The Innovation in Education

Written by Jac Ausan

Contributions of Hans Pangan & Samberly Ocampo

With the ever-increasing amount of technological advances in the world, it has become a necessity for progressive countries to treasure and value innovation in education. In the Philippines, the education system still has a great deal of flaws to address. Particularly, the system still needs to reinvent its goal to strive for global competence in the country’s progress instead of remaining a complacent and stagnant community. 

When given the opportunity and the resources, the youth can show that they are capable of innovating anything that will further support and comfort communities. Be as it may, most of these opportunities require both the privilege of resources and excellent education. With that said, the youth should be one with a community that urges the country to invest more in the education system; opening more opportunities for the youth to explore the potential of technological advancements in the community–a true path for progress and innovation in society.

The NMESC Robotics Competition at the University of the Philippines Diliman is one of the major events that reflect the capabilities of Filipino youth to create useful and practical devices in the world of robotics. Inspired by the creations of scholars from the Filipino youth, the Philippine Society of Mechanical Engineers (PSME) set up workshops and contests for those enthusiastic about technological innovation. Among the champions of this contest are the senior high school representatives of Manresa School. Hans Pangan and Samberly Ocampo, the representatives of the Manresa team, shared these thoughts regarding the essence of education and innovation:

Innovation is the natural human response in dealing with current issues. Innovation is society’s way of adapting to changes and creating ingenious solutions to novel and future problems. However, innovation is not an easy process and that is evident in the various workshops offered to the public to understand its applications. In our experience, the tech workshops were able to lay out the foundation of the knowledge we needed for the event. It allowed us to realize that we are capable of accomplishing so much more than we ever thought.

These workshops provided comprehensive hands-on activities whilst ensuring the information and processes were simple enough for students to understand, thus, empowering them to become advocates and pioneers for a better future. Reflecting on the event, the world of robotics must be explored more in high school lessons for participants to be prepared for such occasions. Nevertheless, we all agreed that the core values instilled by Manresa School in its students played a large role in readying the participants for the competition. Progressive and innovative topics such as robotics should be taught in high school given that it can promote the youth's critical thinking skills and encourage creative and innovative ideas.

We, Manresans, were truly inspired by NYHA robotics; particularly when they mentioned that they aimed to redefine the future of robotics in the current curriculum by developing technical kits that can be made accessible in any educational institution. As technology becomes more and more incorporated into our lives, being well-versed in robotics can give us an upper hand in our daily travels.