Science coaches, scribes vie for NSPC plum

OLONGAPO CITY, Philippines - —Whose coaches’ pen is mightier?

For the first time, writing coaches battle it out side-by-side with campus journalists in the 2014 National Schools Press Conference (NSPC) held April 7-10 in Subic.

Science journalism scores another first as regional student winners and their writing coaches fill an 800-capacity Verona Hall in Travelers Hotel to participate in a science writing workshop and test the might of their pens.

This novel idea at NSPC, whose winners were awarded April 10, was carried out jointly by Associated Editors Co. and SciDev.Net South-East Asia Pacific. SciDev.Net is the leading online source of science news and analysis in the ASEAN region. NSPC, on the other hand, is the annual highest academic competition sanctioned by the Department of Education.

“We commend DepEd, through the Office of Usec Dina Ocampo, for making this PPP in campus journalism happen,” says Prof. Eugenio Sonny Calapit, the Regional User Engagement coordinator of SciDev.Net who lectured on science writing.

A writing coach and participant from Region 11 Romel Babiera says, “It was an exciting contest considering that sci-tech writing has just been given a debut in 2014 NSPC.”

”One good way to teach science journalism is for participants to learn that there’s always two sides in an issue. That writers have to go back to basic journalism principles of accuracy and objectivity in their story. That they need to be fair and balanced,” notes Calapit.

SciDev.Net local supporter, Associated Editors Co., plans to publish the output to serve as workshop materials in future public-private partnership(PPP) training with DepED.