What it costs to be educated

ON QUALITY EDUCATION: The education sector in the country emerges more fragile than ever as the controversial ‘UP Burgis’ issue only showed and emphasized the need and the fight for a more liberating and student-centered education.

I did not pass the UPCA in 2021. It was a regular, new-normal mid-August day when I received the thank you note from UP admissions. It was probably one of the few heartbreaks of a handful academically competitive nineteen-year-old kids all over the country, as it is a dream university for them. Yet, there also exists a tiny fraction of relief within me because well, the vision of myself being admitted and then sacrificing a large sum of my parents’ income just to hitch a ride and afford that far-away school lifestyle is a brutal, difficult vision. Hence, when my ears perked up from hearing about the viral ‘UP Burgis Issue’ from some acquaintances, I can’t help but be amused by the different points being made and disputes being thrown.

To those who ask “Para kanino ba ang UP?”

As someone enrolled in a state university, it may be a credible claim that State Universities only become more inaccessible as academic years pass by. Remember the low passing rate of TSUCAT during the pandemic? Indeed, it scarred wishful young Tarlaqueños and the admission system was never the same again.

The question, “para kanino ba ang UP?” can be interpreted literally by many and devalued by a few. My take on this one is that the question does not specifically ask whether UP is only for the poor, or that UP represents the whole national community of scholars enrolled in state Us. It throws the rhetoric of ‘for whom are state universities built?’ and if your answer is for the ones that desire to possess quality education without the inconvenience of money, then you are on the right track. We can easily say that yes, state universities are built for students that come from low family income, but the truth of the matter is that those in the middle and upper classes also possess their own rights to get quality education without the burden of stretching budget.
What should be asked is not for whom these payment-free universities are but of why scholars and rich students alike vye for their quality education? Majority of them hogging the limited slots of these state universities make the admissions seemingly exclusive, leading to inaccessibility to the ones more in need. Newsflash, pointing fingers on the upper classes is only one of the few products of the root cause– a magnified part of the whole picture.

To the broken system

As previously stated, when rich people choose to enroll to state universities, they are not inherently wrong as they also have the right to free education—what makes them morally wrong, however, is their conscious decision to forego options they can afford knowing others do not possess the same choices they have. Helping is never a
requirement, but tensions and blame emerge because of the absence of their empathy and compassion.

Although it is important to acknowledge that these local ‘burgis’ also act on their choices to enroll to state Us, it is more vital to recognize that said actions do not excuse them from the fact that they majorly take part in perpetrating and contributing to the educational crisis: taking advantage of the broken educational system.
The thing that also adds fuel to the fire is the commercialization of the most progressive state university in the country, another can of worms yet to be opened. The marketing, particularly the romanticization of ‘the big 4’ universities and state Us alike contribute as to how the image of UP and free college is shaped in several narratives of today’s youth.

To the real root cause

With these points being stones thrown from one way or another, what constituted in this controversy is the heightened need to recognize the root cause—of why state universities are “slowly being dominated by upper class kids”. Discourse should not shift to individual responsibility. It is a sad scene that we, students, have to rely on one another, but the bottom line is this: State universities like UP are becoming inaccessible partly because of the rich taking up space, but majorly because of budget cutting that forces to limit slots. There are multiple layers to uncover.

Indeed, the bourgeoisie plays a complex role within the circumstances, but it all boils down to the poorly built free education. From the moment a five-year-old child enrolls to a daycare to fighting for a slot in college admissions, a Filipino child is doomed to experience the suffering of being educated poorly by overworked and underpaid teachers through their 18 years of academe. And after you enjoy pointing fingers to the privileged, make the time and effort to point the finger to the government as well. Consider blaming and making the government accountable.