TW: Homophobia, bullying, harsh words.
•••
"So inlove ako?"
That was Zane's last words before he went to sleep the night when he slept in our house. Weeks passed and I'm still trying to ask who made him feel that way.
"Parang hindi kaibigan! Sino nga?" Pangungulit ko rito.
He just rolled his eyes at me, "wala nga! Hindi ko nga alam na sinabi ko 'yan. Kung meron man, ikaw una kong sasabihan."
"Ano na naman bang pinagtatalunan niyo?" Isaac said as he finally joined our lunch.
I just let it slide. Maybe oo nga, dala lang ng antok. We will be eating together with Athena and Isaac. Minsan na lang din kami magsabay kapag hindi kami busy sa schoolworks. Sadyang may mga araw lang talaga na hindi kami available kaya minsan lang din kami magkasama-sama.
"Isaac, tulungan mo 'ko, ha? Ikaw ang magaling sa genbio, eh." Athena said, she was trying to please Isaac. Magaling nga naman ito sa biology at hindi ko naman ito forte kaya hindi ako makakatulong sa kaniya.
"Oo na, parang gago 'to ang kulit! Kumusta kayo? Mahirap?" Isaac asked us.
"Dami ring pinapagawa, may bayarin pa. 'Di pa nagpapadala si Kuya eh." I answered him
"May scholarship, ah? Ayaw mo magtry?" He asked me, I just shrugged it off. Required daw kasi ro'n na STEM ang strand para makakuha ng scholarship.
Nakakalungkot lang din isipin na majority sa mga nagpoprovide ng scholarship para sa mga estudyante ay may requirement na dapat nasa strand ka ng STEM. Magandang opportunity ito sa mga estudyante but this made me feel sad since it looks like some institutions were still being selective for the grantees.
Each strand, both academic and technical vocational tracks have their own ways to how they'll be contributing to the knowledge and skills of every students. Ang mga strands din na ito ang kanilang daan para magkaroon ng pagkakataong mahasa ang kanilang kakayahan na maaaring magamit sa kolehiyo.
Bawat strand din, may mga estudyante na nangangailangan ng tulong pinansyal para maisakatuparan ang pag-aaral, and we all know that scholarships can greatly help them financially to support their studies.
Truly, science and technology really can be an advantage to our society. But we also have a wide advantage in different fields too, particularly in social sciences and technical vocational fields. These strands can also help everyone to shape their capabilities.
This is also the reason why strand shaming has also existed up until now. Kesyo kaya hindi nag-STEM dahil mahina o hindi matalino. It's not that I'm against the strand since just like the others, this strand has wide opportunities for students to pursue.
I hope that the students will be heard as they amplify their advocacies about these matters. What we all need for this is to be inclusive, and to break the selective mindset so we can provide an accessible education that will be available for everyone.
Fund most STEM? And so other strands too!
We were eating and talking about random stuff that majority from it are the non-stop complaints of Athena and Isaac about their subjects. Puro lang sila reklamo pero they're seriously doing their best to pave on their own ways.
"Sa Sabado, kapag walang gagawin labas tayo?" Athena asked us before we parted our ways.
"Sige. Chat na lang kayo sa gc." Zane said and we went to our respective rooms.
"Patulong ako sa genmath mamaya, Zane?" I asked him,
his brows furrowed, "huh? Bigay ko na lang sa'yo mamaya sagot ko. Kopyahin mo na lang." He said.
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Rainbow Behind Stars
Novela Juvenil[BL STORY] | On-going They met when they were in junior high school, where friendships sparked. Their bond was undoubtedly one of the strongest, but not until a reason blew up for Keith Elthon to leave their province, his friends, and Zane. It was g...
