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Attn: PISAY people - Ito na ba ang halaga ng diploma niyo?

March 29, 2008

Should a student with a 5.0 in Math be awarded a Pisay diploma?

Apparently, someone is marching on Tuesday in spite of a 5.0 (failure) in a Math subject.

Here’s an excerpt from blog entry “Attention : Batch 2008! Ito na ba ang gusto niyong maging value ng pisay diploma?” by the Math teacher / PSHS alumna who started the online discussion:

Don’t you realize that you’re stripping the pisay diploma of it’s worth when you vouch for your batchmates who you know don’t really deserve the diploma?

Alam niyo yan!

Kahit gaano katamad ang estudyante sa pisay, kahit gano katamad KAYO sa pisay, hindi kayo nakakakuha ng grade na 5.0!

Mahirap, sa totoo lang, makakakuha ng 5.0 sa pisay,unless talagang WALA KANG GINAWA! (aka tinamad ka). Kaya wag niyong sabihin na may ginawa talaga ang mga classmate niyo kung di niyo naman talaga alam. Ang sama ng luob ko sa mga sumulat ng letters vouching for the “diligence” of some of your batchmates. Diligence?? What the …?!!!!

Please read the entire post in [this link].

To readers unfamiliar with the Pisay community: Yes, this is a big deal because Math is a major aspect of the school, the school is Philippine Science High School Main Campus, and the grade is a 5.0, not even a 4.0. Read its [Mission and Vision].

Another Pisay alumna, former Pisay faculty member, and UP instructor reacts sensibly:

Allowing a child to get a Pisay diploma even if he got a grade of 5.0 is being unfair to the other Pisay graduates. They did their part to get the Pisay diploma, and yet another person could get it even if he did not meet the standards. Why bother with the standards in the first place? This makes the Pisay diploma practically worthless, because anyone could get it. Not to mention that this will also be unfair to the former Pisay students who did not get a Pisay diploma because of a grade of 5.0

…. If you could still get that Pisay diploma even if you get a grade of 5.0, what then is the value of a Pisay diploma?

Read her entire post in [this link] or [this other link].

Joanna Chua from ‘05 claims that one of her batchmates (who didn’t flunk a single subject) was not able to graduate due to excessive tardiness. She says it’s odd that her batchmate didn’t get to graduate while these people with a 5.0 in Math get to do so.

I think there will be more than enough debate on the rectitude of that decision and discussion on the value of the Pisay diploma. Now I would like to focus on two related topics that concern teachers and students in general: the Last Minute Syndrome and the Culture of Corruption.

Continue reading my post, if you want>>
(but for me, what’s more important is reading the actual entry of the Math teacher)

Written by Frances · Filed Under Education, Politics & Gov't, Science, Technology 

Comments


One Response to “Attn: PISAY people - Ito na ba ang halaga ng diploma niyo?”

  1. Dr. L. P. on May 30th, 2008 10:34 am

    There are so many factors why students fail a class. To name a few, it can be teacher factor, personal circumstances, attitude towards studies, and many more.

    It is difficult to judge what was the real circumstance of this students who got a 5 in mathematics. The only thing we know, is that, he/she was allowed to graduate despite of a failing grade.

    I think it is necessary that pisay community has to explicitly specify its policy regarding scholarship by defining when can a student be deprived of the chance to receive pisay diploma.

    If granting this student has been in good standing since first year in mathematics and on his/her senior year, he failed a class, for whatever reason, then pisay community has to formulate what is good for the student while not jeopardizing the standard of pisay.

    If this student got a fail due to valid circumstance (say, he suffered abuse, maltreatment, psychological trauma, etc., ) that bring about a failing grade in class, then i think before the grade should be put on paper, the teacher has to make humane decision to attend to the need of this student. Did the teacher reach out to the kids and try every effort to help him out? Did he helped the kids when he came back to school after being sicked for several days? Did he talk to parents what happened? Or did he just ignore the kids chance of passing a class?

    There are circumstances in life that someone usually encounter which can put a person in extreme dilemma. It is the function of the school and staff to support all the students in school. That is why a teacher is also regarded as councilor because it is the role of the teacher to guide all of the students to succeed.

    I believe when the board (whoever) is the member of this panel who deliberate on this matter, they realized that after knowing and understanding this student’s circumstances, they realized that they have failed to guide this kid all along and that this kids must have been in good standing and just a single math grade cannot at all take away the rights and privileges this poor kid of pisay deserves.

    Being habitually tardy in class vs. a single fail in math is very different.Being habitually tardy in pisay is more extreme than just getting a fail in once in a mth class. It is analogous to the situation when someone is a serial killer vs. someone who has just killed a person because of pressing circumstance. Although both are considered a heinous crime, yet one is much heavier than the other in severity.

    In life, who cares if you are a graduate of pisay? What matter most is, what you know, what you have learned and how you can succeed in life having by just having a handful of knowledge you learned during your lifetime.

    LP

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