EDUCATORS’ NIGHT 2007
(Speech delivered during the Educator’s Night 2007 - Catarman Town Fiesta Celebration)
Tonight
I am tasked to fill the shoes of an institution, an icon of Northern Samar.
This
is a task that I take with awe and trepidation for I feel so insignificant to
even approximate the stature, the experience, the expertise and the wisdom of
this man. Thus, I am apprehensive that I may not be equal to the task. At the
same time, I am very glad to have been given opportunity of representing our
Governor, Governor Raul A. Daza in this gathering of significant workers in the
field of education. Kung baga this is
a time for me to feel how it is to be a governor of our province even only for
a short instance (Siguro practice ko na
ine sa tidaraon na mga panahon. Matuman kunta.)
Before
proceeding with my task, I would like to express my thanks and deep gratitude
to the people of Catarman, more specifically to the teachers and other
officials of the four school districts of this municipality, to the trust and
confidence you have given me to represent you and the education concerns in the
Sangguniang Panlalawigan. Thank you for this rare gift of confidence that leads
to the chance for me to be of service to our fellow Nortehanons.
Earlier
on, at the organizational stage of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan when
chairmanships of committees were dished out, I lobbied that, among others, I
should chair the Committee on Education. It was not only borne by the fact that
nanalaytay sa aking mga ugat ang dugong
titser, my grandparents and my parents, Assistant Schools Division
Superintendent Juanita F. Layon and Regional Director Celedonio L. Layon, Jr.,
are dyed-to-the-wool teachers but also my desire to make difference in the
educational scene of our province.
As
a chair of this Committee, I have come to grip with some realities about
education in our province and in our country. The other day, The Philippine
Daily Inquirer reiterated the fact that problems of education identified 15
years ago persist today. The crisis in education has not been resolved through
the years. The quality of education is still declining. The elementary and
secondary schools are failing to teach the competencies that the average
citizen needs to become responsible, productive and self-fulfilling. The
colleges and technical/vocational schools are not producing the manpower that
the country needs to develop the economy. The problem is exacerbated by the
perennial problem of lack of teachers, textbooks, classrooms and other vital
facilities.
The
condition manifests itself in the result of instruction. At the national level,
our country has always been at the lowest quartile in the two Trends in math
and Science Instruction given in the past years. The mean performance score in
the National Achievement Tests is between 46 to 53 points through the years.
The latest test on reading for grade III shows that barely 42% of our pupils
can read independently. The performance of Northern Samar is equally dismal. We
thought that the high performance of Lope de Vega National High School, that
topped the NAT four years ago, will be sustained. The results of the Philippine
informal Reading Inventory emphasized the deterioration of our schools when our
province got the lowest rank among the 178 or so school divisions in the
country.
Everything,
however, is not yet lost. In the midst of the ocean of mediocrity we can still
see islands of excellence in some of our schools in the different sectors of
our province. The achievement of Lope de Vega National High School told us that
we can perform beyond the limitation of our resources. It performed much better
than most well endowed schools through the sheer tenacity and dedication of
teachers. We can learn from them. We can still change the tide of mediocrity
and reach the shore of excellence. All we have to do is to extend our helping
hands to make this possible in every school in the province.
Cognizant
of this reality your humble representation, together with the support of Gov.
Raul A. Daza and Supt. Thelma C. Quitalig, is organizing a summit among the
stakeholders of education in the nearest future. This Education Summit is the
avenue for the stakeholders to analyze the educational situation in the
province and plan for the strategic steps each one of us will take to change
the tide and achieve the best for our learners and our province. The Committee
on Education and the Provincial School Board will take its success as their
responsibility. We take the results of this Summit as essential elements for
our action s to improve the educational situation of our schools. However, all
these plans will only take off and succeed if all of us will do our share in
the efforts of building our schools.
On
the occasion of the celebration of the annual Educators’ Night we commit
ourselves to the tasks ahead. There should be no letup in our efforts until we
achieve our goals in raising the performance of our schools so that once again
we will be n the vanguard of national achievers among the schools divisions in
the country. The Committee on Education of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan and the
Provincial School Board will proactively support all your efforts to make these
goals a reality. Sana kayo rin ay gagawa
ng nararapat gawin. With you there and we working together there could be
no reason for us to fail with us together we can soar high and reach the height
of achievement.
Then,
I can confidently say that I have come up to your expectations. Then, I can be
happy with the thought that I have contributed to the renaissance of our
educational sector. Probably I can take off from here to other endeavors.
Thank
you and enjoy the night.