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.