OIL PRICE hits allowance hurdle

By: Chrizael Feona Ongyot

Hefty increase of gasoline heavily affects students of Compostela National High School (CNHS) especially those who owned motorcycle vehicles as their mode of transportation when attending school.

“As a student who is coming from a middle class family, I can say that my experience with the oil price hike is not quite okay. I run a minimum distance of 40 kilometers everyday from home to school and it costs me an equivalent of 1 liter,” said Jereck Illescas,

Additionally, Illescas added that his daily allowance is majorly divided by the cost of gasoline expense making his budget for recess also compromised.

Oil price hike causes serious concern especially to student-riders who travel to school on a daily basis . Regular period of price increase is a hassle and if it doesn’t go down anytime soon, students like Illescas would endure these difficulties.

From Pencils to Pixels

Hidden Pitfalls of digital assessment: How Paperless Exams Are Leaving Students Behind

With just one click of the remote button—the pressure is on. With the rise of technology in education, paperless exams have become increasingly common in schools and universities. While the convenience of digital assessments may seem appealing, the reality is that they can be a source of stress and frustration for students.

In recent years, many educational institutions have started to embrace the idea of paperless exams. I believe that the idea of taking tests on a computer, tablet especially on television is a crucial and logical step in a world that is becoming increasingly digital.

EarthqWEAK-proof school buildings: Graft in the flesh

School buildings built from 2014 onwards must be compliant with architectural and structural codes stated by the National Structural Code of the Philippines (NSCP), which necessitates structures that can withstand a magnitude 8 earthquake and 250 kph winds. Contrary to just expectations, the magnitude 5.9 earthquake that struck the province of Davao de Oro surfaced the cheat of the supposed-to-be resilient school buildings of Compostela National High School.

Categorized as "new school facilities," the Grade 10 buildings developed minor and major cracks in their walls and floors, and the Grade 9 building and science laboratory are at risk of collapse due to heavy cabinets and equipment. This puts into question the allocation of P650,000.00 per classroom under the DepEd’s School Building Program for the CY 2013 Basic Educational Facilities Fund (BEFF).

SUBSTANDARD— The Municipal Engineering Office (MEO) team, after a thorough inspection, quoted the school buildings as "substandard and needing immediate repair." Furthermore, according to the Department of Education, damages to these structures can be attributed to "poor workmanship and alteration of materials prescribed

Knowing Threads

in the given standard architectural and engineering plans and specifications."

Due to this, CNHS students are displaced from their classrooms, while the consciences of those who are responsible are nowhere to be found. In most similar cases, the investigation of the matter lacks transparency, and public funds continue to feed the pockets of the perpetrators.

Drills do not compensate for incompetence—

School buildings are "essential structures," for they are vital during calamities and emergencies as they can be used as evacuation centers and ensure the continuity of delivering education. While drills help students practice safety measures, school buildings are the foundation and are at the forefront of safeguarding their lives.

Even if Filipinos are considered resilient, no amount of sheer luck or personal strength can excuse them from the corruption that endangers their survival. Speaking of resilience, while this culture enables the temporary empowerment of Filipino identity, it also withdraws the masses from demanding accountability; thereby, giving those in power the perfect excuse for inaction and further exploitation of their vulnerability to blind conformism.

Sewing Competence in Education Loopholes

Persistence of dismayed proficiency has unfortunately become a common theme in the country’s Education system.

As soon as the welcoming of 2023, the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2) has been conducting consistent conferences and consultations to realize a comprehensive evaluation of the Philippine education system  I say, is an overdue pitching of motion in the steady incompetence the Filipino learners are forced to endure. Various fora about the reformation of the curriculum made rounds in digital platforms where viewpoints that share total disapproval of the act is a counter to the curriculum’s produced graduates as it promotes unequal lines of experience and polar lessons.

The opposition believes that the undertaking would only set a gap between the current and post learners of the education program for it is an enactment of cutting ties and burning bridges as it is, for a fact mentioned.

While the past holds significance on the present situation, jotting a list of real sequences from the committed flaws of history and taking the initiation of mitigation are necessary procedures to undertake since no one wants to continue the trend of unemployment and scarcity of effective learning exposure.

Learners deserve quality education, and if fate didn't allow such thing for the alumni during their time, perhaps, it does now. According to the Department of Education (DepEd), they have been collaborative in actively finding ways to review the given K-12 program. DepEd also revealed that the current program is said to be “congested, that some prerequisites of identified essential learning competencies are missing or misplaced, and that a significant number of learning competencies cater to high cognitive demands.”

Another feature to be added is the “Redesigned Kindergarten Curriculum” that aims to readily give rise to “holistically developed literates equipped with 21st century skills.” When in the modern-day context, the connection between seas is fundamental.

Complementing the knowledge and skills development with value development are also enveloped focus on the aspiration as DepEd believes that value formation “strikes a balance between competence and character.” Polarizing this sense is also deemed necessary when aiming for virtue harnessing and awareness.

Complementing the knowledge and skills development with value development are also enveloped focus on the aspiration as DepEd believes that value formation “strikes a balance between competence and character.” Polarizing this sense is also deemed necessary when aiming for virtue harnessing and awareness.

Another notable result from the study is the slack on the teachers’ end, where “only few teachers reported having adequate time to teach all learning competencies” The grounded conclusion are testaments the corruption of learning are also

Moreover, mitigation precedes damage assessment. The immediate and responsive local government efforts are not enough to supplement the needs of an earthquake-resilient school. It is the collaboration of the branches of government offices and systemic change that sustainably resolves disaster-related impacts. The Philippines' geographical location is the primary reason for requiring infrastructure, especially schools, to be designed to resist strong earthquakes and super typhoons. Damages to CNHS’ school buildings brought to light that many new school facilities fail to comply with the NSCP’s standards. This serves as physical evidence of graft at the expense of the students' lives. To restore and maintain public trust, the government must be unreserved in sharing all information involving public funds, actively seek and condemn corruption, and be pro-people, pro-environment, and pro-sustainability in their policy-making. And whether people wait for casualties from the nonexistent earthquake-proof school facilities or keep those in authority in check, their choice determines the fate of our future—the next generation of Filipinos.

However, while the intention behind paperless exams is to make the process more efficient and streamlined, the reality is that it is often a major source of the problem rather than to solve the problem that they are addressing, and I strongly opposed to the idea of changing the system into more digitized as it is what they called as, 'the new normal that the students are not ready for.'

One of the main challenges of paperless exams is the technical difficulties that can arise. Internet connectivity issues, computer glitches, and software malfunctions can disrupt the exam and cause students to lose valuable time.

Another issue with paperless exams is the lack of flexibility they provide. With traditional paper exams, students have the ability to skip questions, go back and review their work, and even change their answers if they have a change of heart.

With digital exams, however, these options are limited, if not impossible. This lack of flexibility can lead to anxiety and even a lower score especially that every student is not alike, some have high capacity in terms of thinking skills while others do not have. In addition, the time limit could actually create turmoil to the students because paperless exams should have time and estimated limits, it also takes a lot of time and effort for the students and especially for the teachers.

Thus, this type of exam is not efficiently effective as this could result in more hassle and stress for the students.

Moreover, there is also the issue of cheating. While there is no denying that paperless exams can offer greater security and prevent cheating in some ways, it is also true

Pedalling Hope

Trip than tip

Asound that welcomes the day of ordinary Filipinos. Loud honks were heard as it continued to parade the call of Filipinos. A single beep is more than just a sound so the tricycle is more than just a vehicle.

hacked on the educators themselves. The rationale behind the reformation is an easy concept, yet it does take an adjustment. And the adjustment is not that easy. Loopholes can be created as teaching gap will be a matter of issue.

Warming up to the idea may be an awkward phase to effectuate, but in those awkward times comes the dawn of progression. Arranging ways to pacify the hassle is stern and it has to be realized as soon as possible.

The faults of the past curriculum has to be forgiven and the right to achieve the deserved environment for wisdom has been out the window for too long and it is about time that we embrace it inside our school’s premises.

Afterall, the learners, the educators and the community are the general victims of this fraud. Why not forge threads of improvement in the system and let loopholes conceal in memory?

In the times where poverty weakens the poor, the small cab called tricycles became their compass. In a coin that a driver held through his trip, it is a million worth that provides for their necessity.

Tricycles are a savior for the masses especially for students that could only pay cheaper fare. If modernization will be implemented, higher pays will be asked. To remove the tricycles is like degrading the poor.

Being a third world country, the issue of poverty continues to rise with over 5.6 million families living - inflation rate arises even since pandemic. Rather than solving poverty, modernizing should not be a priority.

To improve the country does not mean to add more new vehicles, but to hear the cries of its people. Filipinos do not have to change everything. In the middle of hardships, modernization cannot solve it, instead it thrust the poor to the worst.

Poor tricycle drivers are suffering from this sudden shift of modernization. the rise of pedicabs cheat.

Jhon Seniego

For instance, students with near chairs could actually discuss the answers on every number, and they could track each other's answers especially when the questions that are flashing on the screen are the same, and they have a big chance to cheat because it is too convenient for them. Unlike for the traditional exams, students who tend to cheat could actually lose track of the answers of the other student.

Finally, there is the psychological impact of paperless exams. Students who are used to taking exams on paper may feel a sense of disorientation and discomfort when they are forced to use technology.

Furthermore, the pressure of performing well on an exam can be heightened when the technology involved is unfamiliar or unpredictable. While paperless exams may seem like a step forward in education, they often create more problems than they solve. The issues of technical difficulties, lack of flexibility, cheating, and psychological impact must be taken seriously and addressed by institutions that are implementing paperless exams. Until then, students will continue to struggle with this new reality of taking exams on screens instead of on paper.

Students who are used to taking exams on paper may feel a sense of disorientation and discomfort when they are forced to use technology. Furthermore, the pressure of performing well on an exam can be heightened when the technology involved is unfamiliar or unpredictable. Indeed, going green and modernization is not always an option, as it makes the students wander into a faster paced world, and being lost in the middle of a world full of digital disarray and they cannot surely keep up, it clearly shows how paperless exams are hurting and leaving students behind.

pave way to the abolishment of the old mode of transportation that was once used by many. There is nothing wrong with progress, however, there are many individuals, just like the tricycle drivers, who will be affected.

There is a great difference of the income that they do have now compared to the income of the modern vihecles.

If the government has the courage to phase out the affordable vehicle for everyone, they should be replacing them with no payment in exchange.

They can also blend the new vehicle without removing the tricycles. Instead of prioritizing removing the tricycles, they should mind about helping the poor and empowering culture. Filipinos should ride the trip of those tricycles rather than having a tip for a modern way to have.

In Basic Education Curriculum, there are eight subjects in total especially in elementary education - the DepEd recently is open to reduce the number of subjects and has the plan and surge to fuse Araling Panlipunan (AP) and Music, Arts, Physical Education and Health (MAPEH) from kinder to grade

UNmake ends meet