The NCAE gone wrong
ABSOLVE me for the title, but I cannot con trol that boiling temper for this malady or shall I call it another floppy test going down the gutter. Base on KISA (knowledge, interest, skill or aptitude), the National Career Assessment Examination, is a guide for learners to choose the right track in senior high school. Undeniably, this is the standard definition for all school guidance counselors. I doubt the purpose, however, especially with the word “right”.
Today’s NCAE requires student to answer one scientific or mathematical question in one minute. Thus, forty questions means forty minutes. But the most dubious is a 215 questions to be answered in 60 minutes or almost four questions in one minute. With a measly 10 minute break per day, the student took the examination in four and one half hours straight for the first day and three and one fourth hours for the second day.
Again we have a lot of doctors in DepEd who claims to be proficient in test constructions but, I cannot imagine the magnitude of torture this test causes to the mind of every takers. So here are some of the examiner’s observations: students shading the answer sheets without reading the questions, naughty patterns of shades in the answer sheet, sleeping students and noisy surroundings. The last is evident of Deped’s insensitivity. Why bother to make Assessment tests when you cannot even solve classroom infrastructure problems?
And back to the story of Jack, the senior mentor must be reminiscing the times when Deped has cases of public school teachers teaching without passing the licensure exam.
Jack brought out his tab and went straight to the PRC license verification site. He brought out a copy of the payroll list at city high and type some of the names while thinking of ways to get a master list of all the teachers in the city to have a wider scope. While drinking the glass of beer, the senior mentor whispered, “Jack even if you find someone teaching without passing the licensure test, it is allowed by law in exceptional circumstances”. What I would like you to do is to look at the rank list of Technical Vocational Livelihood teachers including those who are already employed if they have the necessary National certificates or TM certificates. I bet you are an I.T. expert, so you can also access the TESDA site. In senior high you might find a lot of “holes”.
Are we thinking of the same “holes”, jack asked? Well that depends on how knowledgeable you are about holes. Because there are so many type of holes, like A**holes and loopholes. Just remember that the “equal opportunity principle” which says that “all qualified applicants will receive considerations for employment without regards to any sex, gender, age and other conditions” is merely a principle. And sometimes principles can be tossed away.