WE CONDEMN the railroading today of the academic calendar shift in the University of the Philippines. The manner with which it was passed, without consulting the students of the various UP campuses, clashes with UP’s supposedly democratic traditions. But even worse, the calendar shift will open a floodgate of anti-national and anti-development ‘reforms’ in the Philippine education system.
To reiterate why we oppose the academic calendar shift:
1. It will not solve the most pressing problems of the Philippine education system, whether those in the college level or those in general. The main problem continues to be inaccessibility due to expensive tuition and other fees, and the lack of funding for state universities, with only around 10% (according to the NUSP) of college freshmen able to graduate.
2. It will discriminate against students who come from poor peasant families, as the vacation months of the current academic calendar coincide with the harvest and planting seasons for many food crops. With the majority of Filipino farmers not having access to modern technology and machinery, the additional labor provided by these students is badly needed by their families.
3. It will, however, pave the way for the ‘integration’ of the Philippine economy with the rest of the ASEAN (Association of South East Asian Nations). What does this ‘integration’ mean for us? It will force Filipino graduates to compete with those from other ASEAN nations for the few jobs in our country, effectively forcing us to accept lower wages, less benefits, and less worker rights.
4. It will definitely not lead to less class suspensions, given that the worst typhoons occur during the last quarter of the year, and not the months of June and July.
Vencer Crisostomo
Anakbayan
20