NEWS | LCSC firm on call for accountability, systematic reform of curriculum
By Natasha Carolina and Alexandra Kate Ramirez
The UP Manila League of College Student Councils (UPM LCSC) on Sunday, November 22, released a statement on the united stand and demands of the UP Manila students following the clarion of student organizations and various individuals as they voiced out their concerns regarding the remote learning. Moreover, despite the issuance of Memorandum №2020–143 last Nov. 26, by the Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs (OVPAA), the League stood firm that the administration failed to be compassionate enough to its stakeholders.
LCSC seeks accountability
The LCSC, along with the students of UPM, stood in solidarity as they called on the university administration to heed their demands and fight alongside the studentry against the state’s criminal negligence.
On top of the Duterte administration’s militaristic response to the pandemic, the absence of a comprehensive calamity aid from the national government profusely left thousands of students in the dark as they struggle to keep up with the demands of online learning.
“The sluggish response of the government left the affected communities scrambling for any available resource and left the burden of providing relief to non-government organizations and individuals,” the LCSC stated.
The league also emphasized that the criminal negligence of the state unarguably impinged on the students’ right to education, compelling a portion of the studentry to file either a leave of absence (LOA) or drop their courses.
The student body’s united stand wasn’t only limited to their academic demands. Furthermore, seeking accountability from those in power was a substantial impetus for the dawn of their collective action.
“We have had enough, the students of UP Manila will not stand idly by while the perpetrators of injustice remain in deep slumber inside their offices,” the LCSC clamored.
Embodying the hashtag #NoStudentLeftBehind, the UP community’s largest stakeholders further enjoined the Filipino people to rally for inclusive quality education as well as a comprehensive disaster and pandemic response from the government.
LCSC stand and demands
Due to current ineffective and inaccessible online set-up, the enforcement of remote learning without ample time and resources for the students, faculty, and staff to prepare resulted in students being left behind. The pandemic has continued to worsen due to Duterte’s criminal negligence in the face of this crisis, along with the recent that devastated the country. Due to this, some students are incapable of coping with the academic pressure imposed on them by their courses.
The LCSC made a united stand and had five demands of the UPM student body: 1) Duterte, Act Now or Step Down; 2) No Fail Policy; 3) Removal of all Deadlines and Requirements; 4) Ample Educational Materials; and 5) Systematic Reform of the Curriculum. These demands take into account the struggles of the students whilst demanding accountability from the current administration.
As of Nov. 26, the UP Office of the Student Regent (OSR) released OVPAA Memorandum №2020–143, indicating the implementation of the No Fail Policy, but continuation of the schedule of the first semester of AY 2020–2021 as planned.
OVPAA Memorandum only bare minimum
With the recently released memorandum, the UPM LCSC takes the implementation of the ‘No Fail Policy’ as a win as it is one of their demands despite the slow response. However, the demand to lift all deadlines and stop giving additional requirements were not implemented, though this was implemented by the chancellors in other UP constituent universities.
“Kapansin pansin na napakabagal ng naging pag-aksyon ng UP admin sa matter na ito. [Lalong-lalo] na sa parte ng UP Manila na pinaghintay ang UPM constituency para sa memo na ito nang napakatagal dahil walang maibigay kaagad na assurance yung sarili nating admin,” a member of the LCSC stated.
The LCSC believes that the implemented memorandum and policy of the administration failed to be compassionate enough for its constituency, as it was only the minimum.
Demand for systematic reform for next semester
According to the memorandum, the second semester of AY 2020–2021 will be even shorter than the first although the admin has recognized that this semester was already compressed and fast-paced. In UPM, a lot of students plan to file for a LOA because of the lack of assurance that their needs, like logistical support and insurance, will be given if face-to-face classes will return next semester.
“Ngayon pa lang nakakakita na tayo ng manipestasyon ng maling pagpaplano ng UP, napakaraming mga estudyante na ang nagbabalak na mag-LOA sa susunod na semestre dahil nahihirapan silang makipagsabayan sa mga academic demands ng kurso nila,” they explained.
Following this, one of the LCSC’s demands to the administration is to ensure that the second semester will be better through a systematic reform of the curriculum. It should lessen the requirements, graded assignment, get rid of synchronous classes, and adjust the syllabus for a more skills-based learning environment for students.
Nevertheless, the LCSC acknowledged that even with these adjustments, online learning is not ideal and there would still be students that would be left behind. The demand to hold Duterte accountable for his actions, or lack thereof, in this pandemic still remains.
