thescribblers Official Student Publication of Alabel National Science High School Volume XXV Issue No 2 | October 2022 to April 2023
opinion 9
Points to Ponder
Neglect Precedes Dread Crizel Cabatan
A
lmost five years after the upsetting statistics gathered by the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2018 results regarding the performance of Filipino students in the subjects of English, Science, and Mathematics; the Philippine education sector remains haunted by its rather troubled academic past. With the phenomenon involving the fear of mathematics, Filipino students and teachers alike struggle to contain the fright of numbers among learners. It can be recalled that in the PISA 2018 results, the Philippines garnered a score of 353 points in Mathematics, which is 139 points behind The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) average. The controversial score reflected students’ underperformance, which opted the Department of Education (DepEd) to bow to its fate by checking the circumstances that contributed to the result. One factor
linked to learners’ academic performance is their metacognitive strategies or achievement motivation. Under these factors belongs the dormant phenomenon of mathematics anxiety. According to a study by Gerald Navida assessing Mathematics anxiety among Filipino freshman students, 15.3-32.6% experienced high levels of math anxiety while 3.5-30.6% had very high levels of the latter. In Alabel National Science High School alone, 7 out of 10 students manifested a fear of numbers according to a survey conducted by the campus press. Although recurrent, mathematics anxiety should not be tolerated– by either students or teachers. Arguably, this anxiety impairs a student’s ability to learn, retain, and master arithmetic topics that are essential not only to academics but to one’s daily life. Fear of failure fueled by failure encounters in math also contributes to this circumstance. The root of math anxiety cannot be
tracked to a single road though, it stems from busy intersections. The pedagogy of the teachers is one. Math anxiety is fueled by tension and timidness. Thus, the education sector should steer clear of pedagogical issues linking mistakes to discouragement. Working on a stronger studentteacher relationship inside the classroom should be prioritized. Meaning, teachers should listen to their students’ needs— which includes accessible and adequate resources and enforcing a coping mechanism that could be used. With that said, it is about time that DepEd prioritizes Filipino students. At the same time, DepEd should evaluate not only what is seen on the outside, but also the inside. The importance of teaching competence, aided by a psychological and emotional understanding of learners, cannot be overstated. After all, neglect precedes dread.
AlSays
Fearless Points
Cycle of Imprudence Heart Leh Alcudia
“Never Again ‘’ the cry that resounded throughout the entire nation. Through risked life and limb the dictator has finally been ousted and the curtain ultimately fell on one of the darkest periods in Philippine history. Atrocious, unforgivable, unforgettable that was all said and done but as it does the cycle turns and once again it resurfaces and rears. Viewed through lenses of historical revisionism and nostalgia the Marcos Regime is now being considered the “Golden years”. The suspension of civil law, civil rights, habeas corpus,
death,rapes and other human rights violations is all but a price to pay for peace and prosperity. The glorification and distortion of the marcosian past is a clear manifestation of the disinformation pandemic we currently are at. The economy was in fact not booming during the administration, it was during the early eighties when the Philippines suffered its worst post war recession. GDP shrank by 7.3% for two consecutive years, the last time an economic downturn of this magnitude happened was in World War II. As frustrating as it is, the
propensity of the people to cling to resemblances of perceived power is not surprising as does have its origin. The Marcosian lie emerged from the failure of Philippine institutions to deliver on the promise of societal change after the fall of the dictatorship. Finally free of the shackles of authoritarianism, expectations of rapid advancement and growth arose and when Aquino’s turbulent political administration failed to deliver, it prompted the start of turnarounds against liberal democratic values.This discontent drove for the populace
to look for alternatives beyond liberal democracy and was lured into the to the promise of change and discipline from figures like Duterte and Ferdinand “bongbong” Marcos Jr. This rise of populist leaders coupled along with the emergence of a wave of historical revisionism is an embodiment of the cyclical nature of Philippine politics. From Tremendous bolstering of reformism to being more than agreeable to populism, it truly is one extreme to the next. The aggravating pendulumlike action has led us again to a democratic
deficit, back where we came from. Nations, like individuals, have short memories. These are the words of George A. Malcom. One cycle was all it took to dismantle the gains of liberal democracy.The Conflatement of the Horrors of the Marcos Regime is indeed the height of imprudence. And like a masochist coming back for more, we have now found ourselves in the political medley of today. The cycle continues; we are now back into the cycle of imprudence .
Panoramic Perspective
Worthwhile Investment Geraldluke Faciol
Picturing an institution with top-notch Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education, Alabel National Science High School should be one for the books for its facilities and apparatus. Instead, its students and teachers are frisking empty pockets and almost barren facilities stumbling with difficulty for lacking educational amenities. Afflicted by the progressive trend of laboratory apparatus and machinery, the science high school inarguably has been bypassed by its peers over the years spent under
the demands of globalization. Exacerbated by the inadequate funds lagging behind the expense of these amenities, the school submits to refrain from upgrading its outdated equipment The school’s financial limitations force its student body to make the best of what little is available, resulting in a suboptimal approach to education. Hands-on learning takes a backseat, and students are frequently left to compensate for the inadequacy on their own. With the insufficiency of available services granted by the school, the research
studies of AlSci Grade 12 students are paramount among the list of their preoccupancies. As a result, students and teachers alike are obliged to seek out private laboratories to acquire the assistance they need. Relying on student discounts and in-kind concessions, student researchers conform to the condition’s de rigeur— rending money out of their own pockets. To finish laboratory tests, researchers who opted for Orca Laboratories in General Santos City accumulated a budget ranging from 2000 to 6000 pesos— an amount generous enough to
be earned by minimum-wage earner parents in a month. In these conditions, a group consisting of four to five students is forced to provide a sine qua non of 500 to 1000 pesos each. The efficacy of a school in catering to its students ultimately hinges on the resources allocated to it. However, before we can expect to nurture students with academic excellence, our political leaders must first deliberate on whether this pursuit is a worthwhile investment.
The truth is becoming more and more elusive in a period rife with misinformation and false narratives. The Scribblers interviewed AlSci students about their opinions regarding the reinstatement of Filipino history as a topic in high school amid concerns about the potential modification of historical narratives. This is what they had to say:
Hyein (Grade 10) I think we should bring back History to the curriculum because if you are not familiar with the history of our own country then you can’t really say that you know and appreciate your Filipino roots and being ignorant of these things makes you unaware and vulnerable to possible manipulation from the higher ups. I believe that talking about our past will improve our future because we use our history as a basis for the development of our country. Hanni (Grade 9) Teaching History specifically Philippine history in the secondary level would be beneficial especially with the current generation. The PBB GomBurZa situation of last year only highlighted the current educational crisis, when simple history questions like that are not retained, you know there is something wrong. To be considered FIlipino we must have at least common knowledge of our history. Danielle (Grade 11)
Historical revisions have been done in the past and it’s not always done maliciously, only when it involves changing actual facts with falsified information should it be considered wrong and unjust. Proper historical revision is when you exchange what was thought to be correct information to the truly correct ones; however historical revision when exaggerated can also cause damage to education and society in general. If we apply history as a subject again we can have cemented knowledge from the past and help us as individuals determine if the historical revision is valid or not.