LAMITAN CITY, BASILAN — The Ministry of Basic, Higher and Technical Education (MBHTE) is holding here the 2024 Regional Schools Press Conference (RSPC) and Regional Festival of Talents (RFOT) which will run until April 19.
Over 1,600 delegates from across the 10 schools division offices (SDOs) in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) attended the opening program held today at the City Gymnasium.
In her welcome address, Lamitan City SDO Schools Division Superintendent (SDS) Dr. Myra Mangkabung, CESE, extended her gratitude to the MBHTE for giving them the opportunity to host such big event.
She also thanked all the delegates for coming to Lamitan despite the distance being an island division.
“We are here not just to compete but to strengthen the relationship of the MBHTE from mainland to island,” said SDS Mangkabung.
Underscoring the purpose of the competitions, Bureau of Basic Education Director Johnny Balawag said that the events mark a significant milestones in the educational landscape, particularly within the SDOs, as they come together to celebrate the talents, skills, and resilience of the learners and educators.
“The RSPC provides our learners with valuable opportunities to hone their journalistic skills for their future careers. By participating in this conference, they gain practical experience and insight to the dynamic field of journalism,” Dir. Balawag added.
Further, he stressed that the RFOT “provides opportunities for learners from diverse backgrounds, including those from public and private schools, as well as Alternative Learning System, Indigenous People Education, Special Needs Education, and Madrasah programs, to showcase their best products, services, and performances as authentic evidence of their learning.”
In his video message for RSPC participants, MBHTE Minister Mohagher Iqbal emphasized information as both a tool and a weapon by saying, “you are not just reporters of facts but guardians of truth, champions of free press, and architects of informed communities.”
Minister Iqbal also highlighted that the RFOT is a platform that goes beyond the confines of traditional classrooms to nurture to creativity, critical thinking, and innovation.
The RSPC activities include individual contests (in English and Filipino for elementary and secondary) such as News Writing, Science and Technology Writing, Feature Writing, Editorial Writing, Sports Writing, Column Writing, Headline Writing, Copyreading, Photojournalism, and Editorial Cartooning.
For the group contests, there will be Radio Script Writing and Broadcasting (in English and Filipino for elementary and secondary), TV Script Writing and Broadcasting (in English and Filipino for secondary only), Collaborative Desktop Publishing (in English and Filipino for elementary and secondary), and Online Publishing (in English and Filipino for secondary only).
For the RFOT, there shall be Technolympics, Population Development, Read-A-Thon, Stemazing, and Musabaqah.
Winners of these competitions will compete at the National Level in Cebu City.
