1,000 tech-vocstudes set to graduate in MP high schools

By Gina Dizon 

BONTOC, Mountain Province -- With additional  two years in  senior high school required by the Department of Education’s  K to 12 curriculum, Mountain Province shall expect some 1,365 students to directly apply what they have learned in senior high school when they graduate in 2018.

The graduates shall be among the first students who shall complete the K to 12 program  in 2018. 

Based from a Dep-Ed Division led-survey of 2,791  high school students of Mountain Province  taken on their preference of specialization,  a press conference here with DepEd Division superintendent Gloria Buyao and DepEd  supervisor  Irene Bakisan  noted  49 percent  opted  to take  technical-vocational electives while  49 percent  chose  general academics and two percent in sports. 

Senior High School covering Grades 11 and 12 takes  two years of specialized secondary education where students choose a specialization based on aptitude, interests, and school capacity.

Each student can choose among three tracks: academic, technical-vocational,  and sports and arts. The academic track includes  business, accountancy, management; humanities, education, social sciences ; and science and technology, engineering and mathematics.
High on the surveyed technical-vocational listed preferences are  electives in home economics  particular on cookery, bread and pastry, food and beverage followed by  carpentry, automotive servicing and crop production. Handicrafts, computer programming, dressmaking  and horticulture followed suit. 
Tourism promotions and  tourist guiding along with organic agriculture, care-giving and computer hardware servicing registered low preferences. 

There are six technical-vocational schools in Mountain Province ready to offer respective electives in home economics, information and technology, agri-fishery, industrial arts and home economics.

Home Economics shall be offered  in  Besao-based Panabungen School of Arts, Trades and Home Industries (PSATHI),  Tadian School of Arts and Trades (TSAT), Ankileng National High School-Sagada , Sadanga NHS, Mount Data NHS-Bauko, Pingad NHS-Sabangan, Mountain Province General Comprehensive High School( MPGCHS), Barlig based Eastern Bontoc National Agricultural Vocational High School (EBNAVHS), Natonin Senior High School, Mountain Province State Polytechnique College (MPSPC), and Paracelis –based  Bacari National Trade and Agricultural School(BNTAS) and Paracelis Technical and Vocational High School (PTVHS).

Information and communications technology  shall be open in Tadian- based TSAT,Bontoc- based Xijen Institute and  MPSPC, Sadnga NHS and Paracelis-based  PTVHS; and industrial arts by PSATHI, TSAT, SadangaNHS, MPGCHS, EBNVHS, Guinzadan NHS, PTVHS and Anonat Agricultural and Vocational High School (ANAVHS).
Schools to offer agri-fishery are  Guinzadan NHS, Pingad NHS, EBNVHS,Sadanga NHS, and Paracelis based BNTAS and ANVHS. 

Completion of  a technical-vocational  track in Grade 12 lets the student obtain a National Certificate Level II (NC II) certificate  provided he/she passes the competency-based assessment of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA).  NC I and NC II improves employability of graduates in fields of  electronics , agriculture and trade. 

Hinged on the economic directions of the Association of South East Asian Nations  (ASEAN) 2015, the  senior high school program  prepare students for gainful work or prepare them for college, Supt Buyaao said.

The other 49%  who opted  to specialize in  the academics track wanted to learn more on general academics, social sciences and engineering. But specialized subjects taken in senior high school are not automatically credited in college education, Buyaao said. 

There are 70 secondary schools in Mountain Province mandated to open senior high school covering DepEd’s K to 12 curriculum to be operational by 2016. 

But not all regular high schools can offer senior high school by 2016. This  depend on ready facilities and availability of  teachers to teach specialized subjects. 

Validation of facilities and teachers available for the required senior high school curriculum noted that there are 15 public high schools, four private secondary schools and two colleges ready to open senior high school in the Province by 2016. 

DepEd records identify schools ready to offers specialized subjects in academics namely  Lubon National High School inTadian, Sagada NHS, Sadanga NHS, Mount Data NHS-Bauko, Cagubatan NHS-Bauko, Bauko NHS, Sabangan NHS, Butigue NHS-Paracelis, Natonin Senior High School, EBNAVHS in Barlig, MPSPC  and private schools  St Vincent’s High School -Bontoc and  St James School-Besao. 

Bontoc-based  Xijen Institute and  MPSPC and Bauko-based Guinzadan NHS  are ready to offer accountancy, business and management subjects while  Besao NHS,  St Vincents-Bontoc , St Mary School-Sagada, Natonin SHS  and Otukan- Bila NHS  open humanities and social sciences.  Technical sciences, engineering and mathematic  subjects shall be opened in Tadian-based Masla NHS, SMS-Sagada, MPGCHS, Natonin NHS, Paracelis NHS and  Bauko-based Guinzadan NHS.

“Senior high school students  who want to specialize in their chosen fields of elective subjects  need to attend schools who offer these”, Buyaao said.  

Support of local government units  to fully open senior high schools with specialized electives is needed especially on readiness of all classrooms, facilities including qualified and competent teachers, Buyaao added.