Attention! Parade rest!

The Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) has a long history of aiding and bolstering the national defense by enlarging the pool of qualified people who can join the armed forces. Meanwhile, proponents of this mandatory ROTC claim that it instills a sense of leadership, discipline, and patriotism among students. Moreover, they likewise believe that ROTC could help the students get the knowledge and training they need to succeed in both the military and civilian realms.

On the other hand, the opposing side of the said ROTC argues that, it compromises upon individual freedoms and rights. And or even the students themselves are against this mandatory military training, and some may have moral or religious objections in joining the military. Additionally, mandatory ROTC may not be a good use of resources for colleges and universities, as not all students will choose to pursue military careers, and the cost of the program may be better spent on other educational opportunities.

Hence, whether the ROTC is ought to be mandated, it will still depend on a variety of factors, including the institution’s culture and principles as well as the cur- rent political and social condition. It is such a crucial state for decision-makers to consider both the potential benefits and drawbacks of mandatory ROTC, and to weigh those against the broader goals and priorities of the institution.

Digital Shifting, Challenging Task

The Philippines has been making strides towards digitalization in recent years, with the government’s push for the adaption of digital technologies in various sectors, there are still challenges that need to be addressed.

The government has mandated a shift to digital terrestrial television (DTT) broadcasting in order to improve the quality and availability of TV signals. This shift is part of the country’s commitment to the International Telecommunication Union’s (ITU) deadline for countries to transition. ITU’s mission is to guarantee that all the world’s people can use and benefit from digital information, products, and services, equally and equitably. ITU members’ Connect 2030 Agenda focuses on how technological advances can accelerate the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.

The digital broadcasting system helps us in numerous ways, including better picture and sound, more channels, and interactive elements like guides and subtitles. Additionally, DTT can free up spectrum for additional uses, like mobile broadband services. The Philippines has benefited much from digitization, particularly in terms of increased access to public services.

“We are still looking at this year,

More to Numeracy and Literacy Skills

The Department of Education wants to implement a new social studies, culture, history, and physical education curriculum for students in kindergarten through third grade. Which is I support. By combining these courses, pupils’ reading comprehension will improve and their math skills will get more time. Students would benefit from increased learning opportunities thanks to this.

The new subject would be known as SIKAP, which stands for Sibika, Kultura, Kasaysayan, and Kagalingang Pangkatawaan. It is part of the draft Basic Education Curriculum for 2022 and is available for evaluation. For grades 4 through 10, AP would continue to be taught as a separate subject, and MAPEH would continue to combine music, the arts, physical education, and health.

Kindergarten to grade 3 is more like amateurs and newbies in learning and academia. Reading and math abilities like counting are the first lessons that we learned from our parents before we went to school. And given the students’ age, it is more important to focus on improving those than other subjects. It would definitely help them more if the subjects were merged. AP and MAPEH as standalone subjects would be given more focus if students were already in grade 4 afterward. The proposed K–3 curriculum will likely have an impact on instructors and lead to mistakes— possibly fatal errors—if it is adopted. The creation, printing, and publication of a fresh set of textbooks, modules, and related learning materials will be required under the suggested curriculum but this is still tentative,” NTC Commissioner Ella Blanca Lopez said. “It will be hard to conduct the shutdown because the whole country is not yet digital-ready.” The government has offered assistance to broadcasters yet it remains to be seen whether this will be enough to encourage widespread adaption. There are also concerns about the impact of the shift to DTT on consumers particularly in those rural areas who may have difficulty accessing signals. Many Filipinos are still unfamiliar with the technology and may not be aware of the benefits it can bring.

Therefore, there is still obstacle that needs to be solved. But shift to digital has the potential to bring significant benefits to the country, and it will require a concerted effort from all stakeholders to ensure a smooth transition. With the 2023 deadline fast approaching, the Philippines must work quickly to overcome these challenges and realize the full potential of digitalization.

In the old curriculum of our basic education program, the subject “Good Manners and Right Conduct” or GMRC was already a subject taught in both primary and secondary school, until it was scrapped in the secondary year 2013 due to the implementation of the K-12 curriculum. Which was a wrong move. Youths had become disrespectful, can you tell?

Although there were senators who propose the same guide. Yet, for me, the advantages of this proposal are much larger than those. On the other hand, teachers—almost half of them—did not have sufficient time to teach even half the number of learning competencies.

This draft would give students more time to develop foundational literacy and numeracy skills. Let us give SIKAP a shot.

Bring Back the Good Habits

GMRC was removed under the Republic Act 11476 signed into law by our former president Duterte in 2020. GMRC will be taught in grades 1 to 6 as a separate subject, but contrary in secondary. That made teaching manners take less attention than before.

concepts, such as the Comprehensive Values Education Act (Senate Bill No. 1224), the law will “institutionalize values education, including GMRC, as a core subject in the K-to-12 curriculum,” originally proposed by Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian. We still need people who’ll support this petition. GMRC inculcates students’ human dignity, respect for oneself, and giving oneself to others the spirit of community for the effective and holistic development of decision-making for the child. And with the absence of it, students had become disrespectful, littered, cut through traffic, engaged in harassment, bullying, and other aggravations. The lack of decorum among young people is a manifestation of this oversight.

However, according to DepEd Region ll Regional Information Officer Amir Aquino stated that

“Hindi porket na dissolved, wala ng values,” GMRC was not removed but enhanced in a different approach.

To sum up this complaint of mine, higher education must not only focus more on the intellectual capacity of students but also the manners and right conduct. People this day forgot values, ethics, and good behavior. The revival of GMRC is a must.