We live in a time when education is rapidly evolving, and schools are adapting in different ways. One noticeable trend is the shift toward modular learning, where materials are compiled from various sources to create what seems like a more customized approach.
On the surface, this looks efficient. But beneath that convenience lies a deeper concern: Are we still respecting intellectual property and honoring the real-world experience behind the materials we use to teach?
This is not just an intellectual property issue, it’s a learning quality issue.
When students are handed modular content filled with summaries and scattered quotations, they often miss the context, the depth, and the journey behind the ideas. It becomes a shallow form of learning. And often, these modules are assembled by educators who may not have relevant entrepreneurial or marketing experience outside the classroom.
We cannot teach business, marketing, or entrepreneurship through secondhand examples alone. These are disciplines built on experience, on risk-taking, testing, failure, and insight. Teaching business without lived experience is like teaching someone to swim without water.
Let me speak from personal experience: I stopped publishing books for the college market when I realized that the primary source of access wasn’t the bookstore, it was the photocopying machine. Inside and outside campuses, my books were being copied without permission. I once joked that I became a “best Xerox author” instead of a bestselling author. But in truth, the joke isn’t funny, it’s painful. Because when we stop supporting original thinkers, we lose more than just sales, we lose the incentive to keep creating, sharing, and improving.
When schools rely on copied content rather than officially adopting books, they don’t just hurt authors, they compromise the student experience. Worse, they model a culture that takes rather than builds.
Citing a source is not the same as supporting it. Quoting a book is not the same as partnering with its author. If we want our students to receive high-quality, values-based education, we must do more than deliver knowledge, we must honor the source.
As parents, we need to be more discerning. Beyond campus tours, impressive facilities, and promotional materials, we must ask the questions that truly reflect the kind of education we want for our children.
Here are some questions I invite every parent to consider:
- Who are my children learning from? Did the school assign teachers and mentors who are credible, experienced, and actively engaged in the fields they teach?
- Does the school value practitioners as much as theorists? Do they bring in real-world insights, or rely purely on academic content?
- Are learning materials properly sourced and adopted, or are they assembled through shortcuts?
- Does the school pay for or partner with content creators, or does it rely on photocopies and unlicensed modules?
- How does the school treat intellectual property? Does it foster a culture of respect for original work?
- Are students being exposed to full frameworks and concepts, or just isolated quotes and summaries?
- Is the curriculum built on authentic, experience-based learning, or is it mostly theory and replication?
- Does the school invest in continuous improvement of its content and teaching methods, or is it stuck on recycled materials?
- Do the school’s values align with what I want my children to learn, not just academically, but ethically and professionally?
- What kind of behavior and mindset does the school model—creativity and respect, or convenience and shortcuts?
And beyond these, have a dialogue with your children. Ask them about the quality of their learning experiences, particularly in business courses. Who are their teachers assigned by the schools? Are they passionate and knowledgeable, or do they just read slides? Do they encourage questions and critical thinking, or discourage students from speaking up?
Inquire about the materials being used: Are they using complete, thoughtfully-written books or dense, piecemeal modules? Do their teachers go beyond what’s written in someone else’s book, or merely summarize chapters without adding insight?
As part of our contribution to nation-building, we offer free access to our digital platform for teachers who officially prescribe our books. So ask: Is your child’s school encouraging the use of original, high-quality content and engaging platforms?
Worst case, if teachers lack the capability, can your child still learn effectively on their own by reading a prescribed quality book?
Encourage your child to compare notes with peers from other schools. And most importantly, help them enroll in a school that truly matters to them, where learning is deep, values are strong, and educators care enough to do things the right way.
Because if a school is willing to take shortcuts with intellectual property and experience, what else might it be compromising?
Education is not just about information, it’s about transformation. It’s about the values we model, the people we learn from, and the culture we build. Let’s hold our schools to a higher standard, one that respects both the learner and the origin of learning.
About the Author:
Josiah Go is a successful entrepreneur and the most awarded business educator in the Philippines. He is the co-author of two bestselling books, Marketing for Beginners: Start Strong, Succeed Fast and Entrepreneurship: The Four-Gate Model, each featuring around 500 Philippine examples. These titles broke National Book Store’s all-time launch sales records and became number one in their respective categories. As part of his advocacy for accessible, quality education, every purchase of his books supports a Buy 1 – Give 1 initiative, where a copy is donated to a public school student.
