Malacanang is bluer than blue!

Malacanang cannot be bothered by the problems of the University of the Philippines. This government, after all, seems top-heavy with the lightweight graduates’ of the Ateneo, whose students have never had to worry about passing UPCAT …

Malacanang is bluer than blue!

Columnist Jojo Robles opines that "the top dogs of this administration, especially those not officially concerned with the education sector, may have chosen to ignore the recent release of the results of the University of the Philippines College Admissions Test. This government, after all, seems top-heavy with the graduates of another university, whose students have never had to worry about passing UPCAT in order to save money on tuition while hoping to receive a good education at the same time.

But for all but a few of the 67,000 graduating high school students who took the test, the results of the admissions test may have meant the difference between a well-paid, fulfilling career and an uncertain future after leaving college. Of the number of young people who took UPCAT, after all, only less than a fifth—or around 13,000— made the grade and will go on to study at UP.

What lies in store for the rest who failed? High costs in a private university, certainly, and the double handicap of not possibly learning anything worthwhile and then getting passed over for employment after going to some other public school.

This administration, like those in power in recent times, apparently could not be bothered to consider their plight. Since the time of Ferdinand Marcos decades ago, UP has seen its budget reduced year-on-year—an incomprehensible strategy, really, given the escalating costs of sending children to school everywhere.

UP has been reeling from the budget cuts, which have forced the university to cut back on facilities and even faculty benefits, while making it raise its tuition and other fees through the much-criticized “socialized” payment scheme. The fact is, UP cannot take in more students without additional infusions of government subsidies—which, unfortunately, do not seem forthcoming anytime soon.

Perhaps the new UP administration which was elected into office recently can find lasting solutions to this festering problem. Proposals to raise more revenue for the university without hiking students fees— like developing its large and mostly under-utilized real property holdings, particularly in its Diliman campus—must be given the highest priority.

The government cannot save UP, nor has it shown any desire to do so. If the university is to continue doing its important service to the poor but deserving youth of this country, it must start doing that job itself."