First Day Hi!!!

Youth for Nationalism and Democracy-Cebu (YND-Cebu)

May 31, 2008

First Day Hi!!!

The feeling of excitement is what most of us feel on what may come ahead of us, students as we are to embark the new school year. Perhaps new friends, cliques, teachers, challenges and learning await us. One chapter had ended from among the incoming freshmen while it is a continuing chapter for the other higher years. Is it really about being excited therefore saying First Day Hi!! or sigh?!

What indeed is new in the Philippine Educational System? Say what? Yes, the Philippine Educational System where we are in, what is new in it that perhaps we would get excited about. The issues behind this are actually the less explored by the schooled youth. Majority of us still believes that education is schooling hence it’s all about allowance, night outs, grades, achievements and popularity but there is a lot more than that. There is a role we have to play; there is essence in the process. And such role we hone, learn and meet is in EDUCATION and not just being SCHOOLED. The process then after, what serves it for and for whom?

Let us lay down our basis. Youth are still going to the prime of our lives. We are going through the process of grasping the lessons of life and survival. We are getting to know responsibility, accountability and leadership. True, some are not obligated to meet the family’s daily sustenance yet has to carry the load to uplift from poverty immediately after graduation. The questions are how can we? How are we taught to be? How daring and ready can we be?

When we are taught never to question authority. When we experience that getting to school is a mere privilege and never a right. When we are treated as investment and not self-righteous enough to define track and purpose in life. When we are taught to think of oneself but needing help from others. When varied diversions of attentions scare us to beat isolation as frat rumbles, substance-abuse, gadgets etc. And when we see irony but are told to go with the flow.

This maybe the simplest bases of the issues we mean behind the Philippine Educational System. But undeniable isn’t it? We need to know what these are, unless we get ourselves blinded by these facts and making education at school useless. And if not, why do we go to school after all?

Commitment is supposedly what we should be getting into when we get educated that is stemming from our convictions. Convictions or strong belief over a meaningful thing resulted from understanding of truths behind facts. This is learning. Indeed equipping us to what may lie ahead. What does science teach us? It is teaching us to identify problems, lay down hypotheses, experiment and conclude. Practically, this is what we meant. Learning from guidance of theories yet practicing them. NEVER JUST MERE ACADEMICS!!

The choice is ours and not the choice of our parents, teachers, administrators or cliques. They will not be forever with us. Their role is one part of our process yet the informed, sensitive and deliberate choice is for us to make.

Excited? We all have reasons to remain to be yet go deeper from what we see, hear and feel. Without a doubt, our future and as the hope of our uncertain and impoverished society will be achieved with no sigh but a HIGH!!!!

For interested students/youth to know about this stuff, please contact YND at the number indicated above

Youth of today! Be at the fore front for social change!!!!