QUEZON CITY – March 13, 2020 – The Department of Education (DepEd), through the Bureau of Curriculum Development (BCD), convened a total of 161 top student-researchers from the 16 regions of the country in the National Science and Technology Fair (NSTF) 2020 on March 2 to 5 at Novotel, Araneta City.
DepEd Undersecretary and Chief of Staff Atty. Nepomuceno Malaluan highlighted that NSTF contributes to solving the challenge of quality in basic education by developing innovativeness and creativeness among the learners.
“The NSTF in the past and this year contribute to answering the question of quality. Our learners, with the support of their teachers and schools competing with their research experiments and showcasing their products and innovation are the embodiment of quality,” Usec. Malaluan said.
Malaluan noted that the NSTF is a great avenue for learners to hone their analytical and thinking skills including effective application of the knowledge gained in this fair.
The Undersecretary also emphasized that the NSTF encourages learners to do scientific research and innovation relevant in finding solutions to the problems of the community.
“Looking at the abstract of the research projects of our student finalists, they deal with human and plant diseases, energy, environment, and even governance. These areas are among the most serious challenges that we face today,” Malaluan noted.
Representing the best of the education system
Malaluan also stated that the young scientists and winners represent the best of the education system in terms of quality. However, the challenge is in the capacity of DepEd to support the development of top performing learners, not only in science and mathematics but also in other areas of specialization such as arts, literature, dance and music, humanities, social sciences, and sports.
“Our collective challenge is to make quality a reality for all our learners in all public schools. With determination, clarity of vision, action, and everyone’s support and participation, we are confident that this can be done,” Malaluan said.
NSTF aims to promote science and technology consciousness among the youth and to identify the most creative and innovative student researchers from the Junior and Senior High School.
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