DepEd exam lets OSYs go back to school

Out of school children and youth may have the chance to go back to school by passing the 2012 Philippine Educational Placement Test (PEPT), Educatio Sec. Bro. Armin Luistro announced.

“Our modest contribution to nation-building is to give our youth a fighting chance to succeed in life through the placement test,” said Luistro.

The test result will determine the grade or year level appropriate for the test taker. PEPT covers all levels from Grade 1 to Fourth Year high school so that takers can have a chance to move to the next grade or year level or even complete basic education in just one examination. “That is possible if they are doing home schooling or if they have acquired enough knowledge and life skills,” Luistro explained.

The exam covers the regular DepEd curriculum which are English, Math, Science and Hekasi for elementary and Araling Panlipunan for high school. Examinees will be given a certificate of rating attesting that they are qualified to go to high school or college depending on the score they obtain.

Interested parties may register at DepEd’s division offices nationwide from March 5 to May 25, 2012. The documentary requirements are Form 137/138, birth certificate and two 1 x 1 pictures. The division testing coordinators are directed to submit the actual number of registrants to the DepEd’s National Educational Testing and Research Center.

“We want the test takers to upgrade their academic level so that when they pass, they can re-enter the formal school system, land a job or even get a job promotion,” Luistro added.

PEPT registrants are encouraged to avail of learning modules prepared by the Bureau of Alternative Learning Systems, the Bureau of Elementary Education and the Bureau of Secondary Education or any other learning resources available in DepEd’s regional or division offices. They can use these learning modules to review before the exam or even afterwards as part of their continuing education.

The exam will be administered for free on June 12, 2012, as part of DepEd’s celebration of the country’s 114th Independence Day.

Meanwhile, students who want to apply for the 2012 Special Program for the Employment of Students (SPES) of the DepEd Center for Students and Co-Curricular Affairs (CSCA) have until the 28th of this month to apply for the available 150 slots, the DepEd announced.

SPES is an annual summer employment program that encourages students to make their vacation productive by working during summer thereby earning extra which they can use during regular school days. The program is spearheaded by the Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) and is supported by other government agencies.

Qualified applicants will be employed for forty days and will be paid minimum wage, 60 percent of which will be paid by DepEd and 40 percent by the DoLE. They will also be given an additional daily allowance on top of their salaries.

Applications are open daily from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Monday through Saturday. Applicants must be 15 to 25 years old, must be enrolled this school year or if not, must have the intention to enroll next school year. They must have passed all their subjects in the current school year and must possess office skills with priority given to those with computer-related skills. The combined annual net income of both parents of each applicant must not exceed P143,000.

To apply for registration, students must first like the Facebook fanpage of www.facebook.com/csca.deped. Applicants must answer the self-assessment test provided in the fanpage and e-mail it to depedspes@gmail.com. The CSCA will email back the schedule of interview and the applicant’s control number which the applicant must print and bring to the scheduled interview.

The complete requirements to be submitted prior to the interview are: biodata/resume with a 2 x 2 recent photo, self-assessment form and birth certificate. College students must submit recent grades and school registration preferably in the second semester. High school students must submit their form 138 preferably with fourth grading marks. Out-of-school youth (OSY) are required to present grades available before dropping out of school and a Certificate of Indigence issued by the barangay where OSY resides.

Also required for submission are income tax returns of both parents. If the parents are non-filers of ITR, the applicants must bring an affidavit duly certified by the Bureau of Internal Revenue that the annual net income of both parents does not exceed P143,000.  –Jason Faustino, Daily Tribune