Sketches

By Gerry S. Rubio

Corruption in the classroom

A few summers ago, fresh from finishing college, I scribbled some mental sketches, inspired from the song entitled “Boradol”  which I always hear from CSC Laboratory Elementary School Pupils during our campus press work.  The angelic voices of these tykes would reverberate from our ‘borrowed’ student publication office at the balcony of the gym during their practice session.  “At ang pangarap ko’y isasakay sa boradol.  Boradol, boradol, tagpi-tagping pangarap” . . . (Sorry, I don’t exactly remember the lines, perhaps Miss Toledo, their music teacher, would forgive me for my lapses).

The candor of that song roused me to ruminate over the article I read in a national daily. DECS Secretary Raul Roco, it says, is contemplating on abolishing achievement tests in elementary and secondary level on the argument that the test itself is fast becoming a dubious means to gauge the level of learning of the students. 

This is true.  We should not only consider the “review” sessions, which defeats the very purpose of achievement test, as one of the underlying reasons why it should be scrapped.  Consider also the leakages, the “instruction” of the teachers to the pupils to “cheat”, to falsely represent their feeble classmates come the test time, and their surreptitious sneaking into the classroom to feed to the pupils the answers during the actual exam.  All these and more schemes are applied just to get “high marks” in the achievement test.

Abolishing this diagnostic exam is indeed an idea whose time has come, to borrow a worn-out phrase. 

But for sure, Secretary Roco’s perspective will have to deal with the problem right from the very base of the education department.

The Gordian knot lies on the deeply rooted malpractice embedded in the classroom.

Years ago, I myself, together with my elementary school classmates, have been a hapless and helpless accomplice of this malpractice at such a young age. 

Today, I am stunned to know from my 7-year old nephew that this practice is still very much prevalent.  A few weeks ago, he told us: ”sabi daa ni Ma’am,pahawadon mi daa so kataning mi pag-achievement test”.

Let me bring you in a time warp.  I will not name names. The school and the teacher are very familiar.  Virac is such a small place.  Almost everyone knows everyone.

I took my elementary grades in one of the leading public schools in the capital town of Virac.

I remember, for three times - from grades three to five, we became a laboratory of the DECS in assessing how far have we learned from our day to day lessons.  In short, we underwent the usual achievement test. But we rather conducted it in an unusual mode.

At a mention of ‘achievement test, one vivid image flash in my mind – an elementary school classmate from Gogon, Tiad who belongs to the lowest bracket of our class.  He comes from a poor family. Our teacher would even solicit from our well-off classmates some hand-me-down clothes just to help him and his brood in their schooling. 

Not academically endowed, he can be a teacher’s headache during achievement tests.  His feebleness could virtually pull down the ranking of the class in particular and the school in general.  If that happens, the teacher would be reprimanded by the supervisor for such ‘shame’.  Her teaching competency would be questioned.  For the teacher to save face, the poor performer in class, undernourished, lacking in material things, would be told to get out of the room so that he could not take the test.  Pag inapod so ngalan ni C_ _ _ _ _ o, sabihon niyo, absent!  Our teacher’s voice boomed with authority.  “Yes Ma’am”, we cowered in submission. 

Soon, my poor classmate from Gogon, Tiad would be led to the adjacent room to get him out of the sight of the test administrator.  I can very much recall the daze in his eyes and the humiliation on his gaunt face.  Perplexed, he got his maroon-colored rag bag and meekly followed our teacher’s order. 

His fellow compatriots in the bottom ranking of the class are not around.  They obediently followed the teacher’s instruction to “be absent” during the exam.  So by all means, he should be out from the classroom, hora mismo!

From such tender stage, these pupils, who are supposed to be molded into responsible citizens, are exposed to deceitful tactics employed by their teachers.  It is appalling to think that their nubile minds have already been exposed to gross miscarriage of probity and honesty.   If Ma’am can do it, what more us? 

What if these pupils have weak moral foundations?  What if the corrupt acts that have been rammed down in their throats by their mentors would lead them to commit corruption of great proportions in the future?   Then, what’s the use of education?  Answer me, teacher, of this paradox!

It behooves us therefore that sometimes, experiences from schools should not be merely taken hook line and sinker.   It takes a discerning mind to know what is right and wrong, even when at times, you become a helpless co-conspirator from the turn of events at such an immature age.

By the way, my elementary classmate from Gogon Tiad who was led by our teacher to an adjacent room to put him out of sight of the DECS test administrator (so that he will not be able to take achievement test), eventually became an active student, both in the academic and co-curricular levels, in the CSC College of Education. 

The last time I heard, he was already occupying a teaching position in one of  the public schools in Metro Manila handling Social Studies subject. 

He has definitely risen above the preconceived notions of what will be his future.  He has proven our mentor wrong!   Now, teacher, will you still hide this once lanky pupil of yours in case your paths cross one of these days?  No, it is you who should seek refuge from your skirt in shame!

How I wish, the harrowing psychological nightmare he experienced from the demeaning act of our elementary teacher would lead him to revolt from this abominable practice happening right in the base our education department. 

Now being as a teacher, my former elementary school classmate from Gogon, Tiad is already on the vantage position to lead this revolt.  I hope, the fire in him will ignite the call for an uprising against corruption in the classroom still very much prevalent these days.