December 12, 2007

LFS vows to block required exam for college entry; says move will meet “storm of opposition” from students and parents

The League of Filipino Students (LFS) today warned the Department of Education (DepEd) and lawmakers of widespread protests if plans for making the National Career Assessment Examination, or NCAE, a mandatory requirement for college entry is pursued.

According to the students, the move will surely meet strong opposition from students and parents as it will “limit the already limited opportunities that the students have at present.”

“A move like this will face storms of opposition from students and parents. This is clearly aimed to discourage students from taking up college and is an authoritarian measure to force students to take up voc-tech (vocational and technical courses),” says Vencer Crisostomo, LFS national chairperson.

“Why do we need such an exam when we already have entrance exams in colleges and universities? Sec. Lapus’ hell bent campaign for this measure clearly shows devious intent. We will not be surprised if we find out anomalies in this proposal much like what we have seen in the Cyber Education Project,” Crisostomo added.

Crisostomo explained that the push to encourage students to take up voc-tech courses is in “blind adherence of policies of IMF-WB and pro-globalization institutions.”

“The DepEd want to force us to go to voc-tech instead of going to college just because that is the market demand. They want to increase the supply of labor force for call centers and transcriptionists. But what will happen if five, ten years from now the market changes its demands and these jobs goes out of uso? What will happen to those students that we misled into not taking up college?” Crisostomo explained.

The LFS called the Sec. Lapus to either “straighten up his acts or to just change the DepEd’s name to Lapus Recruitment Agency.”

“What he is doing is not the job of an Education Secretary. Providing cheap labor force to multi-nationals is a job of a recruitment agency. Lapus must focus on raising the quality of education and making it more accessible,” Crisostomo said.

The LFS vows to lobby against efforts in both higher and lower houses that aim make the NCAE a requirement for college entry.

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Previous statements:

http://opinion.inquirer.net/inquireropinion/letterstotheeditor/view_article.php?article_id=60119

http://kilusan.net/lfs/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=347

http://studentstrike.blogspot.com/2007/04/more-on-ncae.html