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Implementation
of NSTP starts this school year
By Ronilo Ladrido Pamonag
Taken
from Sun Star - Cebu, June 4, 2002
STARTING
this school year, college students will be marching
under a different tune.
This,
as the National Service Training Program (NSTP), will
be implemented starting this school year, according
to Helen Correa, NSTP coordinator of the Commission
on Higher Education Regional Office 6.
Correa
said that all higher educational institutions in the
region are all set to implement the program.
She
informed Sun.Star Iloilo that they have already oriented
the registrars, school administrators, program coordinator,
and coordinators of the schools' community extension
services regarding the NSTP.
"In
fact, last May 30-31, we gave a faculty training about
the civic welfare training service and literacy training
skills," Correa pointed out.
The
NTSP is the government's answer "to the public
clamor for reforms in the Reserve Officers Training
Corps Program.
Correa
said that the NSTP will be placed under the monitoring
of the Ched.
According
to the NTSP primer, the program is "aimed at
enhancing civic consciousness and defense preparedness
in the youth by developing the ethics of service and
patriotism while undergoing training in any of its
three program components specifically designed to
enhance the youth's active contribution to the general
welfare."
The
program has three components-the Civic Welfare Training
Service, Literacy Training service and the ROTC; the
first two component being new programs.
CWTS
"refers to the program component of activities
contributory to the general welfare and the betterment
of life for the members of the community or the enhancement
of its facilities, especially those devoted to improving
health, education, environment, entrepreneurship,
safety, recreation and morals of the society."
The
activities under this component, according to Correa,
will be done in coordination with the Department of
Social Welfare and Development, Department of Health,
Department of Interior and Local Government, and other
concerned government agencies.
"The
schools offering this component are free to choose
what barangay they will be serving under this program,"
Correa said.
The
LTS, on the other hand, "is a program designed
to train students to become teachers of literacy and
numerical skills to school children, out of school
youth, and other segments of society in need of their
service."
Educational
institutions offering this component are free to draft
their own specific work plan, though subject to the
guidelines of the Ched.
"Schools
are free to formulate their own course content or
outline, as long as it is within the guidelines set
by us. So that means schools can add or enrich the
course content or maintain. This is because there
is such a thing as academic freedom and we respect
that," Correa remarked.
The
last component is the ROTC program. It "is designed
to provide military training to tertiary level students
in order to motivate, train, organize, and mobilize
them for national defense preparedness." This
component is under the Department of National Defense.
Correa
said that the schools expressed apprehension about
future problems that might come with the implementation
of the program.
"But
these are all apprehensions," Correa downplayed.
According
to Correa, schools are apprehensive over the number
of students that will enroll in the program.
"As
you know, the NSTP covers both male and female students,"
Correa explained.
Then
there are apprehensions regarding the capability of
the faculty, the academic loading and the scheduling
of classes.
Correa
said that the NSTP is a 3 unit per semester course,
unlike the ROTC, which is only 1.5 units.
Based
on the Implementing Rules and Regulations of the NSTP,
students are required to complete one NTSP component
as requisite for graduation.
However,
Correa said that they have already addressed these
problems.
"As
far as the Ched is concerned, we have already done
our part, so it is already up to the schools to determine
the state of their readiness with regards the implementation
of the program," Correa stressed.
"For
those schools who have not yet attended our previous
trainings, they can do so this June 18-19," Correa
informed.
Correa
added that they will still be monitoring the program.
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