ANGARA URGES STUDENTS TO PURSUE S&T COURSES

Senator Edgardo J. Angara today encourages students to pursue science and technology (S&T) courses to help boost the country's technological capacity to innovate.

Speaking before the 6th Philippine Youth Congress in Information Technology held in University of the Philippines - Diliman, Angara said that the country must focus on S&T in order to enhance our country's economic growth and prosperity.

"Our world today is geared towards innovation. I have observed over the past years that our growth as a nation is stunted compared with other countries like Malaysia because our capacity to adapt to changes and innovation is way too low," said Angara, who chairs Congressional Commission on Science, Technology and Engineering (COMSTE).

He added, "We have to improve our Science, Math and Engineering (SME) education because these are the weakest sectors in the education system. Experts say that countries with improved SME have the biggest growth rate and we, as a nation, must be able to cope up with this."

Angara also observed that neighboring countries like Vietnam, Thailand, and Singapore produce more than what the country can produce per year.

"China produces about 600 thousand S&T graduates every year; India almost 400 thousand; while the Philippines only produces one graduate every year, way below from what neighboring countries produce. In fact, for every graduate that we have, Vietnam produces five, Thailand with 20, while Singapore about a hundred. In order to achieve a competitive edge, I believe we must need to move as a country, in a big way, towards S&T. That is why I encourage you, young people to think of going into S&T courses as this will help shape our country's future," Angara said.

He added, "I enjoin you to consider ICT as a career. I am telling you that taking up a career in S&T will offer you more opportunities that it did in the past, because the kind of jobs that are coming to the Philippines did not exist just a few years ago. You being here is a good omen that you are interested with S&T and you are on the right track. We as your leaders are laying the groundwork for a strong Philippine S&T and ICT sector."

Based on COMSTE's findings, the ICT sector grew from $1.4 billion in 2004 to around $4.9 billion in 2007.

Jointly chaired by Senator Edgardo J. Angara and Cavite Representative Joseph Emilio Aguinaldo Abaya, COMSTE is expected to introduce or amend legislation that will make the Philippines more competitive world wide, particularly in Science and Technology.