EDUCATION

While our lawmakers are debating about the RH Bill, less than a month from now millions of our youth will be trooping back to school. Enrollment is still ongoing for most of the schools most specially the private schools. In our small town with a population of forty-five thousand, we have at least six private schools and two National High Schools, naalala ko nga yung joke na if you want to put up a business that will make you rich, then put up your own school or religious sect. In fairness with the school that I teach, kahit private ito, mababa pa rin ang tuition, with twenty thousand pesos, bayad ka na for one school year which includes a complete set of books! May government subsidy pa on the side yan mga mader! San ka pa..(sipsip!)

However, in spite of the facts there are still who cannot pay the full amount and owe back accounts amounting to more than twenty thousand. Now that it is enrollment time again, parents will do anything so their children will have a good education they deserve. Just the other day, I was in Cebuana Lhuillier to send my payment for some ka-ekekan I bought, a man greeted me and inquired about our school’s enrolment  and his child (it seems that he sends his child in our school, sa totoo lang di ko tanda yung anak nya!). Then the woman in the counter called his name and gave him the money in exchange to the jewel that he pawned. Before going out of the shop, in a hush tone he said that he would be using the money for his child’s enrolment.

Honestly, parang kinurot ang puso ko sa insidenteng iyon. It is unfortunate that some children take their parents’ sacrifices for granted and instead of good grades, puro heartaches and headaches ang isinusukli nila sa mga sakripisyong ito.

I only have one wish for this coming school year: may it be a stress-free year! Ching! Asa pa talaga ang lolah mo!