The Government should Review the Performance and Relevance of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED)

The Government should Review the Performance

and Relevance of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED)

By Apolinario Villalobos

There is an observed saturation of related courses in the colleges and universities which is the cause of unabated soaring of unemployment of yearly graduates in the country. Experts wonder what are causing the phenomenon which is a precursor of distress among the present generation. They look around, but failed to see the educational breeding grounds – the colleges and universities with their redundant courses.

When tourism boomed, for instance, there was an immediate scramble of colleges and universities in coming up with courses such as BS Tourism, Hotel and Restaurant Management, Airline Secretarial, and many others. All of them four-year courses, when all that the industry needs are people who can communicate well in different languages, especially, English, Japanese and Chinese. Hotels and restaurants need only waiters, bar tenders, cooks, front room personnel. Airline companies need only secretaries who are computer-literate, adept in filing and knowledge in office courtesy. Tour operators and agencies need only tour guides who are proficient in languages, as well as, office staff who can prepare tour packages, answer phoned-in queries, cut tickets, and make bookings. So why the tedious and expensive four years, then, when all the required skill can be had in two-years and several hours of on-the-job training?

The saturation of useless courses offering of colleges and universities is a clear sign that these institutions are not sensitive to what are happening in the country, especially, on the issue of unemployment. They just refuse to acknowledge the fact that their graduates languish in pitiful state of unemployment, after spending hard-earned money and time for four years. I wonder if the “intelligent” guys who run these diploma mills ever make simple analysis about the situation that even a simple cigarette vendor on the street understand. Yet, these institutions proudly display on tarpaulins outside their campuses, photos and names of their graduates who passed board and bar examinations….but beyond that, what?

Surveys are made about unemployment, but again, they never touch the source of unemployed graduates who have been idle for so many years and the shocked newly-graduates to find out why. The government mentioned something about “mismatching” of courses with the requirements of employers…and, the “concern” if ever it can be called such, ends there. Is the government so helpless, such that it cannot even issue mandates to colleges and universities to put a stop to their money-making ventures in the form of useless and redundant courses?

As a last recourse, why not just do away with CHED so that the money saved can be used in enhancing the programs of the Department of Education (DepEd) and TESDA?

All that the DepEd needs is a division or two to handle higher education or collegiate concerns which are all but, as mentioned, useless and redundant courses, while TESDA programs can be expanded to include specializations that may include trainings for flight attendants, cruise crew, flight ticketing personnel, airport check-in staff, reservations agents, tour package specialists, multi-lingual tour guides, in addition to what it already offers such as hotel servicing, development of building construction skills, and computer-related short courses. On the other hand, the colleges and universities should be mandated to streamline their course offerings that should jive with the demands of the current job requirements.

If “productivity” is what the government wants for the college and university graduates, then, a thorough review should be done if CHED is really doing its job or not. Unfortunately, it seems that such call is impossible under the present administration, as the latter is all praise to the agency for its “reports” that beautifully punctuate the SONAs of Pnoy.

Is the theory of Evolution still Relevant?

Is the Theory of Evolution still Relevant?
By Apolinario Villalobos

I got introduced to the theory of evolution when I was in high school, such being part of the Biology subject. That time, I was awed by our teacher’s presentation on how genes changed, developed, etc. from a simple form to a complicated one, the highest of which is man.

But today, I practically removed such nonsense from my mind. My reason is that, if such theory is true, there should be new tribes now in Africa and other continents where apes and chimpanzees which are supposed to evolve into men, abound! But, no…they still remain the same hairy creatures just like their ancestors thousands of years ago! Other creatures that are said to evolve such as fish, lizards, crocodiles and many more, are still the same until today. Some may have developed helpful appendages but only as part of their environmental adaptation which is normal.

A simple doubting Thomas like me, also asks why the peoples of the world have different features. Why are Europeans fair in complexion? Why are Asians shorter in height? Why are some tribes in Africa gigantic in stature, and why are they black? Why do orientals have chinky eyes? Etc., etc.

Genes can be manipulated. That is a fact today. Plants are even injected with animal genes to make them hardy. That is why there are super veggies as a result of their manipulated genes – the GMO’s. Human body parts can be transplanted…another fact. It will not be far from now that the head can also be transferred to another body. Semen can also be stored to be rejuvenated thousands of years from now. Glutathione medications can make people fairer in complexion which indicates “tampering” of cells. The heart can be made to function using a mechanical contraption, and the same is true with other organs. For so many years now, the so-called stem cell therapy has been practiced to repair malfunctioning and weak organs, thereby, extending the life expectancy of a person – a major manipulation of man’s physical make up.

The question now should be “who” did the first manipulation of genes in order to come up with humanity on earth? Was the first man, the result of manipulation made by “aliens” millions of years ago, using some parts from their own body in combination with those from creatures that they found on earth when they came to visit thousands of years ago, during which they were regarded as “gods”? For how long was their experiments done to finally come up with an “intelligent man”. Were the “aliens” themselves of different races back in other heavenly bodies where they came from?

I do not hesitate to bring forward my question, although, it definitely seems to be wild. But were, flying machines, steel ships, “submersible” ships, amphibian cars, landing on the moon, space travel, organ transplant, “talking” and “singing” machines, etc. not considered as “wild” ideas hundreds of years ago?

My asking about aliens as suspects in the manipulation of genes to come up with “intelligent man” does not mean that I am an atheist, because I also consider the “aliens” themselves, as among the creatures of God, just like the whole of universe, down to its last molecule. Despite my seemingly wild view, I still maintain my opinion that there is just One Ultimate Cause for all creations…and that is Him!

My simple mind thinks that the “legends” in the Bible have basis after all. The primitive perception of the early men, differ greatly from the perception of the modern men. For instance, during the Biblical time, the flight or flying is symbolized by wings, hence, they came up with “angels”, supposedly sexless creatures with wings. But, today, flight contraptions are already in use, such as “hang glides” and “parachutes”, but we do not call the men who use them as “angels”, but “sky jumpers”.

Religion should not set people apart from each other. Nobody should not fight to death, about the “supremacy” and “truthfulness” of his or her religion. Each one should focus on love for each other which in the first place is what He wanted and still wants to prevail. Differing faiths should be nurtured in the heart and not in the head that tends to jumble them because of the so-called “intelligence” that has obviously gone out of control!

My SUGGESTED caution is never compare religions…as it is subjective, being man’s “invention”….and most importantly, leave others to their own kind of faith.

Finally, to answer my question on the relevance of evolution today, my personal view is NO, because I still believe in creation, but perceived as already explained above.