Save Our Students
Save Our Students
Student demonstrations calling for political and economic
reforms on various campuses these past weeks divert attention
from a graver problem in our higher education: Students are
dropping out in thousands because of the economic crisis. Most
cannot afford to pay the rising tuition fees, and there are those
unable to their living expenses, which are also soaring. Some
enterprising students have taken part-time jobs to finance their
education, but with the job market nationwide shrinking in the
current recession, they are the exceptions to the rule.
The sad trend toward more dropouts is found in almost all
colleges, even in state-run universities where the tuition fees
are heavily subsidized by the government. Several colleges
granted some leeway, allowing students to take classes while
working to earn money. But they will be barred from sitting the
upcoming semester exams unless they come good on payment of fees.
Campus life is not immune to the economic crisis. While most
state and private universities are managed as not-for-profit
organizations, they still have to raise money to pay for
themselves. With the cost of living going up, these colleges
logically have to raise their fees to stay afloat. Most students
have accepted this reasoning. On-campus demonstrations rarely
target increases in tuition fees. Instead, they demand lower
prices all round, particularly of food, and the need for reforms.
Nobody can accuse students of being narrow-minded and self-
serving.
What we find illogical about this whole situation is the
government's almost total indifference. Granted, the government
is preoccupied with other pressing problems in this time of
crisis. But the high rate of student dropouts, if allowed to
continue unchecked, will exert a heavy toll on the country's
quality of human resources. With quality essential in this
increasingly competitive world, such indifference could cause
irreparable damage to the nation's future.
Our nation is already said to be among the least competitive
in the region. More than 70 percent of our workforce of nearly 90
million people has only a primary education background. To its
credit, the government has already worked hard to rectify this
condition, through building schools and by launching compulsory
schooling for children between six and 15 years. But this is not
enough. To be competitive, the nation also needs a pool of
college graduates to lead it into the next millennium.
In higher education, the government has encouraged the
establishment of colleges by private organizations to supplement
the government-run universities. Last month, it even opened up
this education sector to foreign colleges to inject a dose of
competition. But what good will this do if only a few people can
afford to buy the privilege?
This brings us to our next point, student loans. In the
education deregulation package announced last month, the
government promised to revive the student loans scheme. All this
time, the government has held the perfect answer, but it has sat
on it while students were forced to say goodbye to their
educations in droves.
Student loans, at government-subsidized interest rates, should
be made available to those who have the intellectual capacity to
go to the college and are willing to take the risk. Higher
education comes at a price. It is a privilege to those who have
the means to pay, but, more importantly, it is a privilege to
those who think they have the potential.
The student loan scheme has worked effectively in many
countries, including the United States and Australia, and there
is no reason why it should not work here. All it takes is the
political will, and a realization that saving our students now
could also mean saving our souls in the long run.