In a move triggered by the resignation of the nursing department dean at Easter College, Inc. (ECI), faculty members have expressed willingness to follow suit in support of the dean’s position against the school’s leadership.
BY CYE REYES
Northern Dispatch
Posted by Bulatlat
BAGUIO CITY (246 kms north of Manila) – In a move triggered by the resignation of the nursing department dean at Easter College, Inc. (ECI), faculty members have expressed willingness to follow suit in support of the dean’s position against the school’s leadership.
Clinical Coordinator Marie Sibelius said, “We work here because of Dean Ruth Thelma Tingda’s vision for the department and it is not about the pay, anyway the school is not competitive in terms of benefits and pay compared to other nursing schools.”
Sibelius also said that during a dialogue with the faculty, the school’s President Benjamin R. Yngente had said that “should the faculty resign, there would always be people who can replace them.”
Tingda filed her resignation Sept. 20, stating as reason “non-realization of aspirations and loss of confidence” with the present leadership. She said she is leaving the college for non-recognition of the college’s objective of providing quality nursing education to its constituents, which she had worked hard for since she became the dean.
Tingda also cited differing styles of management and leadership between her and Yngente.
The college’s nursing course was first offered five years ago and had already graduated three batches. The school’s nursing board examination passing rate was 84 percent in December 2007.
Concerned parents, faculty members and students forwarded separate open letters to the school administration asking both the president and the Board of Trustees (BoT) not to accept Tingda’s resignation.
The nursing faculty members said in their letter that Tingda’s resignation would be a great loss to the college and that they are behind her and are united in supporting her leadership.
Yngente accepted Tingda’s resignation through a letter by the school’s Vice President Brigitt S. Santiago on Sept. 26.
Yngente said in an interview that the dean’s resignation is irrevocable and he could not do anything about it but to look for a replacement.
The nursing students along with other students of ECI walked out of their classrooms the day after the president accepted Tingda’s resignation and held a mobilization on Sept. 29 demanding that the administration bring her back as their dean.
According to ECI Supreme Student Council Chairperson Mark Ryan Ang, because of this present situation, the school’s problems with its leadership have been exposed.
“The president’s character is not fit for a leader. He is not visible and is not involved with what is really happening with our school. We do not feel his presence as the president,” said Ang.
In the student’s letter, other issues were also raised like the lack of a student publication, lack of transparency in the administration of school funds and lack of decent facilities.
Meanwhile, in a dialog Monday, parents and students got a nod from the school’s BOT to look into the issues raised in relation to Tingda’s resignation.
Tingda is also currently the chairperson of the Philippine Nurses Association (PNA)-Cordillera Region Board of Governors. Northern Dispatch / Posted by Bulatlat.com
