I saw this on my Facebook feed today.

Fine, I admit it.

Filipinos are not really blessed with math skills. In fact, many grow up to be afraid of it, refusing to even attempt to learn beyond counting how much is our overtime and holiday pay.

Because yes, salary is important.

However, I refuse to believe that Filipinos are dumb or stupid. To say that they are is defeatist. I think Filipinos are smart and madiskarte and the only thing lacking is the consistent discipline to sit down and study to finish what needs to be finished.

Unlike the Chinese and Singaporean mothers who will beat their kids if they get a grade point deducted in their tests, most Pinoy parents would just shrug it off and let their kids play outside because “At least, the kid didn’t fail.”

So who do you think ranked highly for Math? The one who got spanked or the one who played more? 🤪

WHAT CAN WE DO ABOUT THIS?

However, instead of ruing the sad state of our educational system, let us improve more on how we PARENT our children. Aeva has improved in her math skills now, but that’s what doing 100 math problems a day for a year does to you.

I really hope to give such opprtunity to a few select Pinoy disadvantaged children.

Kumon is only php2,000 per month inclusive of exercises. So my offer to my staff is IF they can:

1. Guarantee that their 6 to 10 year old can answer all the exercises can answer the booklets consistently everyday
2. There’s no cheating meaning Mommy or daddy won’t answer the booklet,

I would sponsor their Kumon for their kid for the month. On trial period lang muna for one month kasi I want to ensure hindi sayang yung pera. Of course as an incentive, if the parents don’t even have the discipline to encourage their kids to finish the program, I will charge them to ensure maximum success.

However if the child can do it, I am thinking to sponsor for more than a month and tuloy tuloy. If for one year, that’s php24,000 a child.

So here na —- there is the opportunity to succeed and improve your Math skills. Let us see if any of my people will see this as a wonderful opportunity to uplift the life of their children.

Let us do our part in improving our own. But the parents need to do their part too. Hindi lang pwede hingi ng hingi ng financial assistance and ayuda without some action from their end, and then complain and blame the government why their kids aren’t Einsteins?

The problem is the parenting. Not the government.

Because kahit tinulungan mo ang bata and you give them the opportunity to be smarter so long as they study, and parents have a laissez faire attitude on academics, hindi talaga tatalino ang anak ninyo.