In UP, Defiance Vs Tuition Hike Gains Ground
The proposed tuition increase in UP ? at 200 percent — is staggering. It is comparable to the most expensive private schools in the country. It certainly is a cause for alarm for many students and parents.
By Grace S. Uddin
davaotoday.com
DAVAO CITY ? To many Filipino youths, studying at the University of the Philippines (UP) as a ?iskolar ng bayan? carries immense advantages. There?s, of course, the name and the renowned quality of UP education. On a more practical level, however, the subsidized, thus low, cost of studying there is enough motivation to seek a UP education.
Imagine, then, the consternation of many UP students when they learned that the state university was going to raise its tuition, making it no different from expensive private schools. To many of them, the ?iskolar ng bayan? label, which carries with it the rather lofty idea that the Filipino people are subsidizing good education, has become worthless.
The proposed tuition increase ? 200 percent — is staggering, and a cause for alarm for many students and parents. Late last month, students from all UP campuses nationwide made known their sentiment by walking out of their classrooms to march in the streets, demanding that the idea be junked.
As classes open, teachers contend with poor school facilities while parents are confronted with the sheer economics of educating their children. And the kids? The education department inSouthern Mindanao has found a novel, if exploitative, way to make them pay for the government?s negligence and shortcomings.