education and the problems of today - bu presentation

Student Council Alliance of the Philippines www.scapnational.wordpress.com scap.neb@gmail.com

Philippine society remains a

feudalistic order, marked by

sharp concentrations of

wealth, power, and privilege

at the top, and insecurity,

poverty, powerlessness and dependence at the base.

We are ranked as one

of the most corrupt

countries in the world.

Our politics is

dominated by big

businessmen, clans,

and traditional political

families.

Education to the

RESCUE!

“Young people are the

hope of the motherland.”

Schools have failed time and again to become

more than instructional sites or reproduction

centers of labor force.

Thesis:

The education system, the way we run them presently, becomes part of the problem, instead of a solution. There is a need to reform the education system.

Source: Freedom from Debt Coalition

Government Expenditures 1987-2006 (in billion pesos)

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

19

87

19

88

19

89

19

90

19

91

19

92

19

93

19

94

19

95

19

96

19

97

19

98

19

99

20

00

20

01

20

02

20

03

20

04

20

05

20

06

Aquino Ramos Estrada Arroyo

Debt Service (Interest plus Principal)

Education

Health

Social Security

The State, through its funding policies, has continuously relegated the importance of providing free and quality education.

EDUCATION AND STUDENTS’ WELFARE:

AGAINST ALL ODDS

SUC Budget 21 B pesos

PDAF 24 B pesos 3 B pesos higher Debt service (principal)

466 B pesos 442 B pesos higher

Debt service (+interest)

750 B pesos 729 B pesos higher

EDUCATION AND STUDENTS’ WELFARE:

AGAINST ALL ODDS

SUC Budget 21 B pesos

BU Budget 383 M pesos

Bicol University budget

<

pork barrels of 4 senators

Brent High School

Tuition Fee:

P/ 341,000.00

Miscellaneous Fees:

P/ 245,300.00

Student to Teacher Ratio:

9:1

-Brent Manila website

Philippine Private School

Philippine Public School

In Udalo Elementary

School at Lanao del Sur,

there is only one (1)

classroom available for

647 students.

-2010 data, GMANews.tv

The Capitalist Formula for Education

Education is designed

as a competition to get

ahead of others.

= enormous

wealth + a big

company

The Capitalist Formula for Education

Mr. Corporate and Industry-Driven Individual

The Capitalist Formula for Education

• Reinforcement of Gender

Roles

• Standardized

• Undemocratic and

Abusive

• Reinforcement of Apathy and

Neutrality

• Proliferation of Charity

• Individualism

If at situations of injustice you remain neutral, if an

elephant’s foot is on a mouse’s tail and you say that you

are neutral, the mouse will not appreciate your neutrality”.

-Desmond Tutu

SCHOOLS SHOULD BE: SCHOOLS BECOME:

>> political and cultural centers (provides an environment for independent thought) >> breeding ground for critical thinking (necessary in becoming an active citizen for personal development and nation-building)

>> diploma mills / profit oriented (vocational and technical schools banking on Nursing, HRM, or IT courses) >> undemocratic and abusive (discrimination against unmarried pregnant women and homosexuals)

STUDENT COUNCILS BECOME: SCHOOL PAPERS BECOME:

>> breeding ground not for genuine student leaders (pro-students’ rights and welfare) but opportunists (position-oriented and award-seeking; TRAPO) >> event organizers limited to mundane projects (clean and green, concerts, feeding programs) in expense of real functions (tuition-monitoring, agenda-building)

>> biased and censored ; away from genuine journalism (vanguards of TRUTH) >> accountable to envelopmental media in the future

Because of the lack of democratic spaces:

We cannot solve the problems of today by the same

minds that created them.

-Albert Einstein

“The STRAW Bill is a document which

guarantees the political and civil liberties of the

Filipino student”.

SCAP leaders during the filing of the STRAW Bill with Rep. Hontiveros, Sept. 17, 2007

HB 2190 has gone through in-depth consultations nationwide among different student councils/ governments and youth organizations. The bill is a product of thorough discourse among student and youth leaders.

What are our guaranteed rights as Filipino students?

Consistent with the 1987 constitution, the STRAW Bill ensures the basic and fundamental rights of students as Filipino citizens.

>> to admission, non-discrimination, and quality education >> to organize and establish their own student council/government and/or organizations >> to participate in policy-making processes >> to free expression and information >> to exercise their academic freedom >> to due process in disciplinary proceedings >> to privacy (against unreasonable searches and seizures) >> to be secured within school premises

Simple rights. Fundamental rights.

If, at a young age, citizens do not understand the value of democracy and representation, the Philippines will have all the formal democratic structures without the culture necessary to animate it.

Why do we need to guarantee these rights?

No policy currently exists that can sufficiently

and satisfactorily guard our students from

possible exploitations.

tuition increase | campus militarization | media censorship | forced disappearances | lack of representation | gender discrimination

Why do we need to guarantee these rights?

tuition increase | campus militarization | media censorship | forced disappearances | lack of representation | gender discrimination

“Education should encourage free and critical thinking which could help in molding and crafting new ideas and means that could later contribute to genuine national development”. Gio Tingson National Chairperson Student Council Alliance of the Philippines

Is the bill set against university administrators?

NO. The bill actually

recognizes the role of all stakeholders in the whole educational system.

Is the bill set against university administrators? NO.

The bill provides mechanisms for checks and balances in all university processes.

Can the bill be circumvented and utilized against students?

NO. This bill likewise empowers the Commission on Higher

Education (CHED) and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) to become more than

monitoring institutions.

Can the bill be circumvented and utilized against students? NO.

The bill empowers CHED and TESDA to render judgment and execute necessary administrative punishments or make essential recommendations in the Department of Justice or Office of the President for prosecution of any offending party which/who has violated any provision in the bill.

Why do we need to support the bill?

Because this is a concrete step to address the perennial problems in the education system.

Why do we need to support the bill?

This is OUR proposal. This is OUR bill.