| 29
May 2003
Investing in our
state universities
STUDENTS at the Philippine Normal
University (PNU) are complaining about an increase in their tuition,
from 10 pesos to 50 pesos a unit.
Fifty pesos a unit may seem very economical but the new rates do
represent a 500 percent increase, and could mean some students actually
having to give up their plans of becoming teachers.
There's always been a certain pride attached to being enrolled in a
state university or college, the way one has to be a cut above other
students to pass the entrance exams. And while everyone complains
incessantly about poorly motivated faculty, dilapidated buildings,
under-equipped laboratories and stinking toilets, the state universities
and colleges will, by and large, offer a better education than many
private schools, and for a much lower tuition.
We should remember, too, that it is these state-run schools which offer
courses that you often won't find in private schools, including such
fields as agriculture, education, engineering, natural and social
sciences, arts and letters. It is these schools that produce Filipinos
who not just run businesses and banks, but also give us a soul, daring
us to dream and to innovate.
Even with the more "lucrative" professions such as medicine
and nursing, it is the state universities and colleges which offer an
affordable option, opening these fields to middle- and low-income
families. And while many of the medical and nursing graduates of state
universities will join the exodus to other countries, those who do stay
will often end up in public service, well aware that they were "iskolar
ng bayan" or people's scholars.
Ideally, the idea of state schools was to provide an environment to
develop the brightest and most deserving of our young people. With
assured government financial support, faculty members were supposed to
devote all their time to teaching and research.
That has changed as state schools now face shrinking budgets. For two
years now I've been in an administrative position at the University of
the Philippines Diliman campus and have come to dread the memos urging
more cost-cutting measures. Some of the measures are reasonable, such as
switching off the lights when not in use, but others can be terribly
disheartening--for example, having to forgo the hiring of teaching
assistants.
We're also urged to think of other ways of augmenting our meager
budgets, applying for grants from external donors, for example, to do
research. I've been able to do that for my department, but I am learning
that there are trade-offs, too, more time taken away from the students
because of the meetings and paperwork required by the donors.
Amid the crisis, I do find inspiration from the way people try to
overcome adversities. At UP Diliman, Palma Hall ("AS" to
old-timers) is gradually being renovated, including long-overdue
electrical rewiring. It helps having a dean, Cynthia Bautista, who frets
constantly about how we're lagging behind private schools and how we
can't keep resting on UP's past glory. She thinks in terms of 10-year
plans, not just for buildings but for faculty development and raising
academic standards.
I think it's time as well to acknowledge the efforts of political
science professor Carmencita Aguilar, who recently retired from UP
Diliman's College of Social Sciences and Philosophy but still works on
an extramural program she started years ago. This extramural program
taps UP professors to train teachers from other schools, especially
state universities, updating them on recent developments, and more.
"More" being innovative teaching methods. Among those who have
volunteered to help with the extramural program is Gareth Evans, one of
the most popular Diliman faculty members, who converts his political
science classes into living theater, including Shakespearean renditions,
which he demonstrates to very appreciative audiences in the extramural
program.
"Mam Cita" Aguilar isn't the only retired faculty member who
insists on continuing to serve the state universities and colleges.
Professor Jaime Veneracion went on to the Bulacan State University after
retiring, offering his expertise in local history. And there's Professor
Oscar Evangelista, also retired from UP and is now helping the Palawan
State University to develop their graduate programs. It's these
"elders" who inspire younger (grin) ones like myself (I'm
rushing this column because I'm off to Palawan province to share with
their faculty on teaching anthropology).
This is really a long way of saying we need to continue to pressure our
politicians to increase the support for our state universities and
colleges, even as we work, as individuals and groups, to find ways of
improving the situation. At UP, I'm realizing how every donation counts.
For example, a 55,000-peso grant from the Marcelo Tangco Foundation to
the anthropology department allowed us to purchase more than a hundred
new books. I joke about how our students are now finally able to read
more than the 19th century anthropology classics.
For those of you who are often invited to lecture or to contribute
articles, you might want to try what I'm doing now--requesting the hosts
not to spend on those environmentally unfriendly appreciation plaques,
or honoraria reduced to a pittance after withholding tax. Instead, I ask
them to donate to state schools, suggesting books, an educational VCD or
DVD or a subscription to one of the better daily newspapers (you know
which ones) or magazines (I recommend Newsbreak).
Finally, we do need more scholarships. Call the Philippine Normal
University (what's 50 pesos a unit to train more teachers)? Or check
with one of the state universities about supporting students to finish
medicine, nursing or one of the health professions. At UP Manila and
West Visayas State University in Iloilo, the full tuition is about
20,000 pesos a year. Scholarships can be for books, too, or for living
expenses. Since it's your scholarship, you can attach conditions, like
earmarking a number of scholarships for Muslims or minority ethnic
groups. You could require a minimum grade point average, or having the
scholar serve in the Philippines for some time after graduation.
We can't just keep complaining that the government isn't doing its part.
Take out those checkbooks and invest in the country's future.
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