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The economic growth of a country requires the
development of skilled science and technology practitioners to
service the needs of a thriving domestic industry However, without a
local industrial base, there will be no impetus to have an adequate
number of technologically skilled manpower.
The weak condition of science and
math education in the country is a reflection of the
underdevelopment of our economy and the skewed priorities of
government. The training of graduates in science and technology
should be towards the development of a local core of experts and not
towards continuing labor export and brain drain. Adequate support
should be provided to educational institutions, especially the state
colleges and universities.
A case in point is the BS Physics
program, which I recently finished, in the Polytechnic University of
the Philippines (PUP). It was first offered 10 years ago, with only
a few freshmen enrollees and even fewer graduating from the course.
More than seven out of 10 freshmen Physics students did not choose
this course willingly. Most took it because there were no more slots
in other colleges or as advised by the school registrar. Our
learning was through “chalk and talk” discussions with very
little exposure to hands-on physics.
During our first and second
years, we were able to use the remaining instruments like Vernier
calipers, micrometers, beam balances and stopwatches; and standard
experimental setups like the force table for studying vectors.
But as one advances to the third
and fourth years, more and more experiments on higher Physics
subjects are left to “chalk and talk” discussions as no
equipment was available. The students move on even without exposure
and familiarity with standard physics laboratory equipment. In my
own field, acoustics, there were no oscilloscopes for experiments
that are vital in visualizing sound waves.
Advanced experimental physics
courses become a gedanken or thought (imagined) experiment. One
discusses the concepts and the procedure; and the instructor just
provides the data for the students to analyze since no setup could
be used.
Although students had been paying
laboratory fees, there are no computers for our numerical analysis
subject. Programs on paper cannot be tested to compile since there
is no space to type it in. Some students are able to test theirs on
their home computers but those without one found it hard to grasp
computer programming and were uncertain if their program will run
correctly. Even the professors use the computers and projectors at
their expense to be able to teach the class.
Before 2006, there was only one
professor who handled nine subjects for Physics majors. This led to
uneven focus on some of these subjects, undermining the
understanding of the students regarding those subjects. New faculty
were hired to bring new ideas and expose students to new physics
researches but eventually they left the college because there were
better job offers outside PUP.
Yet some alumni graduates are
bringing hope to PUP. Those who finished their Masters degree are
returning to teach. They become thesis advisers and coordinators.
They teach advanced courses and help widen the horizon and
perspectives of the physics students with seminars and trainings to
develop scientific skills.
Despite obsolete and outdated
facilities and materials, students find other ways to gain knowledge
and expertise by attending conferences, trainings and congresses.
Student theses are being compiled and exhibited on cabinets to
highlight a tedious and painstaking period of research. PUP physics
students continue to bring pride and honor to the university in
contests, winning the Champion and First-Runner Up slots in the 2008
Technological University of the Philippines Luzon-Wide Physics
Contest.
The state of the physics program
in PUP is a direct result of how the government has misprioritized
education. Even with the recent incentives for students to enter
science and mathematics, the corresponding support structures in
universities, such as laboratories, teachers and classrooms, still
need to be augmented. The BS Physics in PUP needs better physics
laboratories, more qualified instructors and research collaboration
with well-established institutions to reach its goal of becoming
part of a recognized center of excellence in physics in the country.
The situation is not one to deter
the PUP student. With our strong tradition of upholding our right to
education, we actively participate in actions to promote quality and
free education. We continue to strive and make science meaningful
both to ourselves and to others.
Mr. Reynold V. Luna, a new
physicist member of AGHAM, teaches Physics in PUP and is taking up
MS Physics at UP Diliman. He is the 2008 PUP class valedictorian and
graduated magna cum laude on May.
opinion@manilatimes.net.
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