Cotabato City – NEDA XII Regional Director (RD)Teresita Socorro C. Ramos was the guest of honor and speaker during the 2nd Commencement Exercises of the Cotabato State University on July 20, 2022 in Cotabato City.

The NEDA Director congratulated the 941 graduates, and commended the Board of Regents and faculty for making the physical ceremony possible.

RD Ramos shared that the education sector has been one of the most affected during the pandemic. She explained that the crisis laid bare the learning divide among the learners in the country.

“While many other sectors have rebounded after slowly and safely reopening the economy, disruption in education remains to be one of the biggest threats to recovery from COVID-19, unless, of course, institutions would act swiftly”, she added.
The Director underscored how the theme of the event answers to the call to move forward towards a better, new normal, highlighting on the principles academic standard, morality, and flexibility.

She elaborated that while grades and extracurricular were the metrics prior to the pandemic, the switch to online learning has exposed a new barometer for students’ performance, that is technology quotient.
“The pandemic magnified the need for digital adaptability and have us discovered that practically, in order to survive and cope, we need to master digital fluency first . . . and congratulations for gaining this skill, the most sought after in this fast-ever-changing world”, she conveyed.

The Director also exposed how morality has likewise played in the course of learning during the pandemic.

“Studies have also shown that during the pandemic, there was a decline in students’ academic morale, and an alarming rise in academic dishonesty”, the Director explained.
She expounded that the direction is to incorporate moral education that does not rely on teacher supervision, but rather builds the wisdom and integrity of students’ independence in learning.

RD Ramos closed her talk by challenging the graduates to be the country’s champions for recovery, and that in their journey, they carry with them a sense of humility, tolerance, and resilience.

“We trust that in your learnings and experiences, you would be our champions for national and regional recovery. . . that in the stereotype of being the TikTok and ML generation, you give us innovative and moonshot strategies towards sustainable development, and in addressing issues such as climate change and gender inequality”, she expressed.

With the theme “Calibrating Academic Standard and Morality Towards Flexible Graduates in Fast-ever Changing World”, the said commencement exercises is the second graduation rites since CSU was proclaimed a university, being formerly the Cotabato City State Polytechnic College. (Melissa Gabrielle H. Vargas, NEDA XII-DRD)