A new nursing exam is necessary
EDITORIAL
A new nursing exam is necessary
PRESIDENT Arroyo’s decision to have a retake of the June nursing licensure examination will help restore the integrity of Filipino registered nurses in the global and national communities and uphold the credibility of government-sponsored licensure examinations.
It is now the job of Labor Secretary Arturo Brion and the top officials of the Philippine Regulatory Commission to determine the scope of the new exam, whether to conduct a partial or full retake, whether only the examinees who received the leaked questions in Tests 3 and 5 should take part in the test.
The decision follows an earlier order to transfer the commission from the Office of the President to the labor department “for general direction and coordination.” Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said the labor office is “in a better position” to supervise the PRC. This remains to be seen.
A case of leakage in the June tests marred the integrity of the highly competitive board exam and the employability in overseas markets of Filipino nurses, considered a gem in the country’s foreign labor program.
The scandal also prompted the United States National Council for Licensure Examination to reconsider using the Philippines as a test site for foreign nursing graduates. Allowing Filipino nurses to take the NCLEX test in Manila saves them a lot of expense, the stress of travel and more time to prepare for the tests.
Dr. Dante A. Ang, chairman of the Commission on Filipinos Overseas and head of a study committee to review the leakage and to recommend appropriate action, had recommended a retake of the licensure exam. The scandal has tainted the professionalism and character of Filipino nurses, including the honest ones, Dr. Ang said.
“At issue is the question of competence, as well as the trust in the Filipino nurses by the healthcare community,” the commission chief said.
Two members of the commission nursing board are under investigation for involvement in the leakage.
The commission and the Board of Nursing compounded the problem by lowering the passing mark. They punished the innocent when they gave a two percent bonus to the examinees, allowing 1,600 flunkers to pass,
In their haste to prevent the cheaters from benefiting from the leak, they invalidated 20 questions for Test 3 (even if all 25 questions were leaked) and reduced the percent weight for Test 5 from 20 to 10, lowering the passing average and throwing the honest candidates in the company of the undeserving. By using a score-recomputation formula, the Board of Nursing and the PRC punished the examinees who got perfect or near-perfect scores without cheating in Tests 3 and 5, because their scores in those tests were practically made nil and they were given a computed score for those tests based on their scores on the Tests 1, 2 and 4. And they opposed a retake.
The labor department and the commission should expedite the conduct of the new examination. The National Bureau of Investigation ought to speed up its investigation into the origins and authorship of the leakage.
Meanwhile, Malacanang may reconsider its decision to transfer supervision of the Professional Regulatory Commission to the Department of Labor and Employment. The department has neither the experience nor the expertise or manpower to coordinate and oversee the PRC’s 43 boards.
FROM:http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2006/sept/29/yehey/opinion/20060929opi1.html
A new nursing exam is necessary
PRESIDENT Arroyo’s decision to have a retake of the June nursing licensure examination will help restore the integrity of Filipino registered nurses in the global and national communities and uphold the credibility of government-sponsored licensure examinations.
It is now the job of Labor Secretary Arturo Brion and the top officials of the Philippine Regulatory Commission to determine the scope of the new exam, whether to conduct a partial or full retake, whether only the examinees who received the leaked questions in Tests 3 and 5 should take part in the test.
The decision follows an earlier order to transfer the commission from the Office of the President to the labor department “for general direction and coordination.” Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said the labor office is “in a better position” to supervise the PRC. This remains to be seen.
A case of leakage in the June tests marred the integrity of the highly competitive board exam and the employability in overseas markets of Filipino nurses, considered a gem in the country’s foreign labor program.
The scandal also prompted the United States National Council for Licensure Examination to reconsider using the Philippines as a test site for foreign nursing graduates. Allowing Filipino nurses to take the NCLEX test in Manila saves them a lot of expense, the stress of travel and more time to prepare for the tests.
Dr. Dante A. Ang, chairman of the Commission on Filipinos Overseas and head of a study committee to review the leakage and to recommend appropriate action, had recommended a retake of the licensure exam. The scandal has tainted the professionalism and character of Filipino nurses, including the honest ones, Dr. Ang said.
“At issue is the question of competence, as well as the trust in the Filipino nurses by the healthcare community,” the commission chief said.
Two members of the commission nursing board are under investigation for involvement in the leakage.
The commission and the Board of Nursing compounded the problem by lowering the passing mark. They punished the innocent when they gave a two percent bonus to the examinees, allowing 1,600 flunkers to pass,
In their haste to prevent the cheaters from benefiting from the leak, they invalidated 20 questions for Test 3 (even if all 25 questions were leaked) and reduced the percent weight for Test 5 from 20 to 10, lowering the passing average and throwing the honest candidates in the company of the undeserving. By using a score-recomputation formula, the Board of Nursing and the PRC punished the examinees who got perfect or near-perfect scores without cheating in Tests 3 and 5, because their scores in those tests were practically made nil and they were given a computed score for those tests based on their scores on the Tests 1, 2 and 4. And they opposed a retake.
The labor department and the commission should expedite the conduct of the new examination. The National Bureau of Investigation ought to speed up its investigation into the origins and authorship of the leakage.
Meanwhile, Malacanang may reconsider its decision to transfer supervision of the Professional Regulatory Commission to the Department of Labor and Employment. The department has neither the experience nor the expertise or manpower to coordinate and oversee the PRC’s 43 boards.
FROM:http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2006/sept/29/yehey/opinion/20060929opi1.html
The commission and the Board of Nursing compounded the problem by lowering the passing mark. They punished the innocent when they gave a two percent bonus to the examinees, allowing 1,600 flunkers to pass...
MAY BONUS POINT? BAKIT BUMAGSAK PA DIN SI ANGELO BRANT AT ANG 2 CUM LAUDE NG UST????
BAKIT??? BAKIT??? BAKIT???
Posted by
Anonymous |
5:06 PM
By using a score-recomputation formula, the Board of Nursing and the PRC punished the examinees who got perfect or near-perfect scores without cheating in Tests 3 and 5...
asus, nag marunong pa itong Manila Times... e ako nga near perfect score sa test 5... taken w/ half open eyes, kaso tinanggal... pero naipasa ko pa din yun 3 remaining tests... importante yun IPINASA mo ang test 1,2 & 4 NA WALANG LEAKAGE!!!
Posted by
Anonymous |
5:22 PM
By using a score-recomputation formula, the Board of Nursing and the PRC punished the examinees who got perfect or near-perfect scores without cheating in Tests 3 and 5...
asus, nag marunong pa itong Manila Times... e ako nga near perfect score sa test 5... taken w/ half open eyes, kaso tinanggal... pero naipasa ko pa din yun 3 remaining tests... importante yun IPINASA mo ang test 1,2 & 4 NA WALANG LEAKAGE!!!
Posted by
Anonymous |
5:22 PM
For Dante Ang & Manila Times, may the Lord our God give what's due to you all. Remember, you are judged according to your beliefs.. and right now, we can see clearly how you will fare in the eyes of the Lord... just like the way you treated us.
Posted by
Anonymous |
7:28 PM
I believe that GMA and PRC Chair Leonor Tripon-Rosero are acting out a poorly written script.
Just imagine the scene: GMA orders a retake of the leaked portions of the June 2006 board exam for nursing. Immediately, her personal dentist Rosero announces to the nation that she would listen to no one but the court. The always combative GMA lets the comment pass. She does not castigate her dentist who is her alter ego under the PRC Modernization Law. Is this a dream? Where is the GMA who publicly berated Dep Ed Secretary Fe Hidalgo for claiming that our public school system is suffering from acute dearth of classrooms and facilities?
GMA has been soft on the PRC head since day one. The leakage issue was a manageable one, but Rosero’s mishandling caused it to metamorphose into a scandal of international magnitude. It embarrassed the nation. It spawned untold turmoil on the examinees and their families. There is no doubt that Rosero’s head must roll. It should have rolled a long time ago.
But then again, one should not wonder why Hidalgo and Rosero were not similarly treated by GMA. Hidalgo was on the side of truth while Rosero was and still is on the opposite side. We know which side this administration will support as shown by recent events.
And because of the irresoluteness with which the government dealt with fraud and the personalities who started it and who aggravated its impact, we are still on a stalemate. The real victims here, aside from the nursing profession whose integrity has been shattered, are the innocent examinees. Whether it is retake or no retake, there is no “win-win” solution for them. It is unjust to require them to retake an examination where they did not cheat. It is also unjust to prevent a retake because retake is the only option that will result in the elimination of the stigma engendered by PRC’s mismanagement of the mess. A license clouded by doubt on the competence of the holder is a useless one. It will not put food on his/her table, as the employers made loud and clear.
The victims will retake. Some will do it gladly and are thankful for the decision. More will do it grudgingly and may even blame the Cordillera-based whistleblowers- who are actually unsung heroes though not everyone realizes this yet- for instituting the action that called attention to the cheating, the action that challenged this government to take either the side of righteousness or iniquity. These victims cry for what approximates justice- the guilty must be punished - and be punished soon. The PRC officials who exacerbated their woes should go- and go fast!
CHERYL L. DAYTEC-YAÑGOT
Counsel for the “Baguio Braves” who exposed the leakage
St. Louis University, Baguio City
E-mail address: chytdaytec@gmail.com
Posted by
Anonymous |
1:14 PM