Another year to make it 5 long years!
I am a product of a state university. I graduated my Bachelor's degree in 1999, and during that time, my family was still struggling financially. I still remember when my parents could only afford to send me to school with P300 weekly allowance, all IN, bus fare, food, school projects. My parents lived an hour's drive from Gensan, and the university campus is 30 minutes away from the city. Bus fare then was P30, jeep fares P5. I went home on weekends so I get a total gross of P200. How I managed that P200 is a question to me as well. I could eat, have snacks with friends, and still buy my precious cassette tape collections. I struggled with my four years in college. My parents struggled very much. We were 4, 2 were in college at the same university, 1 graduating in high school and 1 still a baby.My four years were spent in serious studying. My schedule overflowed with school activities, organization meetings, and my gardening. 4 years and I thought it was too long and agonizing for my folks. I felt their struggle, I felt their pain every time they place their hands on their near-empty pockets.
I still remember my graduation in Mindanao State University (MSU), one does not know he is a graduate until he gets that slip of paper telling you you graduated. And that slip of paper can only be released after Baccalaureate Mass, usually the day prior to graduation. I can never forget that day when my Mom pinned me my Student Leadership Award medal, yet, i was unsure if I could ever go up the stage again the next day.
Hours after the pinning, my slip of paper came, and I immediately went to the city to phone my mom, tears in my eyes, telling them their firstborn is graduating. I know I made them proud. Their painstaking efforts were rewarded.
And why can't the government realize that? Four years is already long. How much more is another year in college? According to the news, they are starting off with Nursing, and later Education courses and then AB courses. Yes, as easy as AB courses can be covered within 3 years, the CHED has issued a statement informing universities of their plan to add another year in college.
According to them, this won't be an additional expense on the parts of the students because the additional year will be subtracted from the number of units they are currently getting. I say yes, this additional year, is additional BURDEN. The longer the length of time ads up, the more expenses they will incur. Who will be affected the most: PARENTS.
Why can't they just upgrade the quality of education and not the quantity of the years college will be spent. Another year is such a waste of the precious time when our students could be using that time to help earn for the family. I don't know about you but I think 4 years is long enough, except I guess for tough courses like Engineering, which is already 5 years, Accountancy and other BS degrees. But for Education and AB courses, oh noes! It is not practical. And they said it was mandatory, bah!
I don't know what their rationale is for doing this, but i think it is giving the parents another blow of headache. Just this morning, the cabinet has rejected this proposal by the PTFE, but they were unsure of what CHED has to say.
I don't know about you, but this is what I think.
Comments
The Philippine school system is patterned after the American one but whereas they have Grade 7, we don't. We do 6 yrs elem + 4 yrs HS + 4 yrs college.
In Malaysia, they have 6 yrs primary + 4 yrs secondary + 2 yrs matriculation (pre-university) + 4 or 5 yrs university. The equation changes a bit when they go to Form 5 or take O-levels... or if they choose to take a Certificate or Diploma. I'm not that familiar with the system yet so I can't comment much. But the bottomline is: they spend more years in school than we do.
Perhaps what the govt can do is adopt changes so that courses like Medicine are internationally recognized and accepted. I've known excellent doctors who are products of UP Manila who have to take exams again etc just so they can practice in the US.
At the same time, taxpayers' money should be put to good use by increasing the budget for education!
Most of the time, I don't know that those guys up there are doing. They choose to discuss matters like an extra school year when there aren't even enough schools, teachers, and books. Haaay naku! Pag ako naging Presidente, lagot silang lahat!
sino ba nagrecommend nito?
i'm BS architecture and my curriculum ran for 5 years. there was a time when CHED wanted to add another year sa curriculum namin! it's additional financial burden.
high quality education should start in primary and secondary years so that we only take major subjects in college. i don't understand why we still need to take up algebra, physics, english and other general electives again when we step in college.
i protest!
but, yes, many people cannot afford another year of burden. hay. i think they are barking on the wrong tree. essentially, quality is more important than the quantity.
for most of the avarage filipino families, it would be a burden for yet another year. and then there are the underpaid teachers who have lost the motivation to teach, so another year in school would not serve its purpose i think.
this would just demotivate students who are eager to graduate.
QUALITY over quantity (of years) should be the focus of the national government.
wala yan sa taon na ginugol sa paaralan!
pahirap yan sa mga magulang at sa mga nagpapaaral! tsk!
They should reject this proposal. What they can propose eh yung mga college (university/school) dyan sa atin make sure na ang mga subjects at least related sa major nang mga student. Hay ambot nlang! Padugang sakit sang bulsa at ulo ng magulang.
Daw isipon pa lang 5 years in college- maayo pa mag associate nlang then work tapos pag may pera don mag padayon sang skul.
Wag sila sana mag gaya dito sa US!!
Anyway, regards to all.
Miss you,
allen