Many HS grads only good for 2-year courses

CEBU, Philippines - At least 43 percent of high school graduates in Cebu City this year could only survive vocational courses when they go to college, according to result of the psychometric test conducted among the city’s potential scholars.

This means that the aptitude level these graduates earned from four years in high school might not be enough to help them successfully graduate in any two-year or four-year courses in college.

Cebu City Committee on Scholarship chairman and Councilor Jose Daluz III said they do not have a choice but to only allow these students who fall in the fourth category to enroll in immediate employment programs.

Immediate employments programs are programs taking about three to six months. These vocational courses teach students basic skills for employment even without a college diploma.

“As much as we want to allow them to enroll in any two-year or four-year courses, we have to protect the city’s funds by ensuring that these students will not fail in their subjects or drop out,” Daluz said.

Once a city scholar fails in a subject or drops out from his chosen program, he is automatically disqualified from the scholarship grant. The money that the city paid for his tuition apparently could no longer be recovered.

In 2010, the city wasted over P12 million from students who dropped out and those who shifted to another course.

The city government grants P10,000 per semester to each of the city graduate. The city has now over 7,100 scholars in different levels. For the academic year 2012 to 2013, the city expects to have an additional 5,350 scholars which would bring the total number to over 12,000.

Of the 5,860 high school graduates from 65 public high schools in the city who were subjected to the psychometric test, only 662 or 11.29 percent belonged in the first category or those eligible to take major baccalaureate programs like accountancy, engineering and medicine, among others.

Some 804 or 13.72 percent are eligible to take four-year courses with medium-difficulty level like education, mass communication and psychology, among others.

About 1,881 or 32.10 percent are eligible to courses with ladderized programs. Courses with ladderized programs are two-year courses or associate courses which, if passed, may allow the students to proceed up to fourth year.

The psychometric test was conducted by a private company commissioned by the city government.

Daluz said the screening of scholars was required by the Commission on Audit to make sure that the city’s funds are being used correctly.

The city continues to increase its allocation per year for the scholarship program which has reached P300 million this year.

Meanwhile, the committee will suggest to the mayor to put a ceiling to the number of scholars from participating schools.

Daluz said that they have created a formula which will determine the maximum number of city scholars that a school can accommodate.

The ceiling will depend on the amount of tax paid by the school and the total number of scholars.

Daluz said the number of scholars is increasing each year so they will limit it to 20,000 a year. –/LPM  (FREEMAN)