MOVING TOWARDS A MORE EDUCATED CROWD

As summer vacation sets in the Philippines, every student looks forward to relaxation after toiling for almost ten months. But for those who have finally made it to graduation, it is a time to celebrate as a reward for accomplishing a goal.

Education is highly valued in every society. It is as necessary as the basic needs such as food, shelter and clothing. It open doors to opportunity and provides for a more sustainable living. It develops skills and hone talents to establish careers. It is the foundation of every job and career.

It is however not a about grades alone nor it is just acquiring a diploma. The real essence of education is when one learns and applies the lessons in the realms beyond the walls of the institution. It is what gives meaning to life. It enriches the soul. It teaches lessons that build character. It provides valuable knowledge to be able to better understand the world.

Acquiring an education has a way of uplifting our self-worth. It strengthens the foundation of the soul and equips us with the resources to hurdle the challenges we confront. More than anything else, education is experience. It sums-up and simulates varied experiences we need to learn to be able to apply in the real world.

It is unfortunate that in our society, we have taken for granted the true cause of education. We have failed to appreciate the core-value of the process involved in acquiring our diploma. We see it as a mere requirement to employment. We have further reduced it to status symbol as a passport to social mobility.

In a country with a fast-growing population and the number of unemployed increasing, personal aspirations are compromised just to have any job available that may only suffice for basic necessity. Personal fulfillment from education is a privilege of a few who acquire for the heck of it. Thus, the lack of education among Filipinos has ever been a burning political issue. Our educational system and the policies that govern it are major subjects of political upheaval ever since. It is indeed an issue representative of social injustice.

Graduation is not the end of education. In a way we remain students throughout our lifetime. We are in a never-ending process of learning. The world around us is ever changing and we have to keep-up with the times.

Perhaps it is high-time to re-evaluate how we perceive education. While it is essential in building a career or having a job, we should also realize that its purpose does not stop there. It should inspire in us to see its relevance beyond the economic gains and savor the wealth of experiences it provides to continually better our self and our relations. In these we will ultimately discover the wonder and excitement of a life moving towards a more educated crowd.

To the following,

Rebecca Rutchell Quetulio Austria, Ll. B.

Graduate, Bachelor of Laws

Lyceum of the Philippines, Makati City

Reynard Quetulio Sabater

Graduate, Bachelor of Science in Nursing

De La Salle University, Dasmariñas, Cavite

Matthew James O. Gonzales

Graduate, Bachelor of Science in Nursing

Saint Louie University, Baguio City

Amelita Flores

Graduate, Secondary Education

Pasay East High School

John Lawrence Sabater Medina

Graduate, Primary Education

Casa de San Miguel Montessori School

Bacoor, Cavite

Congratulations and welcome to a more educated crowd, batch 2011!