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Sunday, November 25, 2007
SR Report on the 23 Nov 2007 BOR Meeting
Office of the Student Regent
University of the Philippines System
Vinzons Hall, University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City
On the Student Regent's Motion to Remove Automatic Tuition Increases Based on the Year's Prevailing Inflation Rate
Again, the leadership of the University of the Philippines has demonstrated its obstinacy in recognizing the role of the Iskolars ng Bayan in implementing new policies that involves its students, particularly its new tuition policy. According to the UP President and the UP Chancellors, they would rather retain automatic tuition increases so that the University shall not be tied once again to relentless annual increases in prices in the economy. In answer, the Student Regent retorted that regardless of inflation or whatever other reasons the UP administration has to justify annual increases, such measures must still fall under the scrutiny of Iskolars ng Bayan who may not necessarily be the ones affected by proposed tuition measures. All must remember that the concepts of democratic access to education and democratic representation fall squarely on the responsibilities of our student institutions, even if the students involved in tuition increases are merely prospective UP students still, because the enjoyment and assertion of such a fundamental right encompasses past, present and future Iskolars ng Bayan. However, as always, the UP President unceasingly plays up the usual excuse that even if there were no need to consult the unaffected upperclassmen, they still consulted all of them in the last year's tuition increase. As such, she says, there is no need by law for the University to even consult prospective incoming freshmen and upperclassmen in the subsequent tuition increases, especially as they are not affected by it anyway.
With these statements of unthinkable obstinacy, the Board of Regents failed to pass conclusive judgment on the motion of the Student Regent, except for the same trite reassurance of the UP President that they shall integrate the recommendations of the Student Regent in their re-evaluation of the new tuition policy in the coming months. It must be noted that mere reassurances are all the UP Administration has offered the Iskolars ng Bayan despite our painstaking efforts of submitting a comprehensive policy review-counterpropo sal to the UP Administration and our relentless and sustained campaign for the complete junking of UP's tuition policy.
Notwithstanding of all these, a small yet substantial victory was achieved for the Iskolars ng Bayan in this Board of Regents meeting. Despite failing to pass judgment on the motion of the Student Regent, members of the Board sided with the Student Regent in asserting this point -
"All tuition increases, even those based or less than the year's prevailing inflation rate, shall always be subject to the approval of the Board of Regents."
This interpretation of the Board of Regents is a far cry to the originally envisioned concept of the UP Administration that tuition increases based on the inflation rate are deemed implementable on new freshman student of the University even without the benefit of democratic deliberation. With this interpretation, therefore, consultations with students in the event of any tuition increase proposal shall always be inevitable in ensuring that due process is adequately followed by the Board of Regents. In this interpretation, the only thing that is clearly automatic is the " option of the UP Administration to propose yearly tuition increases based on the prevailing year's inflation rate," as the power to raise tuition and other fees lies only on the deliberative wisdom, not of the UP Administration, but of the Board of Regents, to which the Student Regent belongs.
In all of these, therefore, while yearly automatic tuition increases remain in the new tuition policy, it has clearly lost its substance as a means of skirting democratic consultations with the students. This interpretation affords all Iskolars ng Bayan a continuing role in the assertion of their rights to education no matter how seemingly unsubstantial tuition increase proposals may appear.
Rest assured that as long as all Iskolars ng Bayan remain united and steadfast in their resolve and action to continuously challenge the legitimacy of the tuition increase, victories like this shall always be achieved.
The victory is in the details. A monster has been defanged.
Onwards to the complete junking of the UP TOFI!
Stop the Commercialization of Education!
University of the Philippines System
Vinzons Hall, University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City
On the Student Regent's Motion to Remove Automatic Tuition Increases Based on the Year's Prevailing Inflation Rate
Again, the leadership of the University of the Philippines has demonstrated its obstinacy in recognizing the role of the Iskolars ng Bayan in implementing new policies that involves its students, particularly its new tuition policy. According to the UP President and the UP Chancellors, they would rather retain automatic tuition increases so that the University shall not be tied once again to relentless annual increases in prices in the economy. In answer, the Student Regent retorted that regardless of inflation or whatever other reasons the UP administration has to justify annual increases, such measures must still fall under the scrutiny of Iskolars ng Bayan who may not necessarily be the ones affected by proposed tuition measures. All must remember that the concepts of democratic access to education and democratic representation fall squarely on the responsibilities of our student institutions, even if the students involved in tuition increases are merely prospective UP students still, because the enjoyment and assertion of such a fundamental right encompasses past, present and future Iskolars ng Bayan. However, as always, the UP President unceasingly plays up the usual excuse that even if there were no need to consult the unaffected upperclassmen, they still consulted all of them in the last year's tuition increase. As such, she says, there is no need by law for the University to even consult prospective incoming freshmen and upperclassmen in the subsequent tuition increases, especially as they are not affected by it anyway.
With these statements of unthinkable obstinacy, the Board of Regents failed to pass conclusive judgment on the motion of the Student Regent, except for the same trite reassurance of the UP President that they shall integrate the recommendations of the Student Regent in their re-evaluation of the new tuition policy in the coming months. It must be noted that mere reassurances are all the UP Administration has offered the Iskolars ng Bayan despite our painstaking efforts of submitting a comprehensive policy review-counterpropo sal to the UP Administration and our relentless and sustained campaign for the complete junking of UP's tuition policy.
Notwithstanding of all these, a small yet substantial victory was achieved for the Iskolars ng Bayan in this Board of Regents meeting. Despite failing to pass judgment on the motion of the Student Regent, members of the Board sided with the Student Regent in asserting this point -
"All tuition increases, even those based or less than the year's prevailing inflation rate, shall always be subject to the approval of the Board of Regents."
This interpretation of the Board of Regents is a far cry to the originally envisioned concept of the UP Administration that tuition increases based on the inflation rate are deemed implementable on new freshman student of the University even without the benefit of democratic deliberation. With this interpretation, therefore, consultations with students in the event of any tuition increase proposal shall always be inevitable in ensuring that due process is adequately followed by the Board of Regents. In this interpretation, the only thing that is clearly automatic is the " option of the UP Administration to propose yearly tuition increases based on the prevailing year's inflation rate," as the power to raise tuition and other fees lies only on the deliberative wisdom, not of the UP Administration, but of the Board of Regents, to which the Student Regent belongs.
In all of these, therefore, while yearly automatic tuition increases remain in the new tuition policy, it has clearly lost its substance as a means of skirting democratic consultations with the students. This interpretation affords all Iskolars ng Bayan a continuing role in the assertion of their rights to education no matter how seemingly unsubstantial tuition increase proposals may appear.
Rest assured that as long as all Iskolars ng Bayan remain united and steadfast in their resolve and action to continuously challenge the legitimacy of the tuition increase, victories like this shall always be achieved.
The victory is in the details. A monster has been defanged.
Onwards to the complete junking of the UP TOFI!
Stop the Commercialization of Education!
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