THE DISCUSSION about whether the Department of Education (DepEd) wanted or not to bury the past relating to its desire to change the term “Diktadurang Marcos” (Marcos dictatorship) to just “Diktadura” (Dictatorship) in the Grade 6 social studies curriculum is regrettable.
Countries with a murky past (and that means most countries) have this problem. For example, German history does not get very far if there is an attempt to describe the horrendous events associated with the Nazis without dragging the nefarious Adolf Hitler into the picture.
So DepEd’s Bureau of Curriculum Development (BCD) reported desire to omit former President Ferdinand Marcos Sr. in its description of the past is just plain silly.
All of us who, in our careers, have worked for an intellectually challenged boss has experienced this problem. Blind obedience to stupidity helps no one. The trick is to try to explain to those empowered to instruct us that not all their directives should be accepted without question.
The Brits had this problem during World War II. This resulted in heated debates between Winston Churchill (their boss) and their own views. Ultimately, a strategy “No surrender” evolved. We need to do this now. Supine acquiescence to bosses is not helpful if we wish to establish sound decision-making.
***
I always enjoy Toots Jimenez Jr.’s “Coffee Talk” column in PN’s opinion page.
Last week’s outpourings were particularly relevant. Toots described the results of his friends in terms of their discussions about the skills necessary to improve the achievements of Filipinos within the ever-changing education system.
We are not in a happy place.
A recent survey conducted by SWS (Social Weather Stations) showed that only 39 percent of the populace is happy with the K-12 program.
This is serious.
The K-12 program was passed in January 2013 as a result of what some of us considered to be an overbearing propaganda-encrusted attempt to browbeat the populace in a misguided attempt to accept the program.
Already it seems that there is serious cynicism about whether K-12, enshrined in Republic Act 10533, is worthy of our respect.
Toots’ articulate friends seem to concur with the cynics.
The majority of the rest of us agree./PN
