Alumni, not pols, make better graduation speakers–Luistro

Education Secretary Bro. Armin Luistro.      ARNOLD ALMACEN

EDUCATION Secretary Armin Luistro has urged school heads to invite as graduation speakers their own distinguished alumni instead of politicians to better serve as an inspiration to their students.

Luistro said graduates and their guests could better relate to ordinary people speaking to them than politicians and other prominent personalities.

“There are many out there—it doesn’t have to be a prominent person. If they’re from the school, they could be an example that if you study hard, you could have a better life,” Luistro said in an interview Tuesday.

The secretary said that at many graduation ceremonies, he noticed that only a few in the audience were listening to the speeches of politicians.

Ordinary yet inspiring

He said it was high time the tradition of inviting politicians to speak was changed since it appeared that people would rather listen to “ordinary people who give them inspiration.”

Luistro called on politicians who may not be able to avoid being at a graduation rite to respect the occasion and not use it for politicking.

The Department of Education has reminded school heads that moving up and graduation ceremonies should be simple but meaningful events promoting “civil rights, a sense of community and personal responsibility.”

Luistro said nonacademic activities—like field trips, film showings, the junior-senior prom and the like—should not be made a requirement for graduation.

He said school personnel were not allowed to collect fees or contributions for moving up or graduation ceremonies.

This year, the graduation theme is “Kabataang Mula sa K to 12, Tagapagdala ng Kaunlaran sa Bansang Pilipinas.”

Luistro has said the theme focuses on the Aquino administration’s flagship education reform program as a “transformative vehicle for local and national development.”

Since the K-12 program will be fully operational this coming school year with the introduction of senior high school, those who have completed Grade 10 will have a completion ceremony where they will receive their junior high school certificates.