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An article written by Dr. Romulo A. Virola,
secretary-general of the National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB),
questioned the long-lasting effects of the call center phenomenon
that has come into our country. He expounded with corresponding
statistics on today’s trend of students dropping out of school to
pursue a more lucrative career in a call center.
The money is good. Call centers
bring in revenues to the country and help our economy. They provide
jobs for anyone who can speak English; they set up establishments to
teach those who can’t.
This is one side of the
picture. Dr. Virola points to another situation—the
not-so-desirable effects of call centers on our youth, particularly
our educated youth. These are the kids who will run the country in
the future.
Dr. Virola raises the point:
“Isn’t there anything anyone can do to contain the fascination
of our society for our children to become singers and dancers rather
than scientists and engineers?”
Unfortunately, we don’t have an
answer to that one yet. What we have is an explanation. The youth
today see what fame can bring—the perks of celebrity status: going
around the best clubs and bars around town and rubbing shoulders
with the rich and the powerful. Apparently, there seems to be no
glory for the scientists and engineers or none that that will be
talked about on noontime shows.
In times gone by, education was
held in much higher regard. As this is the age where information is
more accessible than ever before, it truly is ironic that we
Filipinos are not getting the full benefits of the Internet and
related technologies. It surprises to hear from someone like Dr.
Virola that call centers are the one reason for the deterioration of
our educational system.
Another uncomfortable point that
has emerged from this alarming trend is that the value of education
is slowly becoming a luxury, something the elitistas do. In the
times of our parents, and even up to a few years ago, education was
regarded as essential.
Another explanation comes to
mind: people who are hungry do not to think too much about
‘auxiliary’ things such as art, music or even the Internet.
Education, Dr. Virola points out, is an expense to most and with
prices of tuition rising every year, it is no wonder many have taken
the call center route instead. After all, should worse come to
worst, with the English that they have learned on the job, these
students might be able to find another job, that would probably pay
enough, just on the basis of their accents. Much like what Professor
Higgins of the play “My Fair Lady” once said that one is defined
through their speech: the words thay they use, the accents they
have.
It may be sad to think that we
are all in such dire straits now that even education becomes a
luxury. Education is a right to all children, not a privilege. If we
do not do something about this alarming trend now, perhaps the
businesses that are ours, the call centers included, will be left to
people who are less qualified to run it. It is important that we
support our colleagues in the workplace that do have little ones to
encourage them to set an example that learning is fun—and to show
them that results are achieved by more than just accents but also
hard work.
[Jayjay Viray is the Country
Manager of JobsDB Phils, Inc. Log on to www.jobsdb.com.ph
for job opportunities. For feedback, e-mail feedback@jobsdb.com.ph.]
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