field of their degree is near impossible.

On the many occasions that I ask check out and shop assistants about their academic qualifications,the same reply is predominately..........I have a 4 year degree, but are working here because I need the money.

For some unknown reason it would appear that many Filipino families will make huge sacrifices to send their children to these so called universities. I always advocate that it would be far more more beneficial to save the tuition fees and start a micro business.

Re: Further Education in the Philippines
 

The Government goes along with all this as the economy doesn't create nearly enough jobs...yes some could start or become involved in businesses with prospects for growth, but that's a minority who can only do that with the help and guidance of parents etc.

They don't want even more young people adding to the unemployed statistics and it becoming even more of a political issue than it is now.

Re: Further Education in the Philippines
 

I get the same answer, but having had 4 years college/university education they can still not work out the change for P500 on a P480 bill in their heads ( and even get it wrong sometimes with a calculator ). My neighbour is the top maths teacher at the local high school and one day we were talking about exams, I showed her my Maths O Level paper and asked if she could pass, a week later she came back with only 2 question finished ( 1 right & 1 wrong ). She nearly died of embarrassment when I showed her my certificate with an A pass, age 14, she thought it was my university final exam paper. No wonder she sends her kids to private school.

Re: Further Education in the Philippines
 

The results of a degree obtained in the Philippines are very clear. I am often bewildered at the complete and utter lack of efficiency, productivity, and knowledge of many of the businesses that I come into contact with.
When shopping in local supermarkets it is obvious they are grossly over staffed, with brain dead assistants,who invariably gather in groups joking and singing to the background music.There are the shelf stackers who proceed to throw boxes down from the top shelves without any consideration for anyone passing below.
The level of efficiency compares to U.K supermarkets is dire. I question where are the so called degree level management that should be sorting out this real and unproductive attitude?
What really annoys me that any work that is carried out, be it building work,gardening,cleaning, almost everything, has to be done many times before it is considered correct.If you don't supervise and control the work expect it to need doing many times before it's satisfactory.
What also is apparent is the lack of maturity of most of the Filipino youth. Whilst being very polite, they just do not understand how the real world of work works.i have come to the conclusion that most of the so called students are too busy on their mobiles, watching utter drivel on tv, but never reading anything that is factual or educational.
The longer My period in the Philippines I am fast realizing that should I decide to start a business here then finding staff with intelligence and maturity could be extremely difficult to find. I would estimate that the average 21 year old has the maturity of a 14 year old in the U.K ( admitted they are more polite).
I asked a friend that owns a substantial hotel business how he copes with finding staff of employable quality, his reply was very difficult. He suggested that the education system here does not teach students how 'to think outside the box'. When his manageress was interviewing for waitresses it was apparent that the applicants were the holders of degrees in many fields (nursing,IT, teaching,etc).Although waitressing does not require many of these degrees,it does require the ability to be confident and to be able to speak good English. The interviews they conduct are always initiated in English. The result being even though the vast majority of students speak English they 'froze' when asked simple questions related to the job on offer.
Someone on this site remarked that in general the IQ of Filipinos in somewhat inferior to other nationalities.I put this to my friend,and he suggested that it might be something to do with the diet that is consumed here. Could he be right?

Re: Further Education in the Philippines
 

When I was still a smoker I bought 1 packet of cigarettes in a supermarket, the transaction was completed by 7 people
1 handed me the pack
2 rang up the till
3 handed the cigarettes to the wrapper
4 wrapped the cigarettes
5 went off with my P500 note to get change
6 came back with change and gave it to Nr 2
7 supervised the extremely difficult transaction
2 gave me my change, just over P550, nobody noticed, so I pointed out the wrong change
1, 2 & 7 counted through the change eventually getting it right.
So it took over 5 minutes to buy one pack of cigarettes or nearly 3/4 of a man hour

Re: Further Education in the Philippines
 

Your answers are very much as I feared and what is my worst nightmare. I too am appalled, on a daily basis, at the total lack of peoples ability to think, do basic tasks or have empathy for customers or peoples needs. The standard of task accomplishment is zero unless constantly badgered minute by minute. We can't even get an appointment at the High School the girls attend as the staff are 'too busy' despite many days finishing early for 'staff meetings' (or is that shopping, never sure). Today, a national holiday, yet another one, the girls are rehearsing some dance routines in the school, these are a 17 and 18 year olds, for their next school performance, deemed more important than basic maths tuition or anything else useful.
A huge thanks for everyone's contribution, very much appreciated.

Re: Further Education in the Philippines
 

My wife took a degree in business management at Silliman, she said the first year was entirely taken up on teaching basics to catch up on the various abilities or lacking of of the new student intake and basically getting all of their duck in a row.

Re: Further Education in the Philippines
 

I really feel for those staff in their situation! Allocated small parts of the job so they don't go completely out of their minds with boredom.

But this is more about what economists call "over employment" than the low level of educational attainment. Years ago as a student I remember reading about the state run GUM department store in Moscow, then in the communist USSR. It featured staff positioned both at the top and bottom of all escalators.

Sales floors and yes, sometimes even the check outs of the big operators like SM, Robinsons etc are often very much over staffed. Sometimes one can be "assisted" by 4 or 5 sales staff. Strange, because the owners could easily increase their profits by cutting staff. This topic has been discussed on other forums, but I haven't yet seen a convincing explanation. For what it's worth here is mine.

With large numbers of young people graduating each year and not enough jobs for them these large retail sector companies provide jobs to give them some work, and keep them off the streets. It could be that they are community minded but a more likely explanation for me is that in return they get favours from the government eg legislative, planning etc

Re: Further Education in the Philippines
 

I have been amazed at the queues at the check outs in Robinsons and CSI. The strange thing is there are unmanned checkouts, why don't they recruit some of the gossiping individuals to man these vacant checkouts.
Realizing that these monumental queues are caused by sari sari owners stocking up with countless low priced items , why don't the degree educated management have a totally separate payment, checkout arrangement for them?
On several occasions I have had cause to abandon our shopping basket and walk out, not having the patience of a saint, or nothing better to do.

One has to appreciate that you need 'buckets of patience' and a controllable temper to endure some of the everyday simple tasks that are undertaken by the 'educated' masses.