300 young Filipino writers trained to become responsible journalists

KIDAPAWAN CITY (PNA)—About 300 young writers from at least 37 public and private elementary and high schools in this city have attended the campus journalism training held last week at the Mariposa Hall of the Kidapawan City Pilot Elementary School (KCPES).

Part of the training-workshop was competition in at least seven categories in both Filipino and English—writing news, editorial, sports, feature, copy reading and headline writing, photo journalism, editorial cartooning, and radio broadcasting and scriptwriting.

The training or the press conference aims to promote responsible and free journalism pursuant the provisions of Section 2 of Republic Act 7079 or the Campus Journalism Act of 1991.

The conference theme, “Campus Journalism as a Catalyst for Change: Achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015 (Pampaaralang Pahayagan Bilang Instrumento ng Pagbabago: Maisakatuparan ang MDGs ng 2015),” focuses on the 2015 Millennium Development Goals.

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Senator urges Filipino international scholars to serve their mother country

MANILA (PNA)—Senator Edgardo Angara is urging Filipino international scholars to return to the country and share their expertise with the domestic academe and workforce.

Angara made his call amid the growing trend of Filipino students getting scholarship abroad but opting not to return after their studies. He also urged the national government to encourage them to return.

“Let’s make our students abroad feel they have the support and commitment of the government,” Angara said in a press statement. “Upon completion of their studies, we must provide them venues where they can put their expertise to good use, making sure that we adequately compensate their educational qualifications and international experience.”

Angara also called on universities, the Department of Education (DepED), Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and Department of Science and Technology (DOST) to increase partnerships for foreign exchange scholarship programs.

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Education department rejects senator’s “calamity diploma” proposal

MANILA—The Department of Education has rejected the proposal of a senator that all students in calamity-hit areas be given passing marks for the current grading period or semester.

Education Secretary Jesli Lapus took the position that such a move might further weaken the Philippine public education system, which is reeling from storm-damaged or storm-destroyed property worth P930.75 million.

Lapus wondered if the senator, presidential aspirant Francis Escudero, was simply misconstrued. He said that following the suggestion would just further compound our losses in lives and property with a costly penalty to the education of our children.

“The students might pray for supertyphoons every year, and we might end up with calamity diplomas,” he added.

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700 dictionaries donated by USAID, National Book Store to Mindanao pupils

COTABATO CITY (PNA)—Convinced that education is one of the effective means to combat poverty and ignorance, the Department of Education in Central Mindanao, the United States Agency for International Development, and National Book Store Foundation handed over close to 700 dictionaries to pupils of Quevedo Baptista Elementary School in Sultan Kudarat province.

The dictionary distribution in Barangay Blingkong, Lutayan District 2 coincided with the World Dictionary Day.

Other beneficiaries of the project are elementary schools in Malapatan, Sarangani province; Sto. Niño and Tantangan in South Cotabato; Esperanza and Lambayong in Sultan Kudarat; Midsayap and Pigcawayan in North Cotabato and Cotabato City.

The USAID said the United States government is determined to provide whatever assistance it can for the development of education program in poor communities in southern Philippines.

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National conference of English academies set this October 28

MANILA—The first English Language Academies National Conference is scheduled to be held this Wednesday, October 28, at 1:00 p.m. at the Malcolm Hall, College of Law, University of the Philippines, in Diliman, Quezon City. Spearheading the conference is  The Centre for International Education (CIE), which bills itself as the school for leaders.

Owners and administrators of English language training centers; administrators of public and private schools;  English language teachers, instructors, and trainers; and college level and graduate students are invited to attend the conference.

The key conference speakers are Andrew King, country director of IDP Education Pty. Australia; Joel Laughren, regional team leader of the University of Cambridge ESOL; and Prof. Nelia Cruz Sarcol, CIE founder and president.

Those interested can get more details by calling +93322332566 (CIE Main Campus, Cebu City) or +6328880909, +632750 4555 (CEI Extension Campus, Makati City).

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Filipino professionals urge to write more health books

MANILA—An international publisher of health and science books recently urged Filipino nurses and doctors to write more health and science books for the world market.

Elsevier, the world’s largest publisher of health and science information, made the statement after announcing that it has already tapped Dr. Ray Gapuz, popular nursing education expert, as the first Filipino author in its stable. The company said it was on the lookout for more titles by Filipino authors that would cater to its than 30 million readers of their publications worldwide.

According to Gerrit Bos, Elsevier Asia Pacific managing director, their commissioning of Filipino health professionals to author books would serve a “dual purpose” because these books could be distributed in both the local and foreign nursing markets.

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Open University gains ground as cheap, Internet-friendly way to get a degree

By Richard Garner, The Independent UK

Mad-looking science professors lecturing insomniacs in the middle of the night in the privacy of their living-rooms—how antiquated. The Open University, and distance learning generally, is shedding its stereotype as the preserve of the middle-aged hobbyist and the sleepless. Enrolments to the Open University by 18- to 21-year-olds are up 36 per cent this autumn on last year (1,810 compared with 1,327), and for the first time, one in four of new OU graduates (17,255) is under 25.

One of the reasons is the recession. More young people are applying to go to university but the demand cannot be met because of limited government resources. The prospect of debt-free study through working while taking a degree probably concentrates the mind at a time when average student debt is predicted to be £20,000. And tuition fees are expected to go up whichever party is in power this time next year.

Martin Bean, the new vice-chancellor of the Open University, believes that many of today's young students, who are more au fait with technology, may prefer to study through the OU's distance learning system and reject traditional lecture rooms.

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Limited-English-speaking patients closer to getting quality healthcare

WASHINGTON (PRNewswire)—Patients in the United States with limited English proficiency (LEP) continue to face language barriers that threaten their health and undermine their well-being. But today they are one step closer to quality, equitable healthcare with the launch of the first National Certification for Medical Interpreters.

A culmination of an over 20-year effort that included stakeholders from across the industry, this first-of-its-kind national interpreting standard provides professional interpreters working in the medical field with the opportunity to be tested and credentialed as "Certified Medical Interpreter" (CMI).

The CMI designation will first be available to Spanish language interpreters, with national certification rolling out for several other languages in 2010.

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