LOA
Campaign Reaches 51%
Mapua or Malayan?
Students say No to Change of Name
What's in a name? For students of Mapua Institute of Technology (MIT), it
is a sacred legacy that must be upheld. At the same time, many of them
believe that retaining MIT’s name is also a protest against the intrusion
of big business to education.
BY RONALYN V. OLEA
Bulatlat
Fifty-one percent of students from
the Mapua Institute of Technology (MIT) in Intramuros, Manila filed notice
for leave of absence (LOA) for this summer term to dramatize their demand
to retain the name of the school. During a rally on April 20, they
reiterated their protest against the plan to change the institute's name
to Malayan Colleges.
The protesting students wore black shirts with words that read, "Mapuan
forever," "Graduating class ako ng Mapua," (I belong to the graduating
class of Mapua) and "Astig maging Mapuan," (It's cool to be a Mapuan).
They also chanted "Malayan: Wala 'yan!" (Malayan: That's nothing!)
Although the atmosphere was festive, complete with yellow and red balloons
and a car show, their struggle was no joke. Their campaign is now on its
third month. The February 14 protest marked the peak, gathering more than
10,000 students.
In an interview with Bulatlat, Armando Cristobal, spokesperson of
United Mapuans (UM) revealed their LOA campaign was successful. Cristobal
said that in the previous summer terms, enrolment rate stood
at 100 percent.
The Yuchengco Group of Companies (YGC) bought the MIT from the Mapua
family in 1999. It was built in 1925 by the first Filipino architect Don
Tomas Mapua. The Yuchengcos own the Malayan Insurance
Company and Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation, among other business
firms.
Low quality
Cristobal said that since the Yuchengcos gained control of the MIT, its
passing rate in all engineering courses suffered a sharp decline. He cited
the all-time low 17 percent passing rate in mechanical engineering exam.
"You can make a
businessman out of an engineer but a businessman cannot be an engineer,"
he said.
The MIT was known as the country's premier school of engineering and
architecture in the 1970s and 1980s. Through the years, it registered
more than 40 percent passing rate in licensure examinations.
High in profits
In a statement, Rizza Ramirez, National Union of Students of the
Philippines (NUSP) national president, attributed the alleged low quality
of education in Mapua to the four-semester scheme. She said it however
secured Mapua's place in the top 1,000 corporations in the country.
By the end of 2003, nine schools including MIT were included in the list
of the Philippines' top 1,000 corporations, based on the data from the
Securities and Exchange Commission. The MIT was third, next to the
National Teachers College and consistent topnotcher
Centro
Escolar University. On the other hand, it placed 218th among
the country's top 1,000 business companies, with net profits amounting to
P218.70 million.
The MIT charges five times higher than the average tuition in the country,
which is now at P334.89 per unit. According to the Commission on Higher
Education, the MIT charges P1,254.64 per unit. Thus, a student with a full
15-unit load pays P18,819.60 every semester. Since the MIT has four
semesters in a school year, a student with a 15-unit load pays P75,278.40
annually.
Carl Marc Ramota, Anak ng Bayan spokesperson said the "relentless hikes in
tuition and other fees have earned private school owners millions of
profits over the last two decades, which largely explains
why most business tycoons like Lucio Tan and the Yuchengcos are now
venturing into tertiary education."
Cristobal also complained of miscellaneous fees amounting to more than
P3,000 per semester. He said they are not even presented a breakdown of
these fees.
Repression
Cristobal said they also demand the revision of the Students Catalogue.
He said that the catalogue prohibits the distribution of leaflets and
other printed materials, formation of groups without permit, among others.
Cristobal, also the sports editor of the New Builder, official
student publication of the MIT, said their paper is being censored by the
Office of Student Affairs. "Kinakatay nila mga artikulo namin.." (They
kill our stories) The New Builder's issue last semester has been
put on hold.
Cristobal was one of the seven students who were suspended last semester.
He was charged with illegal assembly, forming/joining clandestine groups
and harassment against the students. He said, however, that the
administration failed to present any witness to prove their allegations
against him. Still under preventive suspension, Cristobal said he is not
allowed to enter the school premises and the MIT enrolment system no
longer identifies him as a bonafide student.
Cristobal also told Bulatlat that protesters are being threatened
by school officials. He quoted John Jodilla, dean of the Institute of
Mechanical Engineering, as warning them, "Kaya kong magpabura ng tao sa
mundo" Other leaders of United Mapuans, he said, are constantly hounded
by security guards. "Parang martial law" (It's like being under martial
law).
Bulatlat tried to get the side of the administration but was told
no one was available for interview. Bulatlat
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