The Cruelty of Philippine Tertiary Education

By Chia Revina

Trigger Warning: Death, Suicide

As Philippine tertiary institutions remain inaccessible for the ordinary Filipino people, some college students are left with no choice but to take leave of absence or be forced to drop out.

The conditions almost a decade ago that robbed Kristel Tejada’s life are almost the same until today — soaring tuition fees and anti-student policies still hamper them to have a genuine affordable education.

Forced Absences

It was early Friday morning on 15 March 2013 when a news broke out in Rizal Hall in University of the Philippines Manila (UPM) that a 16-year-old first year BehSci (Behavioral Science) student committed suicide. From collated reports coming both from her professor and family members, her inability to enroll due to financial problems triggered her to end her life.

When Rina Ramirez*, a student from the College of Arts and Science (CAS) during that time, heard what happened to Kristel she couldn’t help but feel sad and angry at the same time.

“I was sad when I first heard the news, especially that she was still a freshie. She was too young. But when I knew what caused her death that’s when I started to get outrageous.”

Kristel couldn’t enroll because she owed ₱10,000-tuition. She asked financial aid to their local councilor and requested several appeals to the UPM administration, but the administration’s sole response was to prohibit her from attending classes and was forced to take leave of absence (LOA).

The CAS student lamented that UP takes pride in its students’ excellence, yet failed to give education to Kristel when all she wanted was to learn and finish her studies.

But a few years later, she also finds herself in the same shoes as Kristel’s.

Rina’s family cannot make ends meet because her mother’s tenure ended and her father’s only a daily wage earner, which made financial security for their family essentially impossible. For a family of five, a ₱500 take home pay is not sufficient for their expenses, so she was forced to take a LOA.

“I didn’t like the thought that I have to temporarily leave UP because I couldn’t afford the high tuition fees. I also didn’t want to be delayed so I appealed and submitted a promissory note, but I was denied enrollment in the following semester.”

She worked for three years to fend for her family and only able to make time for studies a few years ago.

In 2017, President Rodrigo Duterte signed the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act or Republic Act 10931. Yet despite the presence of this law, other forms of fee collection are in place that still makes education inaccessible.

“The law may be beneficial, but it is not the only problem. The lab instruments and other materials are shouldered by the students. I don’t know if they can afford it, especially for students coming from low- income families like me.”

Pandemic woes

When the pandemic ravaged the country, the industries plummeted resulting in people being jobless because of the low social mobility. The then breadwinners find themselves on the rocks as their workplaces close.

Among those affected by the sudden shift is the family of CJ*, a Broadcast Communication from DLSU-D. His mother’s work was gravely affected by the pandemic so the company retrenched her while his father who is an Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) in UAE, is also affected as his work reduced the manpower. Their finances have been unstable leaving CJ no choice but to drop in college.

“I want to study because I’m afraid to be left behind. But as the only child, it is also my duty to provide for my family.”

He also had consultations with the local government regarding financial asisstance, but was still forced to work because of the financial constraints and the lately diagnosed health condition of his mother.

“Since my mother does not have work, I’m the one paying the bills for our necessities, including the medications of my mother who currently has myoma and heart condition.”

The incidents that transpired during the pandemic made him rethink his priorities, but for now it is clear that education takes the backseat as his family struggles to make ends meet.

“I still have balance in my school when I was still enrolled, but luckily our Dean is lenient enough. I still don’t know what my future’s plans are because even my course got dissolved.”

When the class resumes face-to-face, CJ has decided to still work for two more years to have sufficient savings and to provide for her mother’s operation.

“Education is important, but with the impediments I’m facing, I can’t easily go back.”

Inherent Accessibility

For more than decades of struggle, genuine education remains inaccessible despite the passage of “Free Education Law” and other assistance programs.

Kristel’s untimely death happened exactly nine years ago, but tertiary institutions still promote the same neoliberal and anti-democratic system that triggered her to commit suicide.

As long as the Philippine education system only favors the privileged, justice for Kristel Tejada and other victims of the state have yet to be met.

*Changed name due to request of interviewee