CHED to review service training

MANILA, Philippines - The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) will review the implementation of the National Service Training Program (NSTP) following the horrific bus accident in Tanay that killed 15 people and injured 40 students of Bestlink College of the Philippines.

CHED commissioner J. Prospero de Vera said the commission may release  separate guidelines that colleges and universities will have to comply with when conducting out-of-school activities related to the NSTP course.

Last Monday, students of Bestlink College met an accident on their way to Sacramento Adventure Camp in Tanay for a three-day medical and survival training as part of the NSTP.

The tourist bus they were riding in smashed into an electric post along a curved road in Barangay Sampaloc in Tanay. Thirteen students, the bus driver and a school staff accompanying the students died.

According to De Vera, activities related to NSTP are different from educational tours or field trips as these usually require students to actively take part in activities such as survival training.

“There is the possibility that students take longer time to be out of school, to be out of their homes. Therefore, we may need stricter guidelines for these types of activities,” he added.

The commission on Tuesday issued a memorandum suspending the conduct of educational tours, field trips and other out of school activities.

CHED said the moratorium will enable them to review existing policies and correct deficiencies. The ban will be lifted once a new memorandum order is issued.

De Vera said the new guidelines may include detailed definitions on various out-of-school activities, noting that the current policy is limited to educational tours and field trips.

He said CHED should take into account other out-of-school activities, such as NSTP, medical missions, community immersions and fieldwork.

Enacted in 2002, the NSTP law removed the mandatory nature of Reserved Officers Training Corps (ROTC) and gave students the option to choose among programs that would “enhance civic consciousness and defense preparedness.”

Aside from ROTC, students can also opt to enroll in Literacy Training Services program or the Community Welfare Training Service (CWTS).

The students who took part in the camping activity in Tanay were enrolled in a CWTS program, which Bestlink College officials said they have been offering for 10 years.

The management of the Bestlink College has denied allegations that their students were forced to join the three-day camping activity.

Bestlink vice president for academics Charlie Cariño denied that the students were threatened with a failing mark unless they joined the activity.

He also said that the document signed by the parents was not a waiver, but a consent form showing that they allowed their children to take part in the NSTP camp.

Zanny Samsona, the school’s coordinator for activities, said those who did not join the camping were given a special project.

He also denied that the cost of the project was higher than the P2,250 payment for the three-day activity.

The school management also gave assurance that they will provide all the support needed by the victims, including funeral expenses. – With Jess Diaz, Romina Cabrera, Delon Porcalla, Ed Amoroso