The #Philippines is highly-educated but functionally-illiterate

Here are some reasons how those 'turkeys' that we call leaders have taken the country to where it is today.. this 'sh*t creek' we can't seem to wade out of.

1) Most Filipinos are functional illiterates even as the country's 'literacy' rate is at 95.3%. Most sales clerks have had at least a year of college; most bus and jeepney drivers have been through high school; all the Armed Forces and Police personnel are high school graduates or better. These ranks do not yet include the government and private sector operatives; nor the teachers.. all of whom have college degrees. I suppose all these help achieve that 95.3%% figure.

The problem, however, is that after school, this vast army of 'literate' persons stop learning. There is a dearth of anything to read that might enlighten and enrich their minds. The little that there is, in the way of reading material, is aimed at the 'inteligentia' who can appreciate and afford these trade journals, books and magazines. There, too, is a lack of public libraries.. even in most schools. Through no fault of theirs, the young Filipino mind stops to acquire knowledge after school.. and begins to deteriorate. With the population's age median of below 24 years, this is such a pity.

2) Schools' curricula do not emphasize Civics. This is elemental to learning how to behave in a society. A good dose of Civics in schools, at all levels, could go a long way towards promoting civil discourse and unselfish inter-personal relationships. Civics is the foundation of politics and political choices.

3) Movie and TV entertainment leave a lot to be desired in content and programming; and, as an industry, are missing out on the opportunity to uplift the viewers' intellect. The mind-numbing inanities that are palmed-off as entertainment only serve to blunt and cripple already susceptible minds; and, movies that cater to the public's voyeuristic appetites, definitely weaken and desensitize even stronger minds. These industries are, today, singularly driven by 'profit'.

4) Government officials and all politicians are probably aware of these problems, but are not inclined to do anything about them. They seem to be preoccupied solely by the 'shelf life' of their positions and/or by the next election cycle. This, of course, is motivated by the desire for more personal wealth. The more cynical among them would even welcome a 'status quo'.. even encourage clueless, but popular movie and TV personalities to join their slates.. promoting, thus, a country-image of being totally about "Show-biz and Politics"…"Politics and Show-biz", and guaranteeing a trajectory towards permanent mediocrity.

5) The present system seems to have become a treadmill that the country is chained to. If one thinks that the country could not sink any lower, just remember.. "ignorance often begets more confidence than does intelligence". It's a terrifying thought, but with 'turkeys' leading us, we will never soar like an eagle.

I do not pretend to have the answers. I would say, though, that to someone perceptive, the inverse reciprocals of the foregoing points might be worth looking into.

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http://getrealphilippines.com/blog/2015/10/the-philippines-will-never-improve-while-its-self-perception-is-not-aligned-with-reality/#comment-1399598