Most high school students fit only for tech courses

More than half of the high school students in the country are fit to enroll in technical vocational courses than enter college, according to the result of the National Career Assessment Examination (NCAE) conducted by the Department of Education. GMA’s 24-Oras reported Wednesday more than 50 percent of the 1.3 million students who took NCAE got low score in the General Scholastic Aptitude Test but many of them did well on the Technical Vocational Aptitude Test. In general, students from the private schools got higher scores than those studying in public schools. Josephine Cruz, principal of Rizal High School, a public school which have the largest student population in the country, said they expect that some students will contest the result of the examination. “We will try to explain to them that technical vocational courses are the best option for them rather than going to college," she said in Filipino. Education Secretary Jesli Lapus said the result of NCAE will not be forced upon the students as it is only a guide to help them in choosing the career they will pursue after high school. The high school students took the NCAE on January 17. Among the components of the examination were reading comprehension, manipulative skills, mathematical ability, clerical ability, scientific ability, verbal and non-verbal ability and entrepreneurial ability. Education officials said the NCAE has no cut-off score as it is only aimed to determine the right career path for the students based on their interests and aptitude. The result of NCAE on the first and second year of its implementation would be used solely for recommendation purposes in career guidance. But on its third year, the test results will be used as a prerequisite for enrolment in any four- or five-year degrees in colleges and universities as well as in two-year vocational or technological courses. However, a law needs to be passed to make NCAE an admission prerequisite. - GMANews.TV