ASEAN integration, K-12 to change school operations

By Pryce E. Quintos,  Marlita Obinque and Kwame Biritwum

LA TRINIDAD, Benguet -- With the recent and upcoming changes in the country’s education industry, the Philippine Association of Communication Educators (PACE) in partnership with the Department of Development Communication of  the Benguet State University held the PACE National Conference 2014 with the theme “Communication and Media Education and Practice: Issues and Challenges on ASEAN Integration and K-12” recently at BSU here.

 The ASEAN Integration not only entails a lot of changes on how schools in the Philippines operate but also ensures better opportunity for Filipino students through the free movement of goods, services, investment, skilled labor, and free flow of capital among ASEAN member nations. 

“Eventually all schools will have to internationalize, which means even the academic calendar has to parallel with the academic calendar of the ASEAN countries,” said Prof. Joeven Castro, head of PACE Professional Development Committee during the kapihan press forum on PACE’s national conference. 

He added that this will answer both the problems regarding the rainy

in June when classes in the Philippines usually begin and the student exchange program schedules. Students who qualify for the exchange program will no longer have to wait for the next semester to be eligible.

Also, the ASEAN Integration will facilitate certain courses such as intercultural communication that will tap across regions to address the nuisances in other countries that have to be factored in.

According to Castro, it is “highly possible” for an individual to not have a hard time applying in the media outfits when ASEAN Integration reaches its maturity because standards have been set.

On the other hand, K-12 requires information and media literacy. 

“The world we are in now is highly visual and making people understand literacy is immediate information which will make them better communicators,” he stated. 

In the current high-technology era where individuals do not have to travel abroad just to communicate internationally, multimedia devices make such communication possible. He added that understanding how this communication should be done and understanding some sensibilities that a person should avoid will make them better communicators.

In line with this, the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) is now implementing Vertical Integration which will ensure that universities and colleges comply with the qualifications in order to be classified.

Further, putting into practice amalgamation or the act of merging educational institutions, likewise, guarantees to create a better structure so that a business mindset among owners of the universities can be avoided. This is to lessen the tendency of a university to offer a certain course to compete or because it is a trend. Amalgamation requires them to offer the immediate community needs or what the country really needs. 

Two universities in Baguio City have announced their adoption of a new academic calendar for the school year 2014-2015: the University of the Philippines Baguio and Saint Louis University. The University of Baguio has signified its plans to shift its academic calendar but has not yet been approved by CHED. 

BSU Vice President for Business Affairs Dr. Jones K. Feliciano said at the kapihan forum that BSU plans on adopting the new academic calendar by 2015. --