The iconoclasts in us

Whether the nursing board exams leakage was confined to two testing centers, or so pervasive as to tarnish the other nine centers nationwide, is now moot and academic. Neither is the necessity of retake for all passers since the Court of Appeals limited the retake to the 1,687 examinees that benefited from the recomputation of Test 3 and Test 5 only.

Far more transcendent and far-reaching into the moral fiber and mettle - the pith and the ethos - of the Filipino character is the matter of respect and honor for institutionalized traditional ideals and values, or their outright destruction.

The sad irreversible trend is towards cheating in practically all of life's endeavors. It's pervasive not just in politics and elections, in public governance, in sports games, business, ad nauseam, but also in the groves of academe where intellectual honesty is sacrosanct, or used to be.

Consider these academic miasma … The 2006 nursing test leakage came from two members of the Board of Nursing in exchange for alleged trips abroad and P7 million bribe; that it also involved three review centers in Luzon; that in cabal was the head of the nursing association; and, that review masters/teachers openly finalized the scam with fearless temerity.

Right or wrong, the PRC has long been perceived for career exams monkey business wherein passing not dependent on how much the examinees know, but how much ante they could put up. Various exams covering the broad spectrum of, say, varied seamen tests, engineering board exams in varied fields, CPA/medical/dental/teaching board exams, and in other academic disciplines, have been tainted with scandals.

Even the BAR exams aren't spared, such as, the Quirino grade manipulation, the Ericta stigma, and that last leakage in Commercial or Mercantile law. Incidentally, why do Bar or Board examinees prefer to take review classes in Manila? The ready answer is, invariably, that there are more chances of being benefited from leakage and "tips", or so-called "maka-hearing".

Right or wrong, it's surprising that only now when PRC is on a crucible over fakery and fraud. Perhaps, next in perception to the "golden arms" of Manila's Recto Avenue and environs, notorious for fake licenses, school records, diplomas, civil service eligibility, etc.

Worst is that even exams for public secondary students and elementary pupils are now also corrupted by the cheating and leakage mania. For instance, last school year's test leakage for elementary pupils was broadcast cum video footage by a radio/TV reporter in confrontasi with the school administrator of a nearby northern town. It appeared that the examinees, including those of the neighboring town, had "kudigos" of the answer sheet supplied earlier by their teachers. Discreet inquiries made later disclosed that watcher-teachers - not privy to the leakage - got scandalized by the school children blatantly cheating en masse… Perhaps, the same mass leakage could have taken place in other towns as well and, perhaps, that could be the reason that provincial elementary pupils had better performance than their counterparts in Cebu City.

One has long been inured, as in already steeped with callousness, to the shenanigans of politicians, corrupt officials, and other higher echelon dishonesty, as a sad, sad reality. But, by gam, with public school teachers and their administrators taking active part in cheating just to garner "high" ranking to inflate their ego and performance "konohay", that's a hard pill to swallow.

Instead of being molders of the youth, the mentors infuse "molds" into their minds! That is the most tragic part of the "leakage" syndrome that corrupts the innocence and naivete of the young. It's a tragedy that the institutionalized Filipino values and virtues are turning valueless; the worthy traditions and ideals of honesty, integrity, honor, and decency are now worthless.

* * *

Email: [email protected]