Basically Basic Asean Basic Document

Much has been said about ASEAN. The ASEAN charter is now on its way to be ratified by the member states, and series of consultations for the ASEAN basic document are being spearheaded to unite the differences and consolidate the interests of the ASEAN nations.

But there are several problems along the way. ASEAN leaders wanted the organization be a successful regional bloc, not only economically but politically in its faction in the globe. But this fast-tracking of ASEAN Vision 2020 (now ASEAN 2015), would be a dream more than reality if crucial issues of making ASEAN closer to the people of South East Asia will not be realized.

First, the level of awareness of the people in the region in the existence of ASEAN is still somewhat unfelt. The ASEAN has not yet been successful creating an ASEAN regional identity, or awareness that will reach its more than 500 million citizens on ASEAN benefits and gains. The question is, “how can ASEAN be more relevant to the individual citizens of each member nations?” For instance, how will ASEAN be interesting to the people in Myanmar in the present conflict there of Aung San Suu Kyi against the government of Myanmar? How will the ASEAN be more responsive to the pressing need to alleaviate poverty in young people of Cambodia and Laos? How will ASEAN help to improve the economic momentum of the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam?

Simply put, the citizens of the South East Asian states need to be more familiar with the workings and systems of ASEAN. The individual citizens, for instance of Laos, or Cambodia, Philippines and Thailand, among others, need to be acquainted with the notion of ASEAN and its primary objectives for the region and for its people. Meaning, ASEAN needs to be introduced, submerged and saturated within the mindset of every SouthEast Asian. Without, this I believe, no full integration can happen. The integration sought to be achieved by the leaders of this region would be like an elitist organization, perhaps, far from what it was originally conceived.

There must be strong efforts first to introduce ASEAN in its entirety and its importance, role and function in the lives, culture, economic conditions, and religious belief of every South East Asian. A strong campaign must be made in order to make ASEAN closer to its people, so that from the grassroots of the ASEAN society to the high economic perspectives of its leaders, true integration, harmony and cooperation can be fully achieved.
click to continue...

MisEdukating the Young Pinoy

After so many years of being disillusioned with the difficult, taxing study of law, I went back to my old love, teaching. After hurdling it(and still hurdling law school) I rest a bit to go back to my old self—a teacher.

How did I land to this job? A friend of mine, told me that she is leaving the university life and would go to an industrial setting and find another pot of gold somewhere there, so she told me if I am interested. So, plunging like somersault backwards, again.

Teaching College Freshmen and Sophomores is not easy. I thought teaching college students would be mentoring skillful beings—but I made a wrong an assumption. It is also not as easy as I think it would be. I thought that after finishing high school, they should have learned the rudiments of Grammar---but lo and behold, their grammar and pronunciation even knowledge of basic things are inept. So scarce, so in want that you wouldn’t believe you are teaching College freshmen.

Redeeeming it a bit, I am enjoying every hour I am with them. I enjoy every minute sharing what I have and seeing that they absorb like sponge, as if, they in desperate need to learn something.

There are several observations I have noticed with our younger Pinoy students:

1. They could hardly express themselves in English. Terrible grammar, rambling statements and poor vocabulary. Communicative competencies are poor and inadequate.
2. They are not independent readers. They cannot understand 100% what they have read. In my own assumption, they can only understand less than 50% of what they have perused.
3. They are bad spellers and could hardly pronounce some common English words like receipt, receive, accommodate and some others.
4. The critical thinking skills were not developed fully. The usually fail to integrate, evaluate and infer information or concepts.

Nah. Do not ever think that I am murdering the abilities of our students. I too, am a teacher who wants that their knowledge be of the level of that of their instructors. The miseducation and inability of our students are just poor reflection of what kind of quality of education we have, what kind of teaching materials available to us, and what competencies our teachers possess.

Observing it closely, look at the books and workbooks and textbooks published in other countries. They are heavily-laid with activities, contained with much information and printed with quality paper. Are we shortchanging everything because we use the usable raison d’etre—we are the a third world countr? What a sweet escape to a bitter reality.

Ready for the workplace?

Are the Filipino Youth ready for the workplace? I don’t think they are. Nada. No, not now, and I don’t think they can later…I am not putting down the egos and or putting off the fire in our young students, but the idea of rigid study and scholarship are characters that lack among the young Pinoy today.

At one time, after I entered the class a lady student approached me trying to submit her assignment she told me in Filipino “Sir late po…kasi nalimutan” (sir, it was late, because it was forgotten”. I told the student, that I will only accept the assignment only if she offers her explanation in English. She smirked and said, “No sir, never mind, absent na lang po…” I want to die laughing, but I felt pity. Pity that has not crept into my being since the time I was born. What will happen to these young students? What will be their future?

How will they enter employment without even learning the basics of sentence construction? How will they compose structurally and expressive sentences in letters and memorandas? I just wonder how they will enter their jobs without familiarizing themselves with the basic spelling, and acquainting with business’ vocabulary words.

These people whom I am now teaching will be facing the workforce later, joining the throngs of men who will be builders of business and economy, so the question is, will they be useful to the workplace? Will they be able to communicate? Will they be able to express themselves? Have they learned all the skills they suppose to know to compete and to work in the real world?

And now looking at our students, I just hope that they will soon realize that they should improve their skills and hone their talents, more than they realized, that it was just enough.

Miseducating is more difficult I suppose than just educating them---at this stage.





click to continue...

Is there a Bangsamoro Identity Crisis?

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post. click to continue...