Preparedness

By Christian Edu Villegas
(Vol. XXVI No. 8, Editorial Cartoon)

Preparedness
In the next few months, Negros Oriental State University(NORSU) will finally be producing new sets of pioneering graduates.

The courses, which were born four years ago–BS Accountancy, BS Business Administration, BS Nursing, and BS Pharmacy, will finally show to the world the Norsunian version of these offshoots.

It maybe is too early to talk about graduation. But as early as now, the present situation of these pioneering students should be diagnosed so at least, if something is left undone, it can be ironed out in the little time left. In a random interview done by The NORSUnian with the pioneering students to find out whether they are ready or not to face the life outside the pylons of NORSU, not all of them nodded with confidence that they are ready to face the real world of their course.

The interviews showed that some Norsunians are not yet ready to tread out of the pylons of NORSU because they lack trainings and hands-on exposures in most of their courses. Some are not yet prepared to adhere to the incoming changes when they go out of the university. This is because, according to the respondents, they are just fed with theories and not actual demonstrations which could have helped them better than just plain classroom meetings and discussions. Others, on the other hand, are not yet ready to practice what they have learned because these are still insufficient to cover the real scope of the job that they will be doing in the outside world.

Despite the sad reality that not every Norsunian is prepared enough to graduate, some still believe that it depends on their ability to use the most of what they have learned in school. Others say that the teachers and their discussions plus the curricula that they are following are enough to equip them with knowledge for their chosen fields. Students are well-motivated to strive hard and help themselves succeed in the outside world.

These motivations are good because at least, students become enthusiastic to strive hard and be successful outside NORSU. But, it could have been better if students are exposed to the things that will help them survive their courses with full confidence of making it to the world- rather than just feeding them with pure speculations. And though the university offers good quality education, it still lacks equipment and facilities to support the students’ learnings. This has been a problem since time immemorial and it will continue to be one if nobody will pay attention to it. This problem with the lack of facilities and hands-on materials for every department in NORSU is turning into one of the major reasons why students say that they are not yet prepared to do the work outside.

There may be courses here which are given full attention with regard to the facilities they need for their departments, lucky are students who took up these courses. But, how about those who belong to the least-attended departments? How are they going to get ready for the challenges that the real world will bombard them if they are not even given attention adequate for their learning?

This problem should have been answered a long time ago because it will only worsen as the years pass by. The lack of support for “important, appropriate and usable” classroom facilities and equipment should have been one of the university’s main focus because it would help the students more effectively than supplying with a lot of projects that are, oftentimes, for our “eyes’ only.

This is also the reason why Norsunians are not that confident to face the world. Because students are fed only with theories and books (which are barely enough), and a number of facilities (which could only be used during accreditations and need a lot of request letters before usage), it is no longer questionable why students who are graduating this year are not prepared.

Education is supposed to be a right that should be given justification, not a privilege of lack and insufficiency. Thus, to have the best education that will prepare the students to share their knowledge outside NORSU would be the best thing that the university could give. This is becoming a hope against hope- that sooner, before the students step out of the university, they could proudly say that they are completely ready.

If this happens, maybe ALL and not just SOME of the Norsunians will be geared up to face the world outside. If it does not, then, it goes without saying that no student will ever be fully ready to step out of this university.