LAST WEEK, we made a trip to Barangay Taculing, Bacolod City to have our second anti-COVID-19 vaccine jab.
Our first visit was a success. We admired the friendly professionalism of the team who administered the vaccine. The second visit was equally good. We were first asked about our reaction to the first jab. Feedback is important. I was able to explain that there were no aftereffects other than a slight stiffness in my left arm and that this stiffness had dissipated within a day.
This is really to say that those who are nervous about the jab need not be. I believe that for most people, to be fully vaccinated would give peace of mind which in turn would provide more confidence that daily activities can be undertaken safely.
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I look forward to the 2022 election campaign. We have no pre-conceived preferences. In fact, I look forward to the discussions and debates that will ensue. One area which I hope will be actively assessed by candidates is our education system. Many parents that I have spoken to are disappointed with the implementation of RA10533, the K-12 Act. In 2016, when presidential candidates were seeking our vote, discussion about changes to the education system was fairly muted. Understandable, since we wanted to give K-12 a fair chance before coming to conclusions. With the passage of time, we are generally dissatisfied. Our dissatisfaction is mirrored by United Nations administered surveys which show that we are not globally competitive.
What to do?
The extra two years of schooling needed for graduation and/or entry to tertiary education imposed by K-12 could have made things difficult for recruitment to tertiary level courses. President Duterte’s timely intervention by waiving fees for tertiary courses was vital to ensure their continued student support.
I am disappointed by those K-12 supporters who want to get “out in front” of electoral candidates. A recent report, without comment from a national broadsheet which should know better, said last week: “Business leaders, education experts, and development advocates gathered together to challenge 2022 electoral candidates to adopt a 10-point education reform agenda and encourage voters to elect education leaders.”
This is manipulative nonsense.
An articulate electoral candidate does not need to be told what to do by the likes of Bro. Armin Luistro. In fact the candidate will have his own well-developed views which he will express in his own good time and on his own terms.
It is high time that Luistro et al. stopped trying to manipulate the discourse which is likely to express concern about the dogmatic “we know that” attitude when our education system is coming under scrutiny and is being found by many to be faulty.
Nevertheless, I hope there will be a vigorous debate about education policy from all our serious presidentiables./PN
