DOST Abra urges applicants to Philippine Science High School

by Maritess Beñas

Bangued, Abra (21 August) — The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) is urging school teachers and parents of qualified pupils to file their application now for entrance examination to the Philippine Science High School (PSHS).

This is the urgent call of DOST-Abra Provincial Director Menandro Buenafe for applicants to file their applications at least two days before the deadline of filing on August 27, to give them time to submit the same to the DOST-CAR Regional Office in La Trinidad, Benguet.

Qualified applicants are Grade 6 pupils who belong to the upper 10% of the current class and do not have a grade lower than 80. If the pupils do not belong to the upper 10% of the class abut have special aptitude in Science and Math and 80 in all other subjects, they are still qualified to take the entrance test.

Applicants must be born on or after June 1, 1996, must be in good health to undergo a rigorous academic program, and must not have taken the PSHS national entrance examination previously.

Pupils from the private schools are required to pay a non-refundable testing fee of P100.00.

The examination will be on November 6, 2010.

Application forms are available at the DOST Offices in the Provincial Capitol Annex Building in Bangued and at the Abra State Institute of Sciences and Technology (ASIST) Lagangilang Campus, and at the Philippine Information Agency, also at Provincial Capitol Annex Building in Bangued. Forms can also be downloaded at the DOST website www.pshs.edu.ph.

For some months now, announcements regarding the application for the to the PSHS had been going on air over the local radio here, yet not a single application has been filed.

Meanwhile, consultants of the DOST-CA R visited four business firms in the province that are being assisted by the DOST. They are now in the process of finalizing the good manufacturing practices and improving the productivity, sanitation and food safety of the businesses. These firms are the Talledo Miki Commercial, producer of veggie noodles in Dolores; Lexan Delicacies, producer of the famous Bangued crackers and other processed foods in Bangued; A & C, the makers of muscuvado and other sugarcane-based products in Bangued; and the Jaydines Panciteria in San Juan.

Buenafe also trained the beneficiaries of the Self-Employment Association Kaunlaran (SEA-K) Program of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) last August 19 on Product Development. Said training is a necessary component of the social preparation for the SE-K beneficiaries before they are given loans for their micro-enterprise projects. (PIA-Abra)