The impact of social research on education policy and reform in the Philippines

Abstract

This article examines the impact of social research on education policy and reform in the Philippines. It begins with a brief description of the key issues in Philippine education followed by analysis of three major studies conducted in the late 1990s that made specific policy recommendations on responses to inadequate quality of the Philippine education system and structural inefficiencies in its governing bureaucracy. The article then assesses the ways in which these studies were used in the policy process and their impact on education policy reform, with a particular focus on the key period 1998–2001. Consideration is also given to the socio-political context of education policy-making in the Philippines as well as on the mechanisms used to disseminate the research results and bring them to the attention of key decision-makers. The assessment shows that even overcoming the familiar reluctance of politicians to take account of research results does not guarantee effective implementation. While the studies considered in the article were policy-oriented and endowed with a high degree of credibility, in terms of methods, problems identified and proposed reforms that related to an existing policy agenda, implementation encountered numerous difficulties. Educational bureaucracies have their own agenda, and furthermore the reform process involves a wide range of social actors, some of whom represent powerful political constituencies.