Autonomy IEC gets interesting through quiz bee

By Zenia C. Alalag BAGUIO CITY – A total of 39 Santo Tomas National High School (STNHS) students from grade levels 7 to 12 participated in a quiz bee on regional autonomy initiated and led by school principal, Dr. Rosanna Dizon in partnership with the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA-CAR) last Nov. 29.Said quiz bee is a follow-through activity of an autonomy information drive initially held among junior and senior high school students, teachers and parents last Nov. 24. Around 30 questions revolving around the basic concepts, historical background, three core messages of Cordillera autonomy and the House Bill 5343 were asked. This strategy is considered as a unique learning opportunity for the students as it included ideas and concepts about the history of the Cordillera region since the school curricula gives more emphasis on Philippine history. It is also an effective way of introducing the regional autonomy advocacy to students, engaging them and sustaining their interest to learn more. A similar activity was also held in 2015 in partnership with the Joaquin Smith National High School. The RDC-CAR hopes to replicate the activity in other schools in CAR and welcomes initiatives from educational institutions and Sangguniang Kabataan federations that will help expand the reach of the regional autonomy advocacy. Prospective partners are also encouraged to come up with innovative ways to involve the youth sector. Several projects and activities such as concert-forums, seminars, production of street plays, marathon relay, forum and regular updates in the One Cordillera Facebook page have been introduced by NEDA-CAR to engage and inform the youth.

Regional line agencies (RLAs) and State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) have also partnered with the RDC-CAR for the inclusion of regional autonomy in their activities such as the research colloquium, education summit, and symposium, among others.