1.8 M HS seniors to take career test

Some 1.8 million fourth year high school students from 13,000 public and private schools nationwide are set to take the National Career Assessment Examination (NCAE) that replaced the defunct National College Entrance Examination (NCEE), the Department of Education (DepEd) said yesterday.

Education Secretary Jesli Lapus said the NCAE is scheduled for Jan. 17 in different areas nationwide.

"The NCAE was designed to assess the abilities of the students. (Developed over the years, this) examination will also serve as a guide in choosing an appropriate career path after graduation," Lapus said in a statement.

"The Department of Education desires to minimize the mismatch in career choices vis-à-vis skills and inclinations among high school students," he said.

Similar to the previous NCEE, a major part of the NCAE consists of general scholastic aptitude tests.

The NCAE also intends to measure a high school senior’s potentials or inclination in other areas.

It features three additional areas such as vocational aptitude, entrepreneurial skills and interest inventory.

The NCAE consists of the following components: scientific ability, mathematical ability, reading comprehension, verbal ability, manipulative skills, clerical ability, nonverbal ability and entrepreneurial skills. 

The NCEE was abolished in 1994 by then Education Secretary Raul Roco, who wanted all high school graduates to be able to enter college to give them a chance to have a better career in the future.

However, Lapus’ aim is to give high school graduates a better career path in order to solve jobs’ mismatch.

He said not all high school graduates are meant to have a college degree and are better off studying non-college degree courses such as technical and vocational courses, whose graduates are sometimes paid even higher than some of those who hold college degrees.

Lapus added that some graduates of these tech-vocational courses are more in demand, especially in foreign countries, and get very high salaries.

According to Lapus, the NCAE results this year shall be used solely for recommendation purposes in career guidance.

On its third year of implementation in 2009, the test results will serve as prerequisite for enrolment in any four- or five-year degrees in colleges and universities as well as in two-year vocational or technological courses.

An enabling law needs to be passed to make the test an admission prerequisite.

The test results shall also serve as basis in selecting out-of-school youths who are applying for the scholarship program of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED).

"Through the implementation of NCAE, we will open vast opportunities among the youth and be instrumental in giving them education that will develop their life skills," Lapus said.

The DepEd’s National Education Testing and Research Center (NETRC) developed the NCAE in consultation with testing experts from the education sector.

The NETRC shall also oversee its conduct and implementation.