SHS Koronadal remains neglected across UP units; SC flags learning gaps in recent courtesy visit
By Zamuel Ryle Q. Malonzo
Despite its 14 long years in operation, the University of the Philippines Manila School of Health Sciences (UPM-SHS) Koronodal lags far behind in attaining conducive learning conditions due to scarce resources, limited consultations, and lack of direct funding from the UP administration, urging the UPM SHS Koronadal Student Council to demand action in a recent courtesy visit at the UP System President’s Office in Diliman on Feb. 13.
As of writing, the council still awaits an official update from the administration, which nodded the provision of a monthly stipend, Return Service Agreement (RSA) moratorium, and alternative SHS learning pathways, leaving them uncertain about the plans’ actualization.
Learning in limbo
Designed as a ‘global center of excellence’ for health professions education in 2011, the UPM-SHS Koronodal offers integrated courses on community health work, nursing, and medicine, producing qualified health professionals to serve the marginalized.
Despite being the sole UPM extension unit in Mindanao banking on a step-ladder curriculum, the ‘first of its kind in Asia,’ the campus suffers from inequitable learning conditions, as evidenced by unutilized infrastructures and lack of instructional materials.
In an interview with the chairperson of UPM-SHS Koronodal Student Council, Orly Jhon Magbanua, he revealed the recent courtesy call was their only chance to shed light on student concerns as no UP System-led consultations had been made since the council’s establishment.
The only time they got in contact with a UP official was days prior to the visit with UPM Chancellor Michael Tee concerning their dormitory arrangement during their PGH exposure, where only eight out of 16 students were accommodated.
Magbanua detailed that his fellow students have to endure poor ventilation in the confined spaces of their gymnasium and dormitory in Koronadal due to lack of classrooms.
Ironically, their campus houses unused semi-furnished facilities, including an academic building, a dormitory, an anatomy laboratory, and a lying-in facility, whose benefits remain untapped after approximately five years of no official turnover.
With infrastructures starting to deteriorate even before they are utilized, students are deprived of opportunities to conduct return demonstrations, forcing them to apply theoretical knowledge straight to hospital practice.
On top of the infrastructural predicament, Magbanua lamented the condition of the instructional materials provided to students, which are either lacking or obsolete.
“Mayr’on nga kaming faculty na nagsabi na hindi siya ganoon ka-sure kung updated pa ba [‘yung tinuturo] kasi kumbaga obsolete na ‘yung learning resources,” said Magbanua.
In response, the administration initiated an e-library orientation for the extension campus, which was still found ineffective as it discounts the poor signal reception and digital divide among students of the region.
The officials also pledged tangible resources, specifically five television sets and ten cooling fans, none of which have arrived in Koronadal yet as of press time.
During the courtesy visit, the council amplified calls for funding from the UP system for the school’s Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses (MOOE), which have only been sourced from their provincial government for the longest time.
Part of the requested funding is also expected to subsidize their Student Learning Assistance System (SLAS) that will provide a P3000 monthly stipend to approximately 216 students.
According to Magbanua, such assistance is needed for the campus’ upkeep and students’ welfare, which they cannot expect to be prioritized by their respective lower-class regional municipalities.
Careers on hold
Key issues lobbied included alternative pathways for UPM-SHS Koronadal graduates pursuing Master’s and Doctoral degrees, hindered by the strict ladderized curriculum.
With 11 weeks per quarter, an SHS student enters midwifery and obtains a certificate in Community Health Work (CHW) after seven quarters, while a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree requires five more quarters. The final stage of the curriculum, the Doctor of Medicine program, is finished by an additional five years of study.
Approximately, eight years are necessary for the completion of the step-ladder curriculum.
Although a student may opt to exit in between program levels as a functional health worker, CHW graduates are held back by most job offerings that require a Bachelor’s degree to occupy plantilla positions, compelling them to readmit in the next stage of the curriculum.
Adding to their already prolonged training is the RSA, a binding contract that obliges students of its extension campuses to serve two years for every year of study after graduation, averaging four to 10 years, which is considerably longer than its counterparts at Ermita’s white colleges, averaging two to three years.
The notarized agreement mandates SHS graduates to work in their sponsoring communities, but they often end up in other public institutions, regardless of their field.
“Walang assurance na ma-aassign ka sa municipality na nag-endorse sa’yo…kumbaga ang unang-unang nagbreach ng contract ay ang mga local government units din,” Magbanua explained
Failure to comply with the contract entails legal repercussions, such as a payback amount equivalent to the years studied and withheld credentials, leaving the graduates with no choice of immediate compliance, even if it means impeding their pursuance of higher education.
The already heavy burden is exacerbated by academic delays with administrators’ negligence to blame, according to Magbanua. He cites a case of an expired Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with partner hospitals that may have been overlooked by officials, delaying batches of midwifery students for at least four years.
Banking on resilience
With limited to no instructional resources provided, Magbanua revealed that students are forced to share books and take turns with other reading materials.
Given the lack of available food services, the council had to extend assistance by means of initiating a makeshift canteen amid the limited student spaces.
Magbanua admitted that he remains doubtful whether students from other UP constituent campuses are aware of UPM-SHS Koronadal, much less its longstanding struggles.
Amid uncertainty, the 58th convention of the General Assembly of Student Councils and the courtesy visit at Diliman served as visible platforms for student representation and awareness of their on-ground realities.
“SHS ang patunay na hindi lahat ng UP [ay] maganda,” Magbanua said out of frustration.
Despite a 90% passing rate and a ninth-place national rank in the 2024 Midwifery Licensure Exam, the unit’s success should not excuse the administration from delaying needed innovations, said the chair.
Magbanua believes that UPM-SHS Koronadal health workers can better tap the potential of their skills and elevate their communities if only they are given priority and equitable access to basic resources.
