UST students protest in Manila – Students of University of Santo Tomas (UST) and Miriam College held dissent activities in their separate schools on Feb. 20, Friday, as school organizations hold counsel among understudies for the proposed educational cost climbs for scholarly year 2015-2016.
UST Central Student Council – Central Board Speaker Victor Villanueva said the UST organization proposes a five to eight percent expansion in educational cost and a 30 percent increment in library charge. Where you a part of the UST students protest?
UST understudies solidly accept that their school organization does not have to expand educational cost and other school charges since it has billions in resources and millions in benefit.
Villanueva said that taking into account UST’s monetary proclamation, the college has P870 million ($19 million) in real money and P6.2 billion ($140 million) in other money equivalents and speculations. Besides, Villanueva included that UST has a net resource of P6.47 billion ($146 million). “Indeed without the confined net resources, UST still has P565 M ($12 million),” included Villanueva.
National Union of Students of the Philippines (NUSP) President Sarah Elago said that UST had effectively forced a five percent expansion in educational cost last schoolyear. “The proposed educational cost and different charges increments for AY 2015-2016 will be a year of load to the understudies and folks,” Elago said.
To add drumbeat to their challenge against educational cost climbs, understudies utilized #AyokoMagmahal hash tag as a part of online networking communicating shock against the proposed educational cost increment.
“Mahal” is a Filipino word which could signify “adored,” “valuable” or “costly.” The hashtag is a play on “I would prefer not to love” and “I don’t need (educational cost) to increment.”
The NUSP said the hashtag #AyokoMagmahal inclined in online networking on Feb. 19.
In the mean time, in Miram College, understudies drove by Sanggunian ng mga Mag-aaral ng Miriam and individuals from the Council Leaders additionally held their dissent against the proposed five percent increment in educational cost for the scholarly year 2015-2016 of Miriam College’s Higher Education Unit (HEU).
“We perceive that attaining to quality instruction is not simple and involves a ton of assets. Then again, utilizing this as a purpose behind the yearly increment in educational cost expense can be uncalled for, for the understudies have not by any means seen or felt the vital changes for as long as years inside the organization,” their Manifesto of Unity read.
‘False discussion’
The University of the East (UE) – Caloocan understudy pioneers, in the mean time censured the Feb. 18 meeting, as counterfeit. “It was not a honest to goodness discussion,” said Dominic Pinero, UE Caloocan College of Fine Arts and Design (CFAD) Student Council President. Pinero was among the five understudy board presidents of UE Caloocan whose unique arrangement was to blacklist the discussion supported by the school organization, however were constrained by the Student Affairs Office to go to the interview.
Pinero and four other understudy gathering presidents then declined to sign the participation sheet as they didn’t accept that the discussion was bona fide.
Pinero said the UE organization is proposing a five percent increment in educational cost and five percent expansion in all other school expenses for AY 2015-2016. “This implies that one another school expense, for example, vitality charge and web expense, among others, might have a five percent increment.”
Educational cost in UE, as per NUSP ranges from P27,000 ($610) to 45,000 (P1,017) every semester.
Pinero said they realized that the interview was an insignificant event for UE President Dr. Ester Garcia to “educate and support” to the understudies the arranged increments. A genuine meeting, said Pinero, ought to hear and consider contradicting sentiments, for example, the understudies’ resistance to the increment, as understudies are the essential stakeholders of the college.
On the other hand, amid the conference, Pinero said Garcia supported the proposed increment “in light of the fact that UE, instead of the De La Salle University – College of St. Benilde, provides food better quality instruction at a lower educational cost rate.”
Pinero included that their inquiries were not replied. “Frequently, replies to our inquiries were redirected. It was not a just meeting.”
Charlene Dabu, Central Student Council President of UE Caloocan likewise approached Garcia for verification, for example, the inspected money related explanation of the college, if in fact 70 percent of the returns of the educational cost expand last scholarly year went to instructors’ and workers’ pay rates. “Garcia said the records are as of now with the Commission on Higher Education (Ched) and that these are not for ‘open presentation.’”
Notwithstanding, it was expressed in the Ched Memorandum Order No. 3 arrangement of 2012, or the Guidelines on Tuition and Other School Fees that, “The Higher Education Institutions’ most recent inspected budgetary report should be made accessible to approved gatherings upon appeal.”
“In Aquino’s five years in office, educational cost and other school expenses roughly go from P14,000 ($316) to P17,000 ($384). It is high time to garbage the Education Act of 1982, which is the underlying driver why school chairmen are generously permitted to benefit from understudies and make educational cost and OSF (other school expenses) deregulated,” Elago said.
At iChill Theater Cafe we support the UST students protest cause since they are always here sharing their thoughts with us. Feel free to twit us your concers.