Teachers Migration in the Philippines - Research Paper Example

A Research Paper: Teacher’s Migration in the Philippines The proliferation of skilled persons’ migration in recent years has led to liberalised immigration policies vis-à-vis highly skilled professionals from developing countries. However, the resultant effect of this is to trigger an exodus of skilled personnel in developing countries, with the large outflow of skilled persons posing the “brain drain” phenomenon threat (Carrington & Detragiache, 1999). Indeed, the UK Government White Paper on International Development entitled “Eliminating World Poverty: Making Globalisation Work for the Poor” (2006) highlighted the need for developed countries to be aware of the domino impact on developing countries of the brain drain (available at www.dfid.gov.uk). The Philippines has been undergoing the brain drain phenomenon since the 1970s and in the Philippines it is estimated that overseas workers send home $10.7 billion each year (Torres, 2008) and The Bank of Philippine Island’s President Aurelio Montinola stated in a speech earlier in 2008 that the country’s overseas workers would eventually constitute “the standard for a new mobile global order” (Torres, 2008). The focus of this analysis is to critically evaluate the impact of teacher migration in the Philippines and consider the issues pertinent to Filipino teachers vis-à-vis the resultant impact on the public school system at local level. INTRODUCTION In the last decade, Filipino migrants have filled the gaping holes in skilled worker shortages in developed countries in Europe, the Middle East and USA (Torres, 2008). However, this migration has effectively created a “brain drain” at national level, yet the national economic benefits of teacher migration arguably provide a disincentive for the government to implement any measures to remedy this (Stalker, 2000). Moreover, from a societal perspective, the lack of female teachers has created significant social costs, whereby Hochschild and Ehrenreich argue that female overseas teachers have a detrimental impact on the nation’s young: “Each year, millions leave third world countries for jobs in the homes, nurseries and brothels of the First World….. this enormous transfer of labor results in a risky displacement, in which the same energy that flows to wealthy countries is subtracted from the poor ones, easing a care deficit in rich countries while creating one back home” (Hochschild and Ehrenreich ,2003). Moreover, prior to the seventies, the movement of Filipino professionals was a essentially private initiative through worker placements abroad, however, the 1970s saw a shift in dynamic as the figure rose due to developing country demands and globalisation (Stalker, 2000). This backdrop has continued to fuel teacher migration in the Philippines and in section 1 I shall consider patterns of migration in the Philippines. In section 2 I shall evaluate the resultant impact on the national public school system and conclude with a summary of the central issues underpinning teacher migration in the Philippines. PATTERNS OF LABOUR MIGRATION It is submitted at the outset, that a central problem is the lack of consistent empirical evidence regarding the extent of the brain drain and statistical impact on the Philippines from Teacher migration (Loftstrom, 2000). If we consider the impact of globalisation on patterns of labour migration, the increasing numbers of Filipino workers abroad indicates changes in destination with a shift from the Middle East in the 1970s to the US, Hong Kong and Singapore in the 1990s (Bohning, 1999). During the 1970s the primary occupation of the migrant labour force was domestic and nursing, however by 1990s this shifted into teaching, with figures demonstrating parity between permanent and temporary migrants from the Philippines (Filipino Commission, 1998). Moreover, the permanent migration can be seen as dominant in North America. In teaching, this has been fuelled in the United States by the phenomenon of foreign teachers as a result of the national struggle to meet the targets of the Federal “No Child Left Behind” Act requirement of “highly qualified teachers” in every classroom (2001, Public Law 107-110). The Philippines, which traditionally has supplied US with nurses, emerged as a recruitment hub due to the surplus education majors and English speaking population (Torres, 2008). As a result of this proliferation, the Philippines is the fourth largest labour sending country to fill the teaching work force gap and the essence of this translates into $12billion to $14 billion in remittances, buoying the economy amid risks of financial crisis (Bohning, 1999; Torres, 2008). However, the social gaps left by teachers can be felt in schools. Indeed, Morento Fontes Chammartin, migration specialist of the International Labour organisation is concerned particularly with the rise of women migrants, which has risen from 35.3 million in 1960 to 94.5 million in 2002 (www.ilo.org). However, the continuing exodus of Filipino workers has not resulted in concrete policy frameworks at the national government level to address the brain drain, particularly with regard to public school teachers (Kuznetsov, 2006; Kadria, 2000). Indeed, estimates demonstrate that in 2006, there was an average of 300 to 1,000 public school teachers moving to the US every year in the last decade, fuelled by high salary rates in contrast to poor pay levels in the national education system (Kuznetsov, 2006). It is reported that States with the highest number of Filipino teachers include Maryland, Kansas, Alabama, Georgia, Texas, Florida and California (Smith & Favell, 2006). The in teacher migration directly correlates with the rise of students in the 1990s with degrees and the poor Filipino job market (Kapur & McHale, 2005). For example, the National Statistics Office figures demonstrate that employment of degree holders grew from 1.7 million in 1990 to 2.3 million in 1999 however there was significant unemployment levels for degree holders, as demonstrated by Table 1 below. TABLE 1: Employment of College Graduates 1980, 1990, and 1995-1999 (in thousands) Year Employed Population College Graduates in employment Persons with degree (as percent of total employed) Ratio of employed graduates to total employed 1980 16,433 1,621 10 1.10 1990 22,532 n.a. - - 1995 25,698 3,449 13 1.7 1996 27,442 3,266 12 1.8 1997 27,888 3,128 11 1.9 1998 28,262 3,347 12 1.8 1999 27, 762 n.a. - - Source: National Statistics Office. Therefore, in relating these figures regarding the total number of working professionals in the country, the outward flow of Filipino professionals exceeded their net increase by almost 46 per cent between 1992 to1998 (Loftstrom, 2000). Therefore the growth of the Philippine professional population through the years was less than the number of Filipino professionals registered as leaving the country. As such “it represents a more permanent diminution of the country’s high level man power”(Alburo & Abella, 2006) as demonstrated by the statistics of the Commission of Filipinos Overseas in 1999 evidenced in Table 2 below: TABLE 2: Professionals in Working Population 1992 – 1998 (in thousands) Year Professionals working in population Change in working population Professionals among land based OFWs Professionals among working emigrants Total outflow of professionals 1992 1,392 72 8 80 1993 1,398 6 65 8 73 1994 1,366 (32) 74 7 81 1995 1,428 62 44 6 50 1996 1,640 212 36 7 43 1997 1,654 14 52 6 58 1998 1,697 43 56 4 60 TOTAL 305 399 46 445 Source: Commission on Filipinos Overseas Additionally, the number of teachers migrating expanded dramatically in the second half of the decade, which was compounded from a national perspective by poor overall employment in the Philippines. Indeed between 1995 and1999, statistics demonstrate that there was a consistent proliferation of the “educated unemployed” with many graduates in this period not being absorbed into the domestic economy (Carrington & Detragiache, 1999). Moreover, the Philippines Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) overseas employment statistics for 2007-2008 indicate that out of a total 1,666 Filippino teachers employed abroad, 971 of these were in the USA with the majority begin female. This is further confirmed in the POEA Deployment per Skill per Country report for 2008 indicated that the majority of Filipino teachers employed abroad were women and working in the US (www.poea.gov.ph ). ANALYSIS & DISCUSSION Whilst the results point to a domino effect brain drain on national resources creating associated socio-economic problems, this must be considered in context of the predicament of the public school teacher in Philippines, which is riddled with low salaries, heavy teaching and crowded classrooms, claustrophobic bureaucracy, corruption and lack of career and growth opportunities (Massey & Taylor, 2003). The high outflow of Filipino teachers in the field has nevertheless created a negative impact on primary and secondary education in the Philippines, which is suffering from brain drain (Kuznetsov, 2006). However despite this many eligible teachers are not being employed by the education system (Torres, 2008). Indeed, the Department of Education figures demonstrate that the number of the country’s elementary and secondary teachers, both public and private remained almost the same with a span of ten years (Regets, 2007). For example, the figure was 433, 701 in 1991 with a growth rate of only 1.7 per cent in 2000, which is in stark contrast to the figures released by the Professional Regulations Commission for the same decade demonstrating that 35,238 graduates on average passed the teachers board examination annually out of which only 7,692 were absorbed by the national education system (www.prc.gov.ph ). As a result, the Department of Education has implemented an order adopting austerity measures through the non-filling of vacant positions (www.deeped.gov.ph ).However, notwithstanding the implementation of performance related bonuses in 2005, the inherent limitations of the national infrastructure and weak government incentives are no competition in the international market place. For example, according to leading online Filipino news portal Bulatlat.com, the US School district requirements are at approximately 200,000 teachers each year, however fewer Americans are applying for teaching positions and there was an estimated one million foreign teachers by 2008 (www.bulatlat.com). Moreover, the Philippines education system is modelled on the US system and the high proficiency English renders the Philippines a prime breeding ground for US recruitment (Regets, 2007). Furthermore, less than a fourth of those eligible to teach gain employment in the Philippines. However, whilst this economic need is the primary trigger for the high outflow of teacher migration, it creates a perpetual vicious cycle as the number of teachers employed each year is insufficient to meet the country’s needs in primary and secondary education, which is further compounded by rising public school populations (Ozden & Schiff, 2005). Moreover, the bureaucracy and logistical constraints means that the hire of public school teachers cannot meet the pace of demand (Ozden & Schiff, 2005). This has resulted in a worsening student/teacher ratio. Indeed, figures from the Department of Education indicate that in public schools the teacher to pupil ratio in 2001-2002 was 1.36, high school 1:39, which rose to 1.42 in 2004 and rising to some classes being 1:70 (www.deeped.gov.ph ). This lacuna is further exacerbated by the reality that often, the outflow recruits are often the better teachers as they must comply with the US federal mandate for highly qualified licensed teachers and they are competing with individuals from India and China, therefore it is submitted that the national educational system is actually losing some of the most qualified, particularly in high school primary subject areas (Khadria, 2000). Conversely, it has been argued the Department of Education is losing its investment on teachers (www.deeped.gov.ph ). For example, the Department of Education developed a science and math teaching competency of its teachers through training initiatives and scholarships along with a bonus scheme in 2005 (www.deeped.gov.ph). However, the irony of these initiatives is that whilst they are insufficient to act as an incentive against migration, this enhanced training may in fact translate into better qualifications, thereby improving positioning of Filipino teachers in the global market place (Stalker, 2000). From a national perspective, the 1987 Constitution provides that education is a basic right of every Filipino family and primary education is formally free and secondary education at municipal level (www.gov.ph/aboutphil/constitution.asp). The Government is obliged under the Constitution to ensure that direct and opportunity costs do not preclude access to education; however this politically motivated social ideal is not reality for many students obstructed by meal costs, transport costs and tuition even in public schools (www.deeped.gov.ph ). This is further compounded by a research study undertaken by a Joint Country Gender Assessment Study in 2008 driven by the Asian Central Bank entitled “Paradox and Promise in the Philippines” (available at www.adp.org ), which highlights the fact that the quality of public education and basic access to education services is inherently dependent on municipality variances. Therefore the problem of sporadic schooling access in the Philippines is further perpetuated by the exodus of qualified teachers (www.adp.org). CONCLUSION The above analysis highlights that the trends in skilled worker migration and the Philippines has significantly impacted teachers, with a continued growth in outflow migration. Whilst providing significant economic impact to the national economy, the brain drain phenomenon could result in a false dawn in respect of the economic benefit as the negative ripples into the public education system are felt. For example, losing competent teachers without replacement will in turn impact the quality of Filipino graduates who will become the future workforce. It is submitted that the problem lies in the weak Department of Education initiatives focusing on the problems in the education system without factoring in the problems caused by teacher migration. Indeed in its 2007 policy address “Pursuing Education for all in the Philippines”(www.deeped.gov.ph ), the Secretary Jesli Lapus expressly asserts that system need to invest in ICT and education and that “Specifically for the Philippines, there is recognition of the contribution of our workforce to economies everywhere. The focus is not on brain drain but on circulation of skills to ultimately benefit out country,” (www.deeped.gov.ph ). However, this statement from the Department of Education arguably misses the point. If access to education is not universal as is guaranteed as a basic right under the Constitution and there is lack of suitable teachers to lead the next generation, then issues regarding adequate ICT and technology is surely secondary. Funding initiatives need to be focused on teacher’s salaries in the first instance otherwise there will continue to be an exodus with insufficient replaces to fill the increasing gaps. Indeed, Federico Macaranas, who is head of the Asian Institute of Management’s Policy Center (www.policyinnovations.org) highlights the point made above that the Filipino teacher migration is draining the education system as well as the economy as it creates a problematic cycle, which will filter through. Moreover, Macaranas argues that it is society that loses out more by the public school teacher exodus more than teachers and nurse exodus, as “losing thousands of teachers over the past decades has had a trickle down effect on society because we could not longer replace them with similarly competent ones due to existing low pay and difficult working conditions” (www.policyinnovations.org). Additionally, statistics from the Commission on Higher Education highlight a steady decrease in the number of students taking up elementary and secondary education course in the Philippines between 2001 and 2006 (www.ched.gov.ph ). The Commission’s empirical research further indicates that whilst enrolment is high, this isn’t tallied by the low graduate rate. Moreover, in the school year from 2001-02, student enrolment in high school reached 324, 655 contrasted with the figure of 263,910 in 2005-06: “Education as a course remains attractive to many students, but the question is, are we attracting the best and the brightest students to take up teaching courses?” (www.ched.gov.ph ). This is also reflected by the alarmingly low rate of passes for the licensing examination for teachers in the last 8 years with the Commission citing record lows (www.ched.gov.ph ) A Bill proposed by the Senator Alan Peter Cayetano (who heads the Senate Committee on Education) to increase the teachers’ basic salary in a three year period was approved by the Senate in July 2008. Bill Number 2409 was sponsored by Cayetano under Report No. 77 and seeks to provide increased support and compensation for teachers in public education. The approval of the bill is a welcome move and in the official press release, Cayetano asserted “this move of the Senate is a big step forward in showing that we are serious in improving and modernizing Philippine education” ( www.senate.gov.ph/press_release ). Under the bill, once enacted into law, teachers will get an increase in salary and additional medical allowance support. The Senator pressed for this bill to be made priority for passage and it remains to be seen how far the measures will go to decreasing the alarming rate of teacher migration. Whilst by no means a panacea to the conditions facing public school teachers in the Philippines, the Bill is undoubtedly a welcome step in the right direction and acknowledges the fact that the Government must continue to provide incentives to ensure the gaps left by the brain drain phenomenon can start to be filled. BIBLIOGRAPHY Alburo, F. A., & Abella, D. I. (2006). Skilled Labour Migration from Developing Countries: Study on the Philippines. International Migration Papers 51 Bohning, W.R. (1999). The Impact of the Asian Crisis on Filipino Employment Prospects Abroad. SEAPAT Working Paper 1 Manila: ILO Carrington, W. J.., & Detragiache, E. (1999). How Extensive is the Brain Drain? Finance and Development June, 1999 Commission on Filipino Overseas (1998). The Impact of the Asian Crisis on Filipino Employment Prospects Abroad in W. R. Bohning, Southeast Asia and the Pacific Multidisciplinary Advisory Team SEAPAT Working Power 1 Ehrenreich, B., & Hochschild, A. R. (2003). Global Woman. Granta Books Kapur, D., & McHale, J. (2005). Give us your best and brightest: The Global Hunt for Talent and Its Impact on the Developing World. Khadira, B. (2000). Then Migration of Knowledge Workers: Second Generation Effects of India’s Brain Drain (2000). Kuznetsoc, Yevgeny, (2006). Diaspora Networks and the International Migration of Skills: How Countries Can Draw on their talent abroad Loftstrom, M. (2000) Self Employment and Earnings among High Skilled Immigrants in the U.S. Working Paper No. 13 Centre for Comparative Immigration Studies University of California San Diego Press Massy, D. S., & Taylor, J. E. (2003). International Migration: Prospects and Policies in a Global Market. Ozden, C., & Schiff, M. (2005). International Migration, Remittances and Brain Drain (2005) Philippines IT Manpower Profile Survey Regets, M. (2007). Research Issues in the International Migration of Highly Skilled Workers. Smith, M. P., & Favell, A., (2006). The Human Face of Global Mobility: International Highly Skilled Migration in Europe, North America and the Asia Pacific Stalker, P (2000). Workers without Frontiers: The Impact of Globalisation on International Migration. Geneva: ILO. Torres, E. (2008). Revisiting Migration. Available online at www.businessmirror.com.ph A Joint Country Gender Assessment (2008). Paradox and Promise in the Philippines. Available at www.adb.org Philippines National Statistics Office: www.census.gov.ph Commission on Filipinos Overseas: www.cfo.gov.ph Other Websites www.adp.org www.bulatlat.com www.ched.gov.ph www.deeped.gov.ph www.dfid.gov.uk www.gov.ph. www.ilo.org www.policyinnovations.org www.poea.gov.ph Read More