Introduction | 1

CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION
W hat is it about Mathematics that compels us to put so much emphasis and focus on its learning?
Mathematics is one of the subjects most studied, taken up at the Pre-K level all the way to college.
The Philippine mathematics basic education curriculum has undergone several revisions over the years. In
1983, the New Elementary School Curriculum (NESC) was implemented, followed by the New Secondary
Education Curriculum (better known as the Secondary Education Development Program or SEDP
Curriculum), which was launched in 1988. After curricular reviews that began in 1995, the Department of
Education, Culture and Sports (DECS, now Department of Education) decided to adopt the Refined Basic
Education Curriculum (RBEC) in 2002.

Despite the many changes to the curriculum,
the goals of mathematics education at the basic
education level remain more or less the same: “to
provide opportunities for individuals to develop
skills and attitudes needed for effective participation
in everyday living and prepare them for further
education and the world of work so that they make
worthwhile contributions to the society at large”
(Pascua, 1993).
Mathematics, as we see it, has the following roles
in Philippine Education: facilitating participation
in productive life activities, providing a way of
making sense of the world, serving as a means of
communication and operating as a gateway to
national progress.
Mathematics for facilitating participation in
productive life activities
Everyone needs mathematics. Regardless of
sex, culture, socio-economic status, religion or
educational background, all people have, one way or
another, needed to apply some form of mathematical
knowledge in dealing with their day-to-day activities.
One cannot deny the practical uses of mathematics
in, for example, making wise purchases, measuring
distances, finding locations, estimating expenses and
anticipating future problems to find solutions early
enough, to name a few (Ogena and Tan, 2006).
Mathematics as a way of making sense of the world
More than just a set of isolated facts and concepts,
mathematics provides us with “ways of knowing”,
thinking and understanding (Bernardo, 1998).
Doing mathematics requires logical thought and
trains students to think both critically and creatively.
In school, students usually encounter specific
problems that apply to the topic at hand, in addition,
the thought process that goes into understanding
the problem, differentiating what is essential from
what is not, being able to make connections among
the given information to generate a solution and
verifying its accuracy is surely something that
students can apply even in non-mathematical
settings.
Mathematics provides students with the essential
skills in reasoning, decision-making and problem
solving to help them make sense of many aspects of
our rapidly changing world (FAPE, 1988). Further,
it promotes self-reflection and develops one’s ability
to face life’s problems (Manuel, 1979). In short,
mathematics is a means of empowerment and
understanding that everyone is entitled to.
Mathematics as a means of communication
Mathematics provides us with a powerful means of
communication – an objective language that allows
us to express quantifiable relationships concisely

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 2 | Introduction
(Ogena and Tan, 2006). Through mathematics, we
can formulate representations to model and interpret
both physical and social phenomena. Mathematics is
the unifying and integral thread that runs through the
sciences (NRC, 1986), facilitating the connection of
ideas in an increasingly information and knowledge-
driven society (Ogena and Tan, 2006).
Mathematics as a gateway for national progress
Since a country’s economic progress relies heavily on
its progress in science and engineering, this demands
a strong foundation in mathematics (Pascua, 1993
and Ogena and Tan, 2006). Mathematics is seen
as “an essential tool for intelligent participation in
a technological society” (FAPE, 1988). As the level
of mathematics needed in the workplace continues
to increase, its study is indispensable in order to
develop a “scientifically and technologically literate
citizenry” (UP NISMED, 2001).
In many countries, mathematics courses are seen to
be “gatekeeper” courses that determine one’s future
success and acceptance into colleges and universities
(Gates and Vistro-Yu, 2003; The College Board,
2000, 1990). Such is not the case locally - Filipino
students are not barred from attending a good
university directly on account of the lack of specific
courses in their high school transcript. In general,
our students do not choose their own mathematics
electives; instead, most Philippine schools cover at
least a standard set of mathematical courses required
of all graduates necessary to prepare them for life
after basic education. In a country where only about
19.1% of the population receives any education
beyond that in the high school level (NSO, 2003),
knowledge of mathematics courses offered at
the basic education level can be thought of as a
“gatekeeper” for employability and a successful and
productive citizenship.
On a national level, knowledge of mathematics is
a valuable tool for social development and global
competitiveness in our changing world. As we
develop the mathematical proficiency and literacy of
individual Filipino students, they, in turn, contribute
to the skills, values and collective intellectual
resources of the Philippines, increasing our nation’s
funds of knowledge.
Roles of Mathematics Intertwined
These roles are not disjoint from one another
and more often than not, are intertwined and
complement one another. For the significant role it
plays in our lives as Filipinos, mathematics is indeed
worthy of the focus and attention it receives in our
curriculum.
It is our hope that through this framework, we can
help educators enrich their students’ lives as they
give them the gift of a high quality mathematics
education.