This document discusses trends in science and math education in the Philippines and outlines a community-based People's Science School (PSS) program. It finds that the Philippines produces few science and technology graduates and performs poorly on international assessments. The PSS aims to encourage scientists and technicians to work with local communities, teach non-formal science classes tailored to community needs, and promote science and technology for the people. Recent PSS experiences involved developing and teaching modules on health, nutrition, engineering and other topics to communities in Quezon City and Marikina City.

1. A community-based science school program
Trends and Development in Science and Math Education
CPU * May15, 2009
Balay Kalinaw, UP Diliman QC

2. S&T IN THE PHILIPPINES
• Biggest number of college
graduates: smallest number of
graduates in S&T
• Basic science education is
weak.
• TIMMS 2003 41st in Math and
42 in science out of 45 countries
Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study. Done every 4 years.

3. S&T IN THE PHILIPPINES
• Science and technology in
the Philippines is backward
and stunted.
• Emphasis in training high
school students and out-of
-school youth-- for
vocational and technical
skills needed by export-
oriented industries.

4. S&T IN THE PHILIPPINES
• The country’s educational
system and academic
institutions are geared to
produce skilled workers for the
foreign controlled industries.
• Academic institutions fail to produce
scientists and technologists for our own
national industries. The setting-up of industries
would require the needed intellect and skills of our
scientists and technology workers.

5. S&T IN THE PHILIPPINES
• Formal education has
become a commodity that
can be accessed by people
with the capacity to pay its
rising cost.
• In order to learn more, one has
to pay more. A brood of highly
competent scientists and technology
workers in a country without
industries are forced to work for
foreign TNCs or emigrate.

6. S&T FOR THE PEOPLE
• AGHAM is developing a
program where scientists
and technology
workers shall be
encouraged to work
with local
communities, learn from
each other and together,
build the seed of what
science and technology for
the people should be.

7. PEOPLE'S SCIENCE SCHOOL
• campaign program approach
where the science and
technology community can
concretely initiate the realization
of Science for the People.
• articulation of the
particular role of
scientists and science
and technology within
the five S&T concerns

8. PEOPLE'S SCIENCE SCHOOL
• campaign-advocacy
by scientists and
technology workers
in alliance with local
communities.
• call for S&Ts in academe and
research and development
institutions to take a more
active and progressive role in
redirecting and reshaping the
dominant orientation of science
and technology in the country.

9. PEOPLE'S SCIENCE SCHOOL
• Scientific tools for non-
formal education.
• Reactive: responds to
particular needs of the local
communities.
• Proactive: move of arousing,
mobilizing and organizing
people in the communities
and the scientists and
technology workers

10. OBJECTIVES
• Organize and mobilize a regular pool of
science and technology educators and
workers as implementor of the PEOPLE'S SCIENCE
SCHOOL
• Develop and
popularize a basic
curriculum on
science and
technology for the
people that would suit the
education and training
needs of the local
community

11. OBJECTIVES
• Provide a venue where science and
technology practitioners can experience
and learn from the situation and conditions
of the local community through interaction,
exposures and integration

12. SCOPE and DURATION
• The PEOPLE'S SCIENCE
SCHOOL is applicable to
either upland, lowland or
marine communities, rural or
urban.
• Application of appropriate
scientific tools for non-formal
education, research design
and/or parameters for
monitoring and evaluation shall
be practiced.
• It shall establish direct
partnership between
scientists and technology
workers and people’s
organizations from peasant,
fisherfolk, the national
minority,women and youth.

13. SCOPE and DURATION
• Where necessary, involvement of other concerned
groups like the local government units, academic
institutions, the church, NGOs, and other mass
organizations shall be encouraged.
• The partner people’s
organization shall
define the objective
and direction of the
engagement. This in
turn defines the scope
in terms of area,
duration and conduct of
the whole engagement
process.

14. COMPONENTS
• Education and Training
Component
– develop and popularize a
basic curriculum on
science and technology for
the people that would suit
the education and training
needs of the local
community
• S&T Organizing
Component
– Encourage active
participation of scientists
and technology workers to
advance the advocacy for
science and technology for
the people communities.

15. RECENT EXPERIENCES
• Summer 2006
– Manresa and Rizal

16. RECENT EXPERIENCE
• Summer 2007
– Old Balara Quezon City

17. RECENT EXPERIENCE
• September 2007-
PARA-TEACHERS;
TRAINING
– Manresa, Quezon City

18. RECENT EXPERIENCE
• September 2008- February 2009
Old Balara, Quezon City and Marikina City

19. PSS OUTCOME IN 2006
• Summer 2006
– Manresa and Rizal
– 48 participants: 25/48 AGHAM members
– 65% with S&T background
– 34 teacher/facilitators
– 16 in production team
– 9 in coordination work

20. MODULES DEVELOPED /
CLASSES CONDUCTED
• Diseases and • Body Parts
Environment • Flooding
• Microbes • Groundwater
• Nutrition • Ecosystem
• Recycling • Agricultural
• Diseases and Ecosystem
Environment • Weather
• Living Things

21. PSS OUTCOME IN 2007
• Summer 2007 • September 2007
– Matandang Balara, QC – Manresa, QC
– 28 participants: 7/28 – 10 participants
AGHAM Youth members – 100% with S&T
– 68% with S&T background
background – 8 teacher/facilitators
– 10 in production team
– 2 in coordination work

22. MODULES DEVELOPED /
CLASSES CONDUCTED
• Fire, its uses and • Typhoon
disadvantages • Water
• Basic Computer • Basic Nutrition
Parts and • Consumer
Operation Mathematics
• Electricity • Solid Waste
• Soap-making Management
• Common Diseases

23. PSS IN 2008
• September – October 2008 *Kaingin 1,
Barangay Pansol, QC – BIOLOGY: Reproductive health and
family planning
– more than 25 thousand – BIOLOGY/PSYCHOLOGY: Stages of
population human development (infancy-puberty-
adolescence-adulthood-elderly)
– average household size is 8
– CHEMISTRY: Effective detergent for
– most families rely on odd jobs laundry - what can clean? cheaper
source/alternative?
to earn a living- driving a
– CHEMISTRY: Alternative fuel for cooking
tricycle or jeepney, doing - cheap source of fuel
laundry for others, small – NUTRITION/BIOLOGY/CHEMISTRY:
variety store owners, selling Alternative cheap and nutritious food
food or working in construction – ENGINEERING: Electricity & power -
of buildings/houses how it is generated, transmitted,
distributed? what entails the cost?
– electricity and water supply is – ENGINEERING/EARTH SCIENCE: Water
present for households - how it is generated and distributed?
what entails the cost?

24. PSS IN 2008
• October-November 2008 * Apitong Taas,
Marikina Hts., Marikina City
• Marikina Heights is a middle-class community, but along the
edges sprawl communities (sitios) of urban poor
– BIOLOGY: Reproductive health and family planning
– BIOLOGY: How is homosexuality explained by science?
– CHEMISTRY: Alternative fuel for cooking - cheap source of fuel
– CHEMISTRY/NUTRITION: Natural and artificial food - what is NAPA in noodle advertisement?,
what's in MSG (monosodium glutamate) - its uses/benefits, disadvatanges to human health
– NUTRITION/BIOLOGY/CHEMISTRY: Cheaper alternative to rice - nutrient composition, uses in
daily diet/human body and function, what's in the NFA rice?- is it equally nutritious with other
varieties? truth behind its easy spoilage?
– BIOLOGY/CHEMISTRY/AGRICULTURE: GMO and its consequences in human/environmental
health
– HEALTH: Hypertension and herbal medicine; Menstral pain and relief; Maternal health care;
– HEALTH: Myths associated with common illnesses
– HEALTH: Dental care- what makes the teeth healthy? white? practices for dental hygiene
– ENGINEERING: Electricity & power - what entails the cost? what is the truth behind systems
loss?

25. ENJOY TEACHING IN
COMMUNITIES!
Make science & technology serve the people!
Make