Isaac Samaniego

The Department of Education (DepEd) has expressed its desire to integrate coding into the curriculum of Filipino learners across the country. According to Department Secretary Sonny Angara, this step is in line with the administration’s commitment to enhance digital literacy among Filipinos at a young age. 


Enhancing the state of education through the introduction of innovations like an introduction to coding is indeed a welcome step to upskill the country and improve its competitiveness, especially in a highly technological world. However, it is important to press that although it may provide supplementary knowledge to the youth, the department might be better off shifting its focus more to addressing fundamental problems faced by the education sector, such as basic literacy, better financial management, and improvement of crucial learning facilities.

Metrics do not lie, at least that is what the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) reports. The country lags in many areas of learning that should be prioritized instead, like basic math and arithmetic, reading, and science—topics that are prerequisites for building the fundamentals in coding. DepEd needs to iron out the problem of Filipino students lagging on these subjects first to prove the proposal's effectiveness.

Additionally, the spending per capita, reflected on the cumulative budget of the country to its education sector, shows that the Philippines falls short with its neighboring peers of Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, and other Asian countries according to a report by the World Bank. With this, there are questions regarding DepEd's capability and competence to achieve favorable outcomes with the new coding curriculum. Issues with budget allocation and prioritization within the education sector undermine the department's capacity to secure essential equipment and hire qualified instructors, raising concerns about the proposal’s feasibility.

Due to persisting issues in our education system, learners of coding are subjected to an environment where learning becomes a burden rather than an aid. Classrooms, learning pieces of equipment needed for advanced knowledge, and teachers are all in shortage and this needs to get into the top priority list which needs to be fulfilled pronto. For instance, the student-to-teacher ratio in the Philippine classrooms sits at 1 to 30 which is dangerously high compared to a foreign average of 1 to 12. Teaching staff who are assigned to yet another workload might not keep up with adding another course to the curriculum as staffing and training issues arise as well.

Without a proper resolution to persisting educational woes, limbo would carry on in the education sector in the Philippines. The full potential of its students could not be attained and crisis after crisis will unfold unendingly. Setting the priorities right on education by the government is, therefore, an idea that should be not suggestive, but imperative.

Do not get it wrong, coding is a handy tool that could arm millions of Filipino students with the skills that will enable them to access higher skilled jobs and better opportunities. However, with unresolved and persisting education issues, learning becomes a burden rather than an aid. 

Summing all the accounts up, the DepEd’s proposal on adding the subject area of coding into the current curriculum faces a big dilemma regarding the effectiveness of its implementation due to other pending woes that need immediate action first. This could be the next big thing only if the department finds its way to responsibly use and allocate funds and resources needed, a thing that can be done only if accountability is found.