National Career Assessment Exam set on August 28

          The National Career Assessment Examination (NCAE) shall be administered to fourth year high school students nationwide on August 28, the Department of Education announced.

          Education Secretary Jesli Lapus said NCAE will be given to fourth year high school students in public and private schools but stressed that “only private secondary schools with permit from the Department shall be included in the administration of the test.”

          The education chief required all fourth year high school learners from both public and private secondary institutions to take the NCAE. “In case of absences due to sickness or any force majeure, students should signify their intention to take the special test through a letter noted by their parents to be submitted to the School Division Office and National Education Testing and Research Center (NETRC) which shall schedule a test,” Lapus said.

          The test seeks to enable students and parents to better assess career options based on the student’s skills and inclinations towards various fields of interest.  This will also determine not only the students’ academic aptitude, but also their technical and vocational capabilities, as well as entrepreneurial skills.

          Components of the NCAE include scientific ability, mathematical ability, reading comprehension, verbal ability, manipulative skills, clerical ability, non-verbal ability and entrepreneurial skills.

          The NETRC will conduct the test with the assistance of the public and private secondary school officials all over the country.

          To ensure smooth administration of the NCAE, the Department shall hold a national orientation on guidelines in the conduct of the examination.

By Cherry Morada

DepEd Sets Hiring Guidelines for School Principals

          The Department of Education has revised the guidelines in the selection, promotion and designation of school principals in public elementary and secondary schools nationwide.

          Secretary Jesli Lapus said that DepEd Order No. 85 in 2003 was amended by Order No. 42 s. 2007.

          “Under the revised guidelines, the school heads are responsible for the administrative and instructional supervision of the school or cluster of schools,” the chief said.

          This, he said, would require them to have at least five years experience in the aggregate as head teacher, teacher-in-charge, master teacher and teacher III.

          The prospective school heads must possess the following: educational leadership which is the ability to craft and pursue a shared school vision and mission, as well as develop and implement curriculum policies, programs and projects; people leadership which is the ability to work and develop effective relationships with stakeholders and exert a positive influence upon people; and strategic leadership which is the ability to explore complex issues from a global perspective, manage an educational enterprise and maximize the use of resources.

          The Education chief stressed that principal positions shall be open to all qualified candidates from within and outside the division where the vacancies exist.

          The appointment of a school principal, he explained, is non-station specific.

          In the ranking for principal positions, the computation of points shall be done on the following criteria: performance rating - 30; experience-10; outstanding accomplishments – 30; education and training – 20; potential – 5; and psychosocial attributes and personality traits – 5.

       

   The division superintendent shall designate teachers-in-charge (TICSs) in schools without principal items. The prospective TIC should posses at least three years teaching experience and undergo a screening process conducted by the division office.

         Assignment of head teachers shall be one per subject area with priority on the core subject areas like English, math, science, Filipino and araling panlipunan.

By Maribel Cabasal

CSCA Opens One Year US Scholarship for Students

          The Center for Students and Co-curricular Affairs (CSCA) of the department and the AFS-Partners for Learning Youth Exchange and Study (YES) Scholarship Program opened the nominations for a year of full academic scholarship to the US to third year high school students in public schools.

          The YES program aims to build bridges of understanding and mutual respect between the United States and countries with significant Muslim populations.

          According to Joey Pelaez director of CSCA, priority is given to students from regions 9,10, 11, 12 and the Autonomous Region for Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) this year.

          Nominees must belong to the top 10 percent of the third year population of their respective schools, 15 to 17 years old, and must have medical clearance,” Pelaez added.

          The YES scholars will be placed in grades 10 or 11 in US public high schools. They are expected to participate in classroom and extra curricular activities as regular students. At the end of the program, the scholars are required to be back in the Philippines to finish fourth year in their school.

          Other program participants are students from Egypt, Ghana, Indonesia, Malaysia, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, India and Brunei.

          Since 2004, the program has sent 118 Filipino scholars to the US. Some 40 scholars are scheduled to leave on August 5, 2007, making it a total of 158.

          The YES program is administered by a consortia of exchange organizations in the US. It is funded by the US State Department, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

          In the Philippines, the YES program is implemented by the AFS Returnees Foundation Philippines through its AFS Intercultural Programs-Philippines office.

          Applications may be hand carried or delivered by courier to: Emily David, YES Program Officer, AFS Intercultural Programs-Philippines 2/F UP ISSI Bldg., Jacinto St., UP Campus Diliman, Q.C. 1101.

          Deadline for submission of application is on August 30, 2007 at 5 p.m.

By Maribel Cabasal

Muslim Drop-Outs Can Study Thru ALIVE Project

          The Muslim out-of-school youths (OSYs) and adults can now have better access to basic education through the Alternative Learning System (ALS) – Arabic Language and Islamic Values Education (ALIVE) project of the Department of Education.

          The ALIVE in ALS project is a new approach of delivering ALS program to the Muslims OSYs and adults. The program provides core learnings with additional Islamic concerns consisting of Arabic language and Islamic values in the learning experiences of Muslim learners.

          According to Undersecretary for Muslim Affairs Manaros Boransing, the ALIVE in ALS project will initially target the Muslim OSYs and adults in the urban areas where massive migration have been noted. The Muslims’ search for “better business opportunities” in the cities, particularly in NCR, have led to the big number of Muslims here,” Undersecretary Boransing said.

          “The ALIVE project can also be an option on the present problem of overcrowding in our public schools,” Undersecretary Boransing added.

          The pilot sites for the ALIVE project include: Manila, Taguig, Paranaque, Pasay, Caloocan, Quezon City, San Juan, San Fernando City and Angeles City.

          Other sites are Cavite, Bacolod, Iloilo, Aklan, Bohol, Tagbilaran, Cebu City, Mandaue, Lapu-lapu City, Talisay City, Zamboanga City, Zamboanga Sibugay, Pagadian, Dipolog, Dapitan City, Cagayan de Oro, Iligan, Ozamis, Bukidnon, Oroquieta, Valencia City, Davao, Kidapawan and Baguio.

By Maribel Cabasal

159 OSYs Take Basic Ed Diploma thru Alternative Learning System

          A grade 3 finisher was conferred certificate of elementary education graduate after she topped the Alternative Learning System Accreditation and Equivalency (ALS A & E) test.

          Lisa Ann Alvarado was among the five passers who graduated in elementary education while 154 others graduated in secondary course during the graduation rites held on June 30 at San Juan High School, Mexico, Pampanga.

          The ALS A & E passers are qualified to pursue the next level of education. According to Dr. Leonardo Zapanta, ALS education supervisor 1 of the division of Pampanga, majority of their passers are pursuing tertiary and technical-vocational courses.

          As part of basic literacy program, ALS regularly conducts A & E Learning sessions for out-of-school (OSY) youth and adults who did not finish schooling due to poverty or absence of school in their areas.

          OSYs who are over high school age and those over elementary age can take the A & E test for secondary and elementary education, respectively. OSYs can submit their applications for A & E test through the division office on September 3 to November 23, 2007.

          The graduation of ALS A & E passers was attended by Director Carolina Guererro of BALS; Dr. Felipe Canoza, DepEd regional Office ALS chief; Dr. Amelia Julian, assistant chief; Dr. Nicolas Capulong, assistant schools division superintendent of Pampanga.

          “The vigorous implementation of ALS A & E program is a manifestation of the commitment of the division of Pampanga to Education for All,” Director Guerrero said.

By Dr. Amelia Juan, ALS Region 3

Region 3 Ranks 4th in NAT

          DepEd Region 3 ranks 4th in the roster of top performing regions in the National Achievement Test (NAT) given in school year 2006 to 2007 to Grade 6 pupils in the public schools.           Balanga City is 5th placer among the country’s highest divisions with a mean percentage score of 77.67. Balanga City division attributes its NAT achievement to its close supervision of instruction in schools, various interventions, intensive reading instruction and teachers’ training.           The division of Bataan retains its 2nd highest rank in the region for two years. With 74.60 mean percentage score, Bataan is 13th highest division in the national level.           The next highest NAT raters in the region are Malolos City with 72.7 1, Science City of Muñoz with 67.74 and Cabanatuan City with 67.01.           Region 3’s highest performing schools in NAT are as follows: Salapungan Elementary School (89.42) and Bagong Baryo Elementary School (88.80) of Bulacan, T. Carnacho Sr. Elementary School (88.55) of Balanga City, Tibagan Elementary School (88.09) of Bulacan and Daan Pare Elementary School (87.16) of Bataan.           The highest performing schools in each subject area are Bagumbayan Elementary School of Bataan, 98.31 in Mathematics; Tibagan Elementary School of Bulacan, 95.43 in Heograpiya, Kultura at Sibika; T. Camacho Sr. Elementary School, Balanga City, 94.27 in Fi1ipino; Alikabok Elementary School of Bataan, 91.83 in English and 89.92 in Science.           Dr. Mario Ramirez, regional director, commended the effort of teachers, supervisors and superintendents and former Director Dinah Mindo for the region’s remarkable progress in NAT performance from 8th to 4th place.            Mrs. Celia Nacpil, assistant chief and officer in charge of the elementary education division of region 3, said the NAT performance is a payoff of the direct training of teachers and the technical assistance extended by the education supervisors through adopting and focusing on low performing schools.

There are many high school students being passed in every year level of high school. This is not because they really pass the test, examination, recitation, projects etc but rather because of the fear in that their performance bonus will got deduction as penalty. Any failed student in your advisory or classroom will have equivalent performance to the teacher. This system in our public education have produce unqualified high school graduates. Let me tell you the process.

If the classroom teachers failed more than three student in his/her advisory, she will be scolded and threaten of deduction in her performance known as Revised Performance Appraisal System (RPAS). This RPAS score is equivalent to money, bonus or productivity pay. Teacher who dare to failed more students (which they deserved) will received less productivity pay and reprimand from principal and superintendent. Who want to be reprimanded anyway?

Why the teachers are being punish for student failure?Any number of failed or drop students will reflect to the principal performance, to the supervisor performance until the highest level. So is there anyone wanted to have deduction in their productivity pay and performance level for the failure of irresponsible student. Bahala na ang student, kung gusto mong matuto dito sa classroom, kung ayaw mong matuto bahala ka sa buhay mo. Perhaps the DepEd should inquire or study (researc) the action/s of many teachers if they found the students who are intellectually capable but nagpapabaya in their academics.I believe there are many students like this because I am a teacher too (There is a need to study the statistics of intellectually capable student who are pabaya in their academics). Filipino students are bright yet they use it in other way. Instead of reading advance, normal student can be found somewhere.

(Study again the statistics of public high school who study at home and who spent their precious time somewhere). In short any number of failed students will reflect to the performance of higher official (accumulated since there are many sections and year levels) and eventually DEDUCT OF CHANCE OF PROMOTION both in principal, supervisor and superintendent.

Many reasons of factors why the student failed the grades. One which i believe is lack of right attitude. (because i came from poor family too yet i succeed in academics).Determination is not found in each student and most of the poor student always used economic status as their alibi. Secondly, games of any kinds. Computer, chat, TV, barkadas, separated parents etc. parents support is one. Actually the DepED doesnt not have research about the ranking of factors regarding student failure in the academics. It so hard to force the student to study as well as the parent to force their children to study right? It is better to return the traditional punishment system just to improve education (palo and pahiya sa klase pag hindi nag aral).

Can teacher give me factors affecting student failure in their academics. Your suggestions are welcome here.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, July 31, 2007 at 5:29 PM . You can follow any responses to this entry through the comments feed .

BESRA

Australia pledges P494M for Philippine education reforms

June 06, 2008 19:14:00Katherine Evangelista INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines -- Australia is providing A$13 million (P494

million) in aid for the Philippine education reform program, the

Department of Education (DepEd) announced Friday.

The fund, to be given by the Australian Agency for International

Development (AusAID), will be used to bankroll the Basic

Education Sector Reform Agenda (BESRA) program of the

Philippine government, the DepEd said.

BESRA is a set of policy reforms aimed at providing a sustainable

quality education for Filipino children.

“With funding support from international donor agencies coming

in, I believe this is the best time to implement comprehensive and

strategic reforms in basic education,” said Education Secretary

Jesli Lapus.

Australian Ambassador to the Philippines Rod Smith said the aid

package has been allotted for incentive-based funding, adding it

will be released "subject to performance against agreed

benchmarks."

Incentive-based performance is focused on developing resource

allocation to schools, including performance-based management

of teachers, Lapus explained.

In 2007, AusAID released A$10 million for the initial

implementation of BESRA.

Australian aid for education reforms in the Philippines is expected

to increase in the next four years depending on the success of

BESRA.

Lapus said assistance from development partners like Australia is

“critical to the successful implementation of BESRA."

Australia is one of the country’s top three bilateral grant donors

together with the US Aid for International Development and Japan

International Cooperation Agency.

The Australian government’s official development assistance to

the Philippines for 2008 to 2009 is estimated to reach A$109.3

million (P4.4 billion), and about 40 percent of which is for basic

education.

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Education Lapus challenges Mindanao educators to produce globally-competitive Filipinos

By Hannibal C. Talete

MANILA, July 9 (PNA) -- Department of Education Secretary Jesli Lapus challenged Mindanao educators on Wednesday to bring back the luster in Philippine public education and produce globally-competitive Filipinos who will do the country proud.

During the 5th Mindanao Educators Congress in Butuan City, Lapus urged them to reach out to more out-of-school youth and adults and provide them with opportunities to learn valuable life skills, whether in formal school or through alternative means.

“Education is not for a few or for some; it is for all,” Lapus said as he expressed confidence that DepEd can meet its target of making basic education accessible to all by 2015.

DepEd since 2006 has instituted many reforms that have contributed to the steady improvement of education indicators.

“Still we have a lot of work to do, if we really want to achieve Education For All (EFA) goals in 2015,” Lapus said.

The EFA goals, particularly on Universal Primary Education, state that all children should have access to educational opportunities.

“All means 100 percent. Anything less than 100 percent by 2015 constitutes a failure in reaching our EFA commitment,” he explained. “This is the real challenge of EFA: Almost is not good enough.”

Lapus is leading educators in beefing up the Basic Education Sector Reform Agenda (BESRA) to meet EFA goals.

BESRA aims to systematically improve nationwide basic

education outcomes. Its key component -– School-Based Management (SBM) -- empowers school heads to make localized decision based on their own unique needs. As part of SBM, school heads are required to come up with School Improvement Plan (SIP) that also includes creating linkages with the local government and the private sector for the improvement of their schools.

“Our success in implementing BESRA in the short term can translate to achieving our EFA commitments in the long term,” Lapus said.

By next year, the department aims to reach 94 percent participation rate for elementary and 72 percent for high school; a cohort survival rate of 81 percent for elementary and 90 percent for high school.

“DepEd also aims to reach completion rate of 79 percent for elementary and 85 percent for high school and to reduce our dropout rates to 4 percent for elementary and 2 percent for high school,” Lapus added.

He noted that DepEd will be coordinating closely with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), “so that the two institutions can share information better, leading to a more accurate assessment of the country’s standing in terms of the EFA goals.”

He said, “We expect that in simultaneous and coordinated change, we would produce better results than the fragmented and pilot-based initiatives that were abundant in the past.”

He urged the Mindanao educators “to make sure that all your initiatives are anchored on the key reform thrusts of BESRA.”

“If your teachers and parents do not understand the full implications of BESRA yet, I implore you to invest in making

them understand and support our reform initiatives,” he said.

He stressed: “If we are all on the same page, starting from the Central Office to the PTAs, our chances for success will be very high.”

DepEd’s existing programs and projects will be revisited as they correlate to the Medium-Term Philippine Development Plan (MTPDP) and EFA Targets for the six regions in Mindanao.

Participants in the conference include education leaders in six regions in the Mindanao area: Regions 9, 10, 11, 12, 13-Caraga and Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

First hosted by the Caraga Region, the biennial event ensures sustainability and relevance of basic education programs and projects in Mindanao. The congress started in 1995, with Region IX-Zamboanga City as host. (PNA)

DepEd Memorandum No.333 S.2009

2009 National Science Club Month Celebration

Pursuant to Presidential Proclamation no.28 declaring Sept as the National Science Club Month, the Science Club Advisers Association of the Philippines, the Department of Education Center for Students and Co-curricular Affairs and the Department of Science and Technology Science Education Institute announce the holding of the 2009 National Science Club Month Celebration for all science clubs in all elementary and secondary school nationwide.

The Theme "Adapting to Diverse Science Culture for Development". the celebration aims to achieve the following objectives:

Strengthen the implementation of various programs and projects in science and technology.

Provide opportunities for science clubs nationwide to engage into productive, meaningful and effective activities that promote awareness, interest and involvement of the youth in science and technology.

Harness the knowledge, skills and values of science club leaders, teachers, coordinators and science enthusiasts to cope with and apply the developments and advancements in science and technology.

For complete details of the memorandum, download here.

DepEd Memorandum No. 333 S.2009

DepEd Officials once again announced the prohibition of the use of cell phone inside the classroom to keep the students focused in the lesson and activities. The Officials cited DepEd Order Numbers 83, series of 2003; 26 series of 2000 and 70 series of 1999, which state that DepEd strictly imposes a ban on the use of cell phones by students during class hours.

Students are encouraged to turn off their cell phones during class period. In other way, students may live it open in the principal or guidance office to monitor emergency calls.

Teachers are also instructed not to confiscate the cell phone instead make sure to instruct the student switch off their gadgets prior to classroom discussion

The Career Executive Service Board Examination was set by the Civil Service Commission for 2009. It will be held in Manila, Cebu and Davao simultaneously. It is offered to qualified applicants from Government and private companies holding an executive positions. This is a third level class in the group of career positions in civil service. The examination was schedule in June 28, 2009. Walk-in written exam which will be held in Manila. The dates are

March 27, August 28, October 23 and December 11.

Qualified applicants must be a Filipino citizen of good moral character and must possess the following requirements: for those Government service, he or she must be appointed to CES position, or designated in an acting capacity or Officer-in-Charge (OIC) of a CES position or at least six months, or must have been appointed to at least a Division Chief Position (SG-24) and possesses three years of managerial experience.

A need for SciTech Curriculum in every town of the country

Posted in Curriculum, Deped Article, Deped News, DepEd Program

A total of 57 Special Science Elementary Schools were given financial assistance by the Department of Education to support science curriculum and programs. The strengthened SSES Project has been allocated P26.5M as financial assistance to the project's existing 57 pilot schools and their respective region and division offices.

The 57 schools piloted in 16 regions will be allocated some P418,421 each. The regions will be allotted P82,812 for the upgrading of SSES classes, the provision of the technical assistance, and the final screening of new students to be conducted by the Regional Assessment Team.Education Secretary noted that only 44 percent of high school graduates pursue science and engineering-related courses.

Meanwhile, the amount granted for each school will be used for the training and professional upgrading of teachers and school heads; purchase of instructional materials; pupil development activities such as conduct of investigatory project development, leadership, training, educational visits and student participation in Science related activities.

Lapus affirmed, "A strong science and technology- based education is the foundation of a progressive society and we have

to set our eyes towards that goal,"

The program started in the pilot schools at Grades 1 and 2 having enriched curriculum. In 2008, SSES Project has finalized SSES Curriculum up to Grade 3-6 already. "Teachers and school administrators were actively oriented on SSES implementation," she added. SSES offer longer hours in Science while still maintaining the same subjects like ordinary elementary schools.

Maybe the Secretary still do not recognize the need to have science elementary and high school in every town in the Philippines. Some division have been running science elementary and high school curriculum since 1996 (or earlier) with less support from National Government.

Apart from Science and Mathematics training, the DepEd should not forget to strengthen the values formation program for this intelligent pupils/student are vulnerable to arrogance owing to their academic achievements. In my years of service as IT Teacher in Science High School, I have observed bright student's growth from first to fourth year. Success and Achievements make some of them non-deserving leaders. DepEd should give time weaving a curriculum that stress scientific knowledge and God fearing character in order to avoid corrupt leaders in the future.