An UPCAT Passer Who Almost Did Not Get To Study in UP

Josephine D.
Carandang
SPCM 1/ U1-2R
Title: NO TO JUNK STS
Specific speech purpose: To convince the students that STS is helpful to students and need not to be
junked.
Proposition/claim: Socialized tuition system, is an effective way for college students in aiding/
overcoming financial situations.
Have you ever encountered problems in paying your school fees and supporting your studies due
to financial instability? Well many of us probably do and the Board of Regents, University of the
Philippines highest policy-making bodys solution had formulated series of regimen to this predicament
and their most recent formula is the Socialized Tuition System which replaced the infamous STFAP that
numerous student organizations had so strongly opposed to. Today, I want to convince you that STS is
helpful to the whole student community despite all the controversies clouded around its name and to
encourage all of you to support STS and strive not for it to be junked for it to be improved.
State university like UP is known for having poor but intelligent students. That is why
access to free but quality education is a very huge matter to most of us. Only about 15 percent
out of more than 80,000 college aspirants passed this years University of the Philippines
College Admission Test (UPCAT), the countrys top state university has released the result of
the latest UPCAT with 12,000 students qualified for admission to different courses and UP
campuses all over the country for School Year 2014-2015 but this sadly this percentage would
decline even more since other universities have better offer of financial assistance. Cherry
Holgado, an UPCAT passer who almost did not get to study in UP, said she learned during
freshman orientation that 18 units of subject load costs about P20,000 and when the UP
socialized tuition program is applied, given her familys income bracket, that figure goes down
to P7,628. Hence, when the Tuition and other fees increase or TOFI was introduced with the
Socialized Tuition and Financial Assistance Program as its ready solution, many of the students
went livid and readily opposed it. Issues continued to flood in like very long and tedious process,
Krystel Tejadas death and incessant number of cases of erroneous bracketing until this
Academic Year 2014, STS was introduced. The new STS will welcome students of UP this
Academic Year 2014-2015 to ensure that more applicants especially those who belong to
poorer families will be able to benefit from the program, said UP President Alfredo Pascual,
consistent with the policy that no qualified student shall be denied access to UP education due
to financial incapacity.
This new system was comparably faster than its predecessor. An STFAP application used
to take from two to 12 months to process, while an STS application only takes two weeks
processing. Additionally, close to 52 percent of STS applicants this school year, percentage of
students who are in the high paying brackets, or those in Brackets A and B also significantly
decreased from 69 percent to 48 percent under the STS. The STS also generated more
applications due to its accessible, fast, and efficient system. By these statements, I am not saying
that the system is perfectly fit for the students need. There were still a lot of concerns about
students being put in a higher bracket than what they deserve and also those who deliberately
falsify information about their familys assets and liabilities. In spite of this underlying issue, we
cannot deny the fact that it has really help the students in aiding their financial setbacks.
Interestingly, out of the 10 students I interviewed 9 of them are opposed in junking STS. They
said that despite the fact that they have some inhibition regarding the system, it really did help
them to get through their financial limits although the one who wants the system removed said
that she think that the system is unfair and does not completely help her through her college life.
She said that education should be free for all. While I agree that education should be free, I think
we have to be realistic about this, as what my other respondent said, hindi naman kasi pwede
yang mangayari ngayon, san kukuha ng pera? Hindi naman yun magically mahuhulog mula sa
langit, I think that today, it is still not feasible. Changes have been made but it still in the
process. Until the government system is cleaned up together with masses coordination and
eradication of corruption, that free education for all is yet to be attained. Hence, what we should
do is to start in ourselves. As our motto of our dear alma mater, honor and excellence should be
practiced by every student in applying to appropriate financial assistance due to them. Be honest,
lying about your SALN is tantamount to corruption. We should also give suggestions and ideas
on how to improve the system to OSA like how they should give clearer more valid questions
unlike those lucid questions like if you have flush in your toilet or if your house is made of light
materials or it is galvanized? Moreover, there should be more frequent house visits, inspections
and interviews and more thorough analysis of information of students profile. It is also highly
recommended that upon online application of STS, supporting certificates and proof will be
uploaded so that forging your economic status will be unlikely. We should work with the
authorities not work against them and we should harmonize not antagonize. Instead of readily
bashing how inefficient the system is, we should unite in transforming the STS more studentfriendly.
STS helps the students to survive in UP. Many students, even if they are at times peeved
at the flaws in the system, like it better than the previous. The quality education we were
enjoying here is relatively cheaper compared to others. Junking STS is very disadvantageous to
numerous moderate income earners and fatal for those in the brink of poverty.
STS is not perfect, it is flawed, it is frustrating. But in spite of this, this is out stepping
stone to progress Gone were the days we have to keep our mouths tightly shut just to prevent
from cussing to death the OSA people. Gone were the days we have to bathe ourselves with
sweat of the complete the deficient requirements. If you are put in the wrong bracket, file an
appeal and state your financial situation with supporting documents if available. You see a
person falsifying his/her SALN, report them. Why should I do that, you ask? Because youre part
of UP! You are supposed to serve the nation and not serve by the nation. Idealism is ideal, but
right now we have to be realistic. We should choose the battle we engaged in. And if youre still
frustrated, just think about how the saying goes, when you want it the most there is no easy way
out. Thats all, thank you!!
References:
http://www.mb.com.ph/only-15-of-upcat-examiners-pass/

An UPCAT Passer Who Almost Did Not Get To Study in UP

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