Republic of the Philippines
Professional Regulation Commission
Manila
March 2, 2011
MR. DALMACIO C. GRAFIL
Publisher
The Leyte-Samar Daily Express
Knights of Columbus Bldg.
187 P. Zamora Street
Tacloban City, Leyte
Dear Mr. Grafil:
This has reference to a news item which appeared on page 2 of your March 2, 2011 issue of the Samar-Leyte Daily Express, written by a certain Alvin P. Cardines and entitled “3 nursing schools face possible closure”.
First of all the article is not very accurate in its presentation of facts that the writer gathered only from a short phone interview with the undersigned. Secondly, the writer made his own interpretation of some of the facts that specifically refer only to the performance of schools in the last Nursing Licensure Examination (NLE) held here in Tacloban City last December 2010.
In view of the inaccuracies and wrong interpretation, I am constrained to make the following clarifications in the interest of truth and in fairness to all those affected by the news item:
1. The interview was only about the performance of schools in Region VIII on the NLE conducted in Tacloban City, last December 19 and 20, 2010.
2. The pertinent facts are:
a. 682 out of 1,267 passed in Region VIII representing a 53.83% average passing rate for the whole of Region VIII.
b. The national passing average reported is about 35.25% or 29,711 out of 84,287 who took the exam.
c. Out of the twelve (12) HEIs who are listed in Region VIII as among those who sent their students to take the December 19 and 20, 2010 NLE, there are only three schools in Region VIII who did not meet the average national passing average for the December 2010 NLE of 35.25%.
3. The question of which schools in Region VIII should be closed or are in danger of being recommended for closure as a result of being classified as “non-performing schools” is a matter that is under the jurisdiction and mandate of the CHED, not PRC.
4. There is a process and protocol followed by the CHED in the matter of closing schools.
5. “Non-performance” in the PRC administered licensure examinations is just one of the determinants for closure of the program and/or the school. The HEIs are usually given up to five years to “make the grade”. Meeting the national average for passing at the very least, in each licensure examination is usually a major consideration, among others.
6. The undersigned did not categorically name the three schools in Regional VIII that “face possible closure” as a result of just one licensure examination, particularly the December 2010 NLE. Besides, the CHED does not necessarily close schools, but only “failed” academic programs of schools.
7. It is wrong and inaccurate to report that, and I quote that… “The three nursing schools…which have been identified as non performing schools are San Lorenzo Ruiz College,…Naval State College…and Asian Development Foundation College” just on the basis of one NLE exam conducted in December 2010. This is clearly an erroneous and a personal assertion of the writer, Mr. Cardines.
There are other inaccuracies but the foregoing are the major ones that need to be rectified and clarified. May I suggest next time, your prestigious newspaper should send me an experienced reporter, instead of a cub reporter who conducts his interview on the phone only. A more matured and experienced writer might have written a different report. Your reporter by the way came to see me and claimed that his original manuscript was changed by your editor.
In the interest of the truth and fairness in reporting, kindly publish this clarification for the benefit of everyone who was affected by the subject news item.
I look forward to your continued cooperation with PRC and your commitment to be “Positive, Fair and Free”.
Sincerely,
(Sgd.) DIR. GERMAN P. PALABYAB, MBA, CSEE, CESE
Regional Director
Professional Regulation Commission, Tacloban City
Related:
NSU denounces false report of Leyte Samar Daily Express
I fail to see how the following statement by the newspaper writer is erroneous
It is wrong and inaccurate to report that, and I quote that… “The three nursing schools…which have been identified as non performing schools are San Lorenzo Ruiz College,…Naval State College…and Asian Development Foundation College” just on the basis of one NLE exam conducted in December 2010. This is clearly an erroneous and a personal assertion of the writer, Mr. Cardines.
He has stated a simple fact. Those 3 schools are under performing.or they would have had pass maks above the minimum, To say he based it on just one exam has nothing to do with it.. Why is it not correct to base it on one exam. ?? What number of exams then is the official number a school has to fail on before its “underperforming”‘ ??
If you bought a vehicle and it only went 50kph top speed the day you bought it how long would you keep it before you took it back to the dealer and complained it was”underperforming”” 2years ? 5 years?
I think its more than fair to say there are way to many nursing schools that have opened up in last few years and there is no possible way that they could have found enough qualified teachers ,as there is no oversupply of nurses for hospitals, so where they getting the teachers from????
Saying the writer put his own idears into the article is just obvious. All writers do that.No matter what the story
Take this example
A ship sinks carrying 200 passengers . 37 drown
Writer one.. Dissasteron the high seas the Coast Guard failed to find the 37 passengers before they drowned, passengers said the coast guard officers were incompetant.
Writer two Dissaster averted the Coast Guard saved by their heroic efforts the lives of 163 passengers. A magnificant effeort the authorities said
What is wrong with phone interviews?/ Doing an interview by phone makes no difference to how the interview is reported..If you were in New York at a conference and a reporter from Philippines wanted to write a article on the events there you expect him to fly to New York to get that interview..???
And if he didnt fly there would you then be complaining the article was not how you wanted it to read ? and he just a beginner and the top reporter would have flown there.?? HMM I think not.
ON another note I think there should be a national exam given to potential nursing teachers before they are allowed to teach and they should have to undergo a new exam every 5 years to show they are keeping up with latest teaching and technology. This is the only way standards ot nursing teaching is ever going to improve to international standards.