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Tuesday,
June 04, 2002
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Implementation of NSTP starts this school year
By Ronilo Ladrido Pamonag
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STARTING this school year, college students will be marching under a different tune.
This, as the National Service Training Program (NSTP), will be implemented starting this school year, according to Helen Correa, NSTP coordinator of the Commission on Higher Education Regional Office 6.
Correa said that all higher educational institutions in the region are all set to implement the program.
She informed Sun.Star Iloilo that they have already oriented the registrars, school administrators, program coordinator, and coordinators of the schools' community extension services regarding the NSTP.
"In fact, last May 30-31, we gave a faculty training about the civic welfare training service and literacy training skills," Correa pointed out.
The NTSP is the government's answer "to the public clamor for reforms in the Reserve Officers Training Corps Program.
Correa said that the NSTP will be placed under the monitoring of the Ched.
According to the NTSP primer, the program is "aimed at enhancing civic consciousness and defense preparedness in the youth by developing the ethics of service and patriotism while undergoing training in any of its three program components specifically designed to enhance the youth's active contribution to the general welfare."
The program has three components-the Civic Welfare Training Service, Literacy Training service and the ROTC; the first two component being new programs.
CWTS "refers to the program component of activities contributory to the general welfare and the betterment of life for the members of the community or the enhancement of its facilities, especially those devoted to improving health, education, environment, entrepreneurship, safety, recreation and morals of the society."
The activities under this component, according to Correa, will be done in coordination with the Department of Social Welfare and Development, Department of Health, Department of Interior and Local Government, and other concerned government agencies.
"The schools offering this component are free to choose what barangay they will be serving under this program," Correa said.
The LTS, on the other hand, "is a program designed to train students to become teachers of literacy and numerical skills to school children, out of school youth, and other segments of society in need of their service."
Educational institutions offering this component are free to draft their own specific work plan, though subject to the guidelines of the Ched.
"Schools are free to formulate their own course content or outline, as long as it is within the guidelines set by us. So that means schools can add or enrich the course content or maintain. This is because there is such a thing as academic freedom and we respect that," Correa remarked.
The last component is the ROTC program. It "is designed to provide military training to tertiary level students in order to motivate, train, organize, and mobilize them for national defense preparedness." This component is under the Department of National Defense.
Correa said that the schools expressed apprehension about future problems that might come with the implementation of the program.
"But these are all apprehensions," Correa downplayed.
According to Correa, schools are apprehensive over the number of students that will enroll in the program.
"As you know, the NSTP covers both male and female students," Correa explained.
Then there are apprehensions regarding the capability of the faculty, the academic loading and the scheduling of classes.
Correa said that the NSTP is a 3 unit per semester course, unlike the ROTC, which is only 1.5 units.
Based on the Implementing Rules and Regulations of the NSTP, students are required to complete one NTSP component as requisite for graduation.
However, Correa said that they have already addressed these problems.
"As far as the Ched is concerned, we have already done our part, so it is already up to the schools to determine the state of their readiness with regards the implementation of the program," Correa stressed.
"For those schools who have not yet attended our previous trainings, they can do so this June 18-19," Correa informed.
Correa added that they will still be monitoring the program.
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