Press Release
October 13, 2009

ANGARA TO COMSTE, EDUC ORGS: SPOT, FOSTER
POTENTIAL SCIENTISTS

Sen. Edgardo J. Angara has urged the country's schools and education agencies to beef up a system of identifying potential scientists and engineers in their classes and provide more intensive training to build up their capabilities. Angara specifically called on the relevant government agencies to give special attention to public schools to intensify the system of instruction to make students at par with those from private institutions.

"It is crucial that we identify promising students in Math and Science so we can get them into good science high schools and produce more students that can later on earn science and engineering degrees," urged Angara at the meeting with the Congressional Commission on Science & Technology and Engineering (COMSTE), of which he is Chair.

Angara said this in response to the submission of Bienvenido Nebres, SJ, of the Ateneo de Manila University. Nebres asserted that the database they are developing in tracking status and performance levels of students from tests will be useful to evaluate their potentials in specific subjects into becoming their future fields of expertise.

The study Nebres reported to the meeting tallies the National Secondary Assessment Test (NSAT) results of students in public schools, their test scores and general percentage average (GPA) ratings, the state of school facilities, student-teacher ratios, classroom sizes, success record of principals and faculty members, among others, in order to determine the leadership potentials and standing of the students.

"This is a breakthrough study. If we can apply this to a nationwide level, we will have a more accurate picture of our students' performance. This way, we know who we should be grooming to pursue science and engineering degrees. Right now, as technology is rapidly changing, we need to keep up. We need more scientists and engineers to tap our domestic resources and strengthen our labor market," noted Angara.

Taking the example of the Lupang Pangako Elementary School in Quezon City, which Nebres described as situated in a very poor district but achieved commendable results in their studies, Angara lauded the system: "This proves poverty cannot get in the way of our students' determination to achieve. If we continue this system, we will be able to nurture the students that we hope to be successful in the fields of engineering and sciences in the future."

"We are already producing many engineers in the global domestic market. We must also produce more of the best for our domestic labor force to benefit," Angara stressed.

News Latest News Feed