PASIG CITY, January 26, 2019 – Hundreds of campus journalists, young artists, technical-vocational-livelihood (TVL) specialists, and other talented learners in various fields will troop to Lingayen and Dagupan in Region I for this year’s National Schools Press Conference (NSPC) and National Festival of Talents (NFOT)–two of the Department of Education’s (DepEd) flagship programs.
National Schools Press Conference
Slated from January 28 to February 1, the 2019 NSPC will be spearheaded by DepEd’s Bureau of Curriculum Development (BCD), and will be hosted by the Schools Division of Pangasinan I, pursuant to Republic Act (RA) No. 7079, otherwise known as the “Campus Journalism Act of 1991.”
Anchored on the theme, “Fostering 21st Century Skills and Character-Based Education through Campus Journalism,” the annual gathering of young writers primarily aims to provide a venue for an enriching learning experience for students interested in Journalism as a career, or those who intend to use skills sets learned through campus journalism.
“I fervently hope that armed with character and competence, the campus journalists in this national conference will strive to be the voice not only of their school’s student body, but also the margins of our country,” DepEd Secretary Leonor Magtolis Briones shared.
Individual contests include news, feature, editorial, sports, copy reading and headline, and Science & Technology writing; photojournalism; editorial cartooning; and column writing (exhibit only). Group contests consist of radio and TV script writing and broadcast; collaborative desktop publishing; and online publishing. Outstanding campus journalists, school papers, and school paper advisers will likewise be awarded.
National Festival of Talents
The 2019 NFOT, meanwhile, will be spearheaded by the Student Inclusion Division (SID) of DepEd’s Bureau of Learning Delivery (BLD), and will be hosted by the Schools Division of Dagupan City from January 28 to February 1.
Themed, “Celebrating Diversity through the Performance of Talents and Skills for Sustainable Inclusive Education,” the NFOT’s participants will showcase their best talents and skills through exhibitions of their products, services, and performances in different events as evidence of their learning in various areas.
“While DepEd has carried on and embraced change amidst technological advancements and the continuously shifting socio-economic landscape, it has also remained faithful to our culture which reflects our soul as Filipino people,” the Education chief cited.
NFOT events include the Technolympics for TVL/TLE education, with contests on Industrial Arts (IA), Home Economics (HE), Agri-Fishery Arts (AFA), Information and Communications Technology (ICT), and Entrepreneurship; Sining Tanghalan for Music and Arts; Nationwide Song Writing and Choral Group Competition co-sponsored by DepEd and the Rotary Club of Manila; National Population Development for Social Studies (Araling Panlipunan); Pambansang Tagisan ng Talento sa Filipino; and Special Program in Foreign Language which includes Spanish, Mandarin, Japanese, French, Arabic, Braille and sign languages.
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