ANGARA: EDUC REFORMS ARE KEY TO IMPROVING PHL’S HUMAN CAPITAL

MANILA, April 30, 2012-Senator Edgardo J. Angara reiterated his call for the improvement of the country’s human capital through systemwide educational reforms, in commemoration of the approaching Labor Day.

“The government must make this great challenge a top priority—we will need a unified effort from different agencies, not just the Department of Education, as well as from stakeholders in the private sector,” said Angara, Chair of the Senate Committee on Education, Arts and Culture.

“There must be constant coordination between all the players if we are to implement the necessary changes in the curriculum, boost professional training and enhance our overall competitiveness.”

According to Angara, boosting the labor pool’s skills base is a necessary and long overdue step not only towards economic development but also better labor welfare.

“It is only by deepening the skills base of our people can we actually broaden the job opportunities open to them and create the enabling environment where they can lift themselves out of hardship,” explained the veteran lawmaker. “

Angara, a former UP President, cited the upcoming changes in the Basic Education Curriculum as a major contributor towards human capital development.

The K to 12 Program set to start this coming school year will prepare students for the workforce, as well as give them the choice to develop skills and proficiencies in their preferred areas of expertise. 

“Through this system, high school graduates could already apply for jobs, should they choose to forego tertiary education. The proposed extra years of education already put our students at par with the rest of the world,” stressed Angara. (Rikka Sotto)

Media, winalang kwenta ng isang biyahero ng kahoy

BALER, Aurora, April 30, 2012-Minaliit at winalang kwenta ng isang biyahero ng kahoy ang propesyong pamamahayag ng komprontahin nito noong Lunes ang reporter ng GMA Network na si Ronald Leander habang nagkokober sa isang anti-illegal logging operation ng mga otoridad sa Brgy. San Jose, San Luis, Aurora.

 

Sa kwento ni Leander, kinompronta siya ng nagpakilalang Danny Gonzales ng Cabanatuan City ng hanapin niya ang may-ari ng ng libo-libong board feet ng mga kahoy habang ikinakarga sa trak.

 

“Galit na galit siya sa akin habang kumukuha ako ng video at picture, sino daw ba ako, wala daw kwenta ang ginagawa ko, ipahuli ko raw siya kung kaya ko,” kwento ni Leander .

 

“Kahit may malaking nakasulat na GMA yung suot kong damit, nagpakilala pa rin ako na reporter at sabi nya, walang media media sa akin, media ka lang, wala kayong kwenta, wala kang pakialam at karapatan dito, DENR lang ang pwedeng makiaalam dito, sabi nung nagpakilalang Danny Gonzales,” patuloy ni Leander.

 

Sinabi pa ni Leander na sobra diumanong yabang at napaka-arogante ni Gonzales at ipinagmamalaki ang ENRO at CENRO ng Palanan, Isabela na sinasabing nagbigay ng papel sa ibinibiyahe nitong kahoy.

 

“Pano ka ba namang hindi mayayabangan e sabi nya, walang sinuman ang pwedeng humuli sa kanya dahil legal daw siya at ang sinuman na humuli sa kanya ay pasasakitin nya ang ulo,” dagdag ni Leander.

 

Nauna rito, nakatanggap ng mga sumbong sa pamamagitan ng mga text messages si Leander buhat sa mga concern citizen na may iluluwas na kahoy lulan ng isang trak noong Linggo ng hatinggabi na agad naman nitong ipinagbigay alam sa mga otoridad.

 

Sa pagtugaygay na isinagawa ng mga otoridad, nakita ang mga kahoy na nakatambak sa isang bakanteng lote malapit sa Brgy. Hall ng San Jose sa San Luis, Aurora.

 

Ikinadismaya ng mga kagawad ng San Luis Municipal Police Office at mga tauhan ng Department of Environment and Natural Resources ang kanilang nakita at nasambit pa ng isang pulis na rumesponde na “sobra naman kapal ng tumira nito” at saka nagimbestiga.

 

Sa imbestigasyon ng mga otoridad, galing pa ng Palanan, Isabela sakay ng isang bangka ang mga kahoy at dadalhin sa Cabanatuan City.

 

Matapos dumuong sa pantalan ng Baler, isinakay ang mga kahoy sa isang trak pero ibinababa rin pagdating sa San Luis dahil nagdalawang isip at natakot diumano ang may-ari at driver ng trak sa posibleng gusot na maaari nilang kaharapin ng malamang ikinokober ng media.

 

Sa pagbusisi ng mga tauhan ng DENR, napag-alaman na “Gmelina” ang naturang mga kahoy at pagmamay-ari ng isang Alberto Gonzales ng Palanan, Isabela at ibiniyahe lamang ni Danny Gonzales.

 

Matapos ang halos maghapong komprontasyon at pagsisiyasat na isinagawa ng mga otoridad, hinayaan na itong isakay sa ibang trak bagay na ipinagtaka at ikinadismaya ng mga taong nakakita sa mga kahoy. (Central Luzon Media Association Reportorial Team)

WE WILL NEED MORE HIGH-QUALITY TEACHERS FOR K+12 – ANGARA

MANILA, April 29, 2012-Senator Edgardo J. Angara underscored the need for more world-class educators to successfully implement proposed K+12 reforms and enhance the country’s educational system, citing worrisome downtrends in the number of graduates of education-related courses.  

Figures released by the National Statistical Coordinating Board (NSCB) show that the number of graduates of Education Science and Teacher Training has declined over the past decade—from 71,349 in AY 2000-2001 to 56,209 in AY 2009-2010.

“We cannot afford to forget our teachers, amidst all the changes that are about to take place. They will be at the forefront of our efforts to reform education, so we must do everything we can to prepare and support them,” said Angara, Chair of the Senate Committee on Education, Arts and Culture.  

According to the Department of Education (DepEd), there are about 510,629 teachers in the country, but around 99,628 more are needed.

Recently, the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) and the Board for Professional Teachers (BPT) announced that only 13,925 elementary teachers out of 32,798 examinees (42.46 percent) and only 7,149 secondary teachers out of 28,764 examinees (24.85 percent) passed the Licensure Examination for Teachers (L.E.T.) for 2012.   

“These percentages do not sit well with the national drive for global competitiveness and are a clear sign that a lot more needs to be done to educate our educators. Within the next decade, we must invest more time and effort to training our teachers,” stressed Angara, who is a former UP President.  

The veteran lawmaker noted that around P100 million in the 2012 budget of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) has been earmarked for scholarships in teacher development.

“This is a good step, but for sure, more will have to be done to catalyze the reform process towards raising the bar of our teaching standards,” emphasized Angara. “More of our resources—such as ICT and social media—can be directed towards creating a national network where teachers can help train other teachers, share their experiences in implementing K+12, and receive input from education experts in other countries.” (Rikka Sotto)