INDANG, Cavite – Students from Cavite State University (CvSU) main campus here on Monday welcomed the rational use and spending of the PHP 6-billion Philippine Airlines tax settlement, which President Rodrigo Roa Duterte plan to use for free education.
Rea Marilou Martin, 4th year Journalism student, said PHP 6-billion fund for government college scholars is good news.
Martin expressed hope that the fund would augment current scholarship program of State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) and be properly apportioned among recipients in government-run higher educational institutions (HEIs) on the basis of priority and need.
She said the President’s gesture of attending to the needs of poor but deserving government scholars is in sync with his State-of-the-Nation Address (SONA) pronouncement to invest in human capital development from the ranks of government scholars.
She suggested the funds should be properly accounted for and find its way to beneficiaries through the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and the SUC administration for the purpose it is intended.
She also thanked the President’s initiative in helping government scholars ease their burden on educational expenses especially amid hiked tuition fees and other school requirements.
The coed said SUCs should also open more courses and disciplines and increase the capacity to absorb more scholars in their campuses especially from the poor who cannot afford a college education.
Another student, who is an active member of the central student government and editorial staff of the university publication, Mico Agustin Baes, expressed the students’ voice for the funds to be used to improve a more liberal college teaching approach and pedagogy.
“Gusto ng mga mag-aaral na madevelop yung paraan ng pagtuturo kung saan Malaya po nilang maipapahayag at nais nila na walang political na pakikialam ang (university) administration lalo na sa mga SUCs na pinopondohan primarily ngg obyerno,” Baes said. (The students hope teaching methods would be improved with more academic freedom to express the students’ views without political intervention from the university administration especially among SUCs that are funded by the government.),” he said.
He also hopes that the SUC administration will abide by the CHED guidelines which also heed policy directions from the national government which allocates the PHP 6 B fund and other financial assistance to poor students.
He added that aside from the fund or additional budget, the SUCs should also study and review their course offerings, improve college education and facilities.
“Dapat may pamantayan ding sundin doon sa scholarship lalo na sa higit na nangangailangan nito, yung bigyan ng priority para sila yung pangunahing matulungan,” said Baes, citing scholarship guidelines should be implemented and priority should be given to those who are really in need.
He also proposed a “systematic review” on the government’s scholarship program through CHED and the proper allocation of the budget “without course discrimination because the scholars no matter what courses they are taking right now also have their level-playing fields to excel.”
“Kaya po bigyan natin sila ng sapat na oportunidad para maipagpatuloy nila ang pag-aaral sa tulong ng scholarship na iyan (So, let us provide them the opportunity to continue their studies through the scholarship),” he said. (PNA)
