and this is where the data is entered:
<?php echo $this->Form->select('ContinuingEducationActivity/month', $monthArray, array('id' => 'month', )) ?>
<?php echo $this->Form->select('ContinuingEducationActivity/year', $endYearArray, array('id' => 'year', 'value'=>$default_year)) ?>
and this is one of the controller:
function global_init(){
$monthArray = array( NULL => '', '01' => '01', '02'=> '02', '03'=> '03', '04'=> '04', '05'=> '05', '06'=> '06', '07'=> '07', '08'=> '08', '09'=> '09' , '10'=> '10' , '11' => '11', '12' => '12' );
$this->set('monthArray', $monthArray );
$endYearArray = array( 'Present'=>'Present',
'1950'=>'1950', '1951'=>'1951', '1952'=>'1952', '1953'=>'1953', '1954'=>'1954', '1955'=>'1955', '1956'=>'1956', '1957'=>'1957', '1958'=>'1958', '1959'=>'1959',
'1960'=>'1960', '1961'=>'1961', '1962'=>'1962', '1963'=>'1963', '1964'=>'1964', '1965'=>'1965', '1966'=>'1966', '1967'=>'1967', '1968'=>'1968', '1969'=>'1969',
'1970'=>'1970', '1971'=>'1971', '1972'=>'1972', '1973'=>'1973', '1974'=>'1974', '1975'=>'1975', '1976'=>'1976', '1977'=>'1977', '1978'=>'1978', '1979'=>'1979',
'1980'=>'1980', '1981'=>'1981', '1982'=>'1982', '1983'=>'1983', '1984'=>'1984', '1985'=>'1985', '1986'=>'1986', '1987'=>'1987', '1988'=>'1988', '1989'=>'1989',
'1990'=>'1990', '1991'=>'1991', '1992'=>'1992', '1993'=>'1993', '1994'=>'1994', '1995'=>'1995', '1996'=>'1996', '1997'=>'1997', '1998'=>'1998', '1999'=>'1999',
'2000'=>'2000', '2001'=>'2001', '2002'=>'2002', '2003'=>'2003', '2004'=>'2004', '2005'=>'2005', '2006'=>'2006', '2007'=>'2007', '2008'=>'2008', '2009'=>'2009',
'2010'=>'2010', '2011'=>'2011', '2012'=>'2012', '2013'=>'2013', '2014'=>'2014', '2015'=>'2015', '2016'=>'2016', '2017'=>'2017', '2018'=>'2018', '2019'=>'2019',
'2020'=>'2020', '2021'=>'2021', '2022'=>'2022', '2023'=>'2023', '2024'=>'2024', '2025'=>'2025', '2026'=>'2026', '2027'=>'2027', '2028'=>'2028', '2029'=>'2029',
'2030' );
$this->set('endYearArray', $endYearArray );
$this->set('default_year', date('Y'));
}