Is knowledge really power?

    

“Is knowledge really power?”

The world's issues are our enemy, and knowledge is the sword that is easily yielded but difficult to attain. The Philippines currently only has 22% of private schools, meaning more than half of the population is not receiving quality education in public and semi-private schools. As a privileged student in a university that provides quality education, I can say that I am lucky to be receiving an education that should be standard and not hard to find. I realized how beneficial it was especially when I entered my high school years and had to transfer to a public school during my 7th grade due to financial problems when COVID had just hit the Philippines. I have been a student in USJ-R since grade 1 and have been studying here for 10 years, I only stopped one year and it only took me one school year to realize how fortunate I have been to have been receiving quality Christian community-oriented education. 

Additionally, As I have learned, major challenges faced by educators and learners are the effects of the faulty government that rules over our economy. Public schools are not able to provide quality education, and teachers are barely making a living through earning less than they deserve and need. The challenges these public schools face are module distribution, equipment unavailability, poor internet access, poor learning materials, unprepared parents, teacher training, technological knowledge, and one-size-fits-all approaches. Overcrowding, poor maintenance, and geography pose challenges in remote areas. Low school participation and retention are also identified, possibly due to inadequate public spending. All these problems lead to people's possibilities being limited. They would have limited employment opportunities and a myriad of possibilities of who they could have been if they had received quality education. 

Furthermore, technology is ever-evolving, benefiting numerous things, as well as education. Being able to do school words more efficiently with the help of the internet but this also serves as a problem since there are tendencies that students merely cheat or plagiarize works due to the urge to just finish it rather than putting in the effort.  With these technological advances, there are also more options for students like the ability for online classes and online activities that make it easier to do at-home activities or still have an option for when we are unable to attend physical classes. All in all, I believe technology has been beneficial for education regardless of the problems it brings.

Moreover, Promoting quality education would greatly impact the development of our society. For example the latest elections that happened, lack of education led to poorly chosen decisions driven by peer pressure and many other factors. During the LENI rally, Catriona Gray mentioned, “ The government has the power to change our lives, but we have the power to change the government”. This statement has stuck with me all this time and I truly believe in the message it holds. The government has control of the education that our country receives yet continues to underdeliver. But as mentioned, we have to power to change that by being educated in the people that we put in the position to control the way our country grows for the benefit of our future. If people make choices without knowing knowledge and do something based on the decision of the majority. I believe promoting could contribute to the voices that are trying to shake the government, so I may able to contribute to that by actively informing people around me whether through social media or in person or with the help of our barangay to further reach as many people as possible. 

In conclusion, Is this how life is supposed to go for people who can't afford private schools? They are already burdened by the financial limitations that they have to face, do they have to have to settle for an education they can afford? Quality education should not be something that is paid for, it should be standard for all schools, private or not. Because knowledge is power, able to trample down issues that come into our daily lives all throughout the world.