brain drain final report
TRANSCRIPT
BRAIN DRAIN IN THE PHILIPPINES
Eleanor R. Belizar , Dorothy Silva, Juner Valdez,Elmerita Palcon,Gerardo Palcon
PHDEM 1
Introduction
Poor working conditions, a dim chance at career advancement and low salaries
have continued to push thousands of experienced Filipino teachers to greener pastures
abroad, leaving behind a generation of students hungry for quality education.
In less than a decade, more than 4,000 Filipino educators, including school
principals who demoted themselves to teaching jobs, have moved to the US, Middle East,
and other Asian countries like China, Japan and Indonesia to teach.
In the US, a Filipino teacher with at least three years of teaching experience could
receive between $4,000 and $8,000 a month or 20 times their paycheck in the
Philippines. With more experienced teachers in core subjects like math and science
leaving Philippine classrooms, the quality of education in the country is slowly becoming
compromised, she added. Math and science teachers who receive scholarships and study
grants from Philippine Institutions hike their chances of getting hired in the US. The
continued outflow of Philippine teachers has helped create a shortage of 16,000 teachers
as school year opened (Department of Education, 2010).
According to Shannon Lederer of the American Federation of Teachers, said part
of the reason teachers are lured outside is because of very aggressive recruiters offering
attractive packages to Filipinos, including permanent US residency. "If teaching is a
public service, recently it has become a business," Lederer said. The AFT said there are
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33 recruitment agencies luring teachers into the US. Currently, 19,000 foreign teachers
are working in various US states such as Maryland, Texas and Louisiana of which a very
significant portion of this figure are Filipinos.
The exodus of Filipino teachers and other professionals such as doctors, nurses,
engineers, etc. is known as brain drain. It is a phenomenon that becomes the subject of
many debates because of its impact on the countries of origin and destinations not only
on economic but even political and socio-cultural aspects. But what is really brain drain?
Is it really a necessity for Filipinos?
This paper then aims to explore the brain drain phenomenon by first looking at the
macro perspective then at the national level. Then, it will look into the implications of
brain drain to the Philippine educational system. It is hoped that this paper will shed
light on the issue and at the same time arrive with policy recommendations to cushion the
impact of brain drain in the Philippines.
What is brain drain?
Brain drain is also known as human capital flight is the large-scale emigration of
individuals with technical skills and knowledge. It is the departure of educated or
professional people from one country, economic sector, or field for another, usually for
better pay or living conditions.
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Other definitions include the lost of skilled intellectual and technical labor
through the movement of such labor to more favorable geographic, economic or
professional environment. Overseas migration deskills their country of much needed
expertise and at the same time, they deskill themselves once they reach their country of
destination because they ended up in jobs that are way below their professions.
Brain drain or human capital flight is regarded as an economic cost since
emigrants take with them the fraction of value of their training sponsored by the
government and other organization. Their government spent for their education but other
countries took advantage of them after graduation.
Brain drain is associated with the de-skilling of emigrants in their country of
destination, while their country of origin experiences the draining of skilled individuals.
Thus, the converse phenomenon is “brain gain.” Labor activists call this movement of
labor force as “brain drain in the south and brain grain in the north.”
Waves of Migration
The first wave of Philippine labor migration to the United States was based on
skills needed in the farms, factories, and military facilities. This occurred in early 1930’s
when Filipinos were recruited to work in agricultural plantations in California and Hawaii
and as crew of the US Navy.
The second wave included many more professionals. Doctors, nurses, and
engineers traveled to the United States in the 1960s to support its booming economy
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while young American men were busy fighting in the Vietnam War. It was also this time
that Filipino scholars in the US opted to stay behind and become American citizens.
Two Major Causes of the Filipino Diaspora
There are two major causes of the exodus of skilled Filipino workers.
1. Push Factors
Push factors come in many forms. Sometimes these factors leave people with
no choice but to leave their country of origin. Following are examples of push factors
driving people to emigrate from their home country.
Not enough jobs
Few opportunities
Primitive" conditions
Political fear
Poor medical care
Not being able to practice religion
Loss of wealth
In the Philippines, economics (lack of jobs and poverty) provides the main
reason behind migration. Jobs simply do not exist for a great deal of the population.
In others, the gap between the rewards of labor in the sending and receiving country
are great enough so as to warrant a move. The Philippines experienced a surge in
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emigration due to poverty and lack of job opportunity. The greatest challenge facing
the country is creating enough jobs for its burgeoning population.
At present there are an estimated 12 million OFWs in 192 countries around
the world. As long as there are job opportunities, Filipinos will leave their families
with the hope of a better life.
The economic condition in the Philippines is such that the only solution is to
get out. What is ironic is that nurses are paying the hospitals (instead of the other
way around) to get the required work experience and training to qualify abroad.
Moreover, public school teachers being paid so low that they can’t even afford good
education for their own children. This situation is further compounded by a whole lot
of graft and corruption and government kickbacks being done. It is estimated that
P50B of government funds go to graft and corruption yearly. Just imagine the social
services that this amount could deliver to the 90 million Filipinos. With these
situations, families are being pushed further and further down the poverty line
2. Pull Factors
Whereas push factors usually drive migrants out of their countries of origin,
pull factors generally decide where these travelers end up. The positive aspects of
some receiving countries serve to attract more migrants than others.
Job opportunities
Better living conditions
Political and/or religious freedom
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Enjoyment
Education
Better medical care
Security
Family links
Following are two examples of the pull factors attracting Filipino migrants to
receiving countries.
Higher standards of living/Higher wages
Economics provide the both biggest push and pull factor for potential migrants.
People moving to more developed countries will often find that the same work they were
doing at home is rewarded abroad with higher wages. They will also find a greater safety
net of welfare benefits should they be unable to work. Aware of this situation, migrants
are drawn to those countries where they can maximize benefits.
Labor Demand
Almost all developed countries have found that they need migrants' labor. Rich
economies create millions of jobs that domestic workers refuse to fill but migrant
workers will cross borders to take. In 2001, the British minister of foreign affairs, Robin
Cook, gave a speech in which he argued that the country needed to continue taking in
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foreign workers to meet labor demand. He said, "Legitimate immigration is the necessary
and unavoidable result of economic success, which generates a demand for labor faster
than can be met by the birth-rate of a modern developed country."
The Exodus of Filipino Teachers
Two places were the likely magnets for Filipino teachers—the United States,
which would need two million teachers in the coming decade, and Arab countries, which
would need at least 450,000 teachers.
Identified causes why foreign teachers are being recruited are teacher shortages,
growing populations, and expanding educational systems in many other countries
coupled with the dismal work conditions and salaries at home could push local teachers
to go abroad.
The massive recruitment and emigration of Filipino teachers started in the early
1990s, reaching its peak in 2002. From 1992 to 2004, a total of 3, 269 teachers fled the
country, half of them to the US to teach science or math subjects.
For the period of 2000-2004, it was estimated that 818 Filipino teachers, most of
them science and math teachers are deployed abroad. The United States accounted for
72.8 percent of the total number of teachers deployed abroad. Other popular destinations
for Filipino teachers include Canada (12.4 %), Australia (9.2 %), Japan (1.9 %), and
Germany (0.9 %). Other countries make up for the remaining 3.5 %. The figures refer to
documented teachers who actually landed teaching jobs.
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In a forum sponsored by the Science Education Institute (SEI) of the Department
of Science and Technology, educators are one in saying that the current exodus of
qualified teachers is aggravating the deteriorating quality of science and math education
in the country. Science and math education is the foundation by which a nation can
achieve technological progress. The direct relationship between technological
advancement and achievement in science and math is supported by the results of the
Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMMS). The test is conducted
in almost countries all over the world and is held every four years. Students from highly
modernized countries such as Singapore, Taiwan, Japan, and South Korea have
consistently occupied the top spots in the TIMMS survey. On the other hand, less
developed economies, like the Philippines and other countries from South America and
Africa, consistently ranked at the bottom of the standings.
What is making it more alarming is the fact that even before the recent aggressive
recruitment of Filipino teachers; the country had been experiencing a chronic shortage of
science and math teachers at the secondary level.
Lack of adequately trained science teachers was, in fact, already a serious
problem in the 1950s. By SY 1997-1998, the country had only 29 percent and 56 percent
of the required number of secondary level science and math teachers, respectively.
This shortage contributed greatly to the dismal performance of the country in the
1995, 1999, and 2003 TIMMS survey. In the result, the Philippines ranked either third or
fourth from the last placer.
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While other countries, particularly the US, continue to benefit from the steady
supply of science and math teachers from the Philippines, the number of education
students majoring on these subjects in teacher education institutions (TEI) is low.
Based on the 1997 and 1998 data obtained by the SEI through a survey of TEIs
offering bachelor of secondary education (BSE) programs, only about 15.3 percent of
BSE graduates majored in mathematics and about 15.1 percent majored in science.
Teachers with no specialization in science and math are compelled to teach those
subjects. In a study done by the Department of Education, it was found that majority of
science teachers (physics 73 percent, chemistry 66 percent, general science 58 percent,
and biology 58 percent) and significant percentage of math teachers (20 percent) do not
have the necessary specialization required to teach the subjects.
There are estimates that the United States will need to employ an additional two
million teachers in the coming decade to maintain its current educational standards and
closer to three million if it strives to improve them in order to stay globally competitive.
There is also very high demand for new science and math teachers in the US with
200,000 estimates.
In the last 10 years, around 4,000 Filipino teachers—mostly math, science,
English, and special education teachers—left the country. The top destinations were the
United States, Saudi Arabia, Japan, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates.
The reality is, these developed countries instead of addressing employment
conditions of the teaching sector, governments of more developed countries are finding it
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more convenient and economical to recruit migrant workers, many of whom are offered
lower pay and contractual jobs that deprived them of their due benefits. It was leading to
aggressive recruitment strategies by their governments, recruitment agencies, and the
private schools themselves.
But what’s in for the Filipino teacher?
The average Filipino recruit makes $45,000 a year. But many Filipino teachers
seeking to practice their craft in the U.S. shell out as much as $10,000 to recruiting
agencies. They're attractive candidates since they're highly educated--many have
advanced degrees--they have tons of classroom experience and most are fluent in
English.
However, once in the US, they experience culture shock primarily because
teachers are not accorded with respect and students are loud and always complaining
even if the government is providing them free education and free meals and school
supplies. Comparing that the Philippines wherein nothing is free.
Educational Implications
The exodus of teachers resulted to the deteriorating quality of science and math
education as reflected in the TIMMS (Trends in International Mathematics and
Science Study) result.
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Lack of adequately trained science and math teachers. From 1997-1998, the
country had only 29 percent science and 56 percent math teachers in the
secondary level
Low number of education students majoring in science and math in teacher
education institutions (TEI). About 15.3 percent of BSE graduates majored in
mathematics while only about 15.1 percent majored in science
Teachers with no specialization in science and math are compelled to teach these
subjects
physics - 73 percent
chemistry - 66 percent
general science - 58 percent
biology - 58 percent
math - 20 percent
Effects of the Never Ending Diaspora
Brain drain might be considered negative but for a large number of Filipino
families, the money sent home as remittances by
their love ones abroad is a lifeline. The Philippine government has heavily encouraged
this migration phenomenon to help stimulate its economy. Remittances per annum
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amount to about US$12-14 billion. Also, increase in labor migration has created a large
population of transnational migrant families coping with new environment and culture.
It must be noted however that labor migration does not significantly improve the
development prospects of the country of origin. The Philippines remained poor as
families of migrant workers spend their money on new appliances, gadgets, cars, etc
instead of investing the remittance on entrepreneurial activities.
Most Third World countries are able to exercise little control over the
composition of their labor exports—rather, they are determined by foreign labor markets.
Thus, the Philippine education has focused deliberately on "producing" skilled labor for
foreign markets, but remains passive in the face of international supply and demand.
Conclusion
Brain is not always an unmitigated curse. For countries of origin, it serves as lifeline
to families, providing them the means to send their children to school. It also keeps the
economy afloat. However, there are evidences that higher remittances have exacerbated
moral hazard problems on the recipient’ side and discourage work effort. Thus,
remittances are not an effective source of capital for development
In education, the exodus of the best teachers has adversely affected the educational
system. It exacerbated the deterioration of the quality of education and started a trend that
could be unabated in the years to come.
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Recommendations
The first task of the government is to see the brain drain as a serious problem.
Then, it can identify the areas where export labor demand is highest. It can make
these areas attractive locally via incentive packages (e.g., tax breaks, higher initial
salaries, faster promotion, and research grants). Whether or not the government
wants to compete in these areas will require a lot of discussion and resources.
Another possibility, albeit resource-intensive, is to accelerate upgrading education
in these areas, so that notwithstanding brain migration to other lands, the
remaining brains are sufficient to meet local needs.
Other measures that can help reduce brain drain are: (1) the development among
students, from grade school to college, of a missionary spirit to help the country,
which overrides the lure of financially attractive foreign jobs; (2) support for
those who stay in the country from society in general; and (3) the setting of
examples by role models to whom our graduates can look up.
Student scholarships, whether government or private, can continue to require that
graduates serve the country for a number of years before considering job offers
abroad.
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Implementation of a rewards system such as recognitions of competent teachers,
granting of scholarships and financial support to teachers and a comprehensive
faculty development program
Granting of higher salary with a lower tax rate
Establishment of Centers of Excellence and Centers of Developments
The CHEd is also proposing the establishment of “centers of excellence
and development for teacher education in every region in the country.” The
agency will also strictly monitor the performance of TEIs in the licensure
examinations.
Fostering interest in science and math
To foster interest in math and science, the CHEd, together with the
DepEd, is also recommending the setting up of “comfortable and intellectually
stimulating laboratories” in schools all over the country.
Addressing the shortfall of qualified teachers
It is recommended that programs which address the shortfall of qualified
teachers as well as those that improve the skills and knowledge of those already in
the system be expanded. Examples are RISE (Rescue Initiatives for Science
Education) and MUST (Mindanao Upgrading of Science Teachers) as projects
that should be implemented on a larger scale.
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The RISE aims to directly address the shortage of qualified teachers in the
elementary and secondary levels by providing non-degree training on content
knowledge on science and math for teachers who did not major on these subjects.
The MUST, on the other hand, is also a non-degree training program that
provides 90-hour training on teaching capabilities and competence for elementary
science and math teachers of pupils from Muslim and ethnic communities in
Mindanao and expansion of the RSDC/RSTC (Regional Science Development
Center/Regional Science Training Center).
The creation of an independent, international organization to regulate the flow of
people across borders. Said body will regulate the free flow of professionals
among members of the ASEAN.
To end, the reporters wish to ask the following questions for reflection purposes.
1. What choices can the Philippines offer its citizens to make them want to stay
and serve his fellowmen?
2. Can the government guarantee a life away from poverty if one chooses to stay
and work here?
3. Whose needs should one serve first – the country’s or his own?
4. Who needs to give back first?
Just a thought:
“In order for the Philippines to move forward, we need more than just the dollars. We need to have good qualified professionals as well. This country
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needs its citizens to invest more than just their hard-earned money, but more so, their time and talent”
Brain drain in the Philippines: Are all OFWs Real Heroes?
References:
Pay, career growth push Filipino teachers abroadJOSEPH HOLANDES UBALDE, GMANews.TV06/24/2009 | 06:47 PM
SikhSpectrum.com Quarterly, Issue No.25, August 2006 Teacher Exodus to US Adds to Philippine Brain Drain Danny Chan
Who's to Blame for Brain Drain?By Matthew Hennessey July 17, 2007
The Crisis of Public Education in the Philippines By Ronald MeinardusBusiness World Internet Edition: June 30, 2003
Braindrain in the Philippines - Are All OFWs Real Heroes? August 28, 2008
RP grapples with exodus of science, math teachersBy Melvin G. Calimag Posted on Apr. 14, 2010 at 4:27pm |
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Skilled Labor Migration from Developing Countries: Study in the PhilippinesBy Florian A. Albur & Danilo Abellowww.ilo.org
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brain_drain