Gatchalian wants better efforts to stop ‘sagot-for-sale’ among students

GATCHALIAN PRESIDES TWG MEETING: Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian presides over the continuation of a hybrid technical working group meeting Thursday, February 18, 2021 looking into two proposals on enhancing the quality of basic education in the country by improving the quality of teachers and school leaders aimed at strengthening the Teacher Education Council. (Albert Calvelo/Senate PRIB)

MANILA, Philippines—Students’ ways of cheating in the time of distance learning have not only gotten creative but also entrepreneurial, and Senator Sherwin Gatchalian wants to put a stop to it.

Gatchalian, in a statement, said that the “sagot-for-sale” scheme has become prevalent in the time of the COVID-19 pandemic with students going to their classes and their exams delivered through modules.

This allows students or their parents to pay someone to answer the modules for prices ranging from P150 to P500 with those offering the services getting paid through online banking or virtual wallets.

“Kung hindi natin wawakasan itong sagot for sale at iba pang anyo ng pandaraya sa distance learning, lalong hindi matututo ang mga mag-aaral. At kapag nalusutan nila ito sa unang pagkakataon, uulit-ulitin na nila ang ganitong pandaraya. Dekalidad na edukasyon ang nakasalalay dito,” said Gatchalian, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Basic Education, Arts and Culture.

(If we don’t stop this sagot-for-sale and other ways of cheating in distance learning then the students won’t learn anything. When they get away with it on the first try, they’ will just do it again and again. Quality education is what at is stake here.)

According to Gatchalian, the students who avail of the service are as young as junior high schoolers along with college students seekling help to take care of their requirements.

Those who offer the services use social media hashtags #AcademicCommission, #AcademicWriting, and #AcademicService, among others to advertise their work.

“Ang layunin natin sa pagpapatuloy ng edukasyon ay matiyak na ang ating mga kabataan ay hindi lamang natututo. Hinuhubog din natin sila para maging matapat, mahusay, at mapagkakatiwalaan,” said Gatchalian.

CFC