3 M students graduating this month

MANILA, Philippines – An estimated three million elementary and high school students in public schools across the country are graduating as school year 2011-2012 comes to a close this month, the Department of Education (DepEd) said.

Education Secretary Armin Luistro said that the graduating batch is composed of 1,817,549 million elementary pupils and 1,153,643 high school students.

Luistro issued a call to the graduates to be proponents in the building of the nation as they consider their career paths.

“Our aspiration is for our graduates to have a direct personal stake in nation building, using as a tool the education they received from the state,” Luistro said.

The DepEd chief explained that the young people today are empowered to participate in the affairs of society more than their counterparts 10 years ago.

Luistro also observed that because of wider access to information and communication technology, which gives them a view of the world, they are more creative and are more likely to take part in national issues.

In his graduation message, Luistro said that this year’s graduation theme, “Your Gift of Learning, Our Tool for Nation Building,” extends a timely invitation to every Filipino.

“The gift of learning is a universal one, offered to every stakeholder in the education sector,” Luistro stressed.

He added that the newly harnessed values, knowledge and skills of the graduating class should comprise the building blocks of Filipino society.

“The choices you make, the relationships you cultivate, the attitudes you bring to school and work – these erect the pillars and walls of our rising nation. How beautiful and strong you desire this building to be depends a lot on you,” Luistro said.

He likewise reminded the graduates that actions and examples, more than words, leave firmer imprints in the minds of the younger generation.

“The integrity we bring into our homes and classrooms become the foundation of our own future. The justice, peace and prosperity we yearn for strongly depend on the truth and faithfulness we invest today,” Luistro noted.

“I hope and pray that over and above each of our personal dreams for ourselves comes the larger dream of a united, fulfilled and prosperous Filipino people, a dream that not only benefits a few, but one that benefits all,” he stressed. –Rainier Allan Ronda (The Philippine Star)