STILL ON EDUCATION

By: Iris P. Concepcion

One thing that I am truly impressed about Yala is its abundance of educational establishments.

My sister-in-law had invited me to the Coliseum, a lavender-themed mall, for a pizza treat which was quite a fill. People here do not eat much parmesan cheese and we smothered our slices with this favorite condiment. I finished only one slice and my soda was refilled often. I had to beg off from further servings.

We passed by a school and fetched my brother. An argument ensued between the couple.

It is not an ordinary brick-brat of senseless innuendos and lowdown discussion. They were comparing the amenities of their respective schools and were competing who shall build taller and better educational structures. I was secretly laughing on the sideline. My brother's classrooms have Bravia television sets even as I posed my dilemma about its classroom designs. I like his futuristic clock though. I had observed that the institutions here have separate departments for their English curriculum even on the elementary level. They have come prepared for the future. Their King has done enormous groundwork to arm its citizens with literacy. I applaud that kind of track.

Not to be outdone, my sister-in-law pointed at a huge structure with blue roof and voraciously (in good tone) said: "That is a school too!"

I was silently rejoicing when I saw young men and women being tutored in restaurants at the corner junctions. I have likewise seen this in Malaysia; their kids are likewise home-schooled, aside from getting formal educational training.

My sister-in-law's university is in the process of building mall-like libraries and classrooms. It has its own stadium, with spacious football fields. Everywhere you turn to here, you see schools and schools and nothing but schools. School buses have students; motorcycles are driven by the youth as a means of transportation to get their education. Seldom can you see here idle people talking about the underwear colors of their neighbors. They have bigger pursuits to follow.

I was told that even after finishing college, the Thai government still supports its graduates by finding jobs for them or should they need further training, they are sent abroad to obtain their masteral or doctorate degrees. Travelling to them is not a burden; it is always adjunct to the nobler purposes of learning.

I commented to my brother that this is quite a staid and formal environment but had expressed profusely that I am impressed by its openness to designs in its government facilities.

I felt proud that Filipinos are doing this abroad. In silent disposition, I had vowed that our own would be as open as this country is to all avenues of teaching methods. Giving our teachers their just due is a start. Exposing them to better facilities is another I would rather that people shout and yelp about educational upliftment than talk insensible things about neighbors' concerns.

You create an open-minded society by being tolerant to opposing views. Only education can equalize the highly charged tensions brought about by areas in deeply-seated, conviction conflicts.

As we rode in the motorcycle returning to the house, I was still wearing a smile on my face. A couple engaged in different schools are outdoing each other in the field of teaching.

That is the kind of competition that I yearn for.