Dito sa UST, “No Money, No Entry"

The University of Santo Tomas recently made a new enrollment policy of not accepting promissory notes, banning the issuance of “pre-enrollment forms” to those who may want to reserve slots but are currently short of cash, and not allowing students with previously unpaid accounts to enroll. (with reports from The Varsitarian) With the implementation of this new stringent policy, students who can’t pay the minimum down payment for installment fees are likewise not allowed to enroll. 

This announcement was posted through a memorandum which circulated during the final examination during last semester. During the days of enrollment several signage bearing the words “NO PROMISSORY NOTES ALLOWED” were clearly displayed.

Here's the memorandum from the Vice Rector for Finance:

Aside from the fact that the announcement was done on a short notice and did very little to provide ample time for the parents to prepare their pockets, I believe that this policy is again an incident of lack of consultation with the students. No dialogue was done with the student body. The policy making rested solely on the administrators. We, the students, had become passive recipients of this memorandum, forcibly fed onto us and we, like abused children, apathetically opened our mouths to whatever gustatory dread awaits us.

Good thing not everyone accepted this policy with open arms.

I was talking yesterday with a leader from the Anakbayan-UST Chapter who spearheaded a move against this policy. Together with the Central Student Council president Lorraine Taguiam, they went on a dialogue for the reconsideration of the policy. On November 23, 2011, the Varsitarian released an update announcing that the administrators lifted the policy.

The University will be entertaining late enrollees starting today, while promissory notes will be accepted again but will be subject to the approval of the Treasurer’s Office - Central Student Council 

***

When you come to think of it, the policy is in itself covered with a dark shade of elitism. It presupposes that if the student can’t pay the exact fee on time, one's right to education is rightfully waived. In another way we may ask, “Has education been confined only to the elite who can afford it?” This also speaks of the commercialization of education where issues of money come first before the fulfillment of the university’s mission, which is to provide education, so to speak.

It must be an arrogant statement for a student to demand education without doing his part by first paying the tuition fees, but then again, due consideration must be given by the administration since not every family can afford to produce money in time with the enrollment and some even technically depend on promissory notes to enroll.

To sum up, I suggest consultation must be done with the students with regard to such policies that directly affect them. As per the university administrators, they must carefully consider the possible consequences of the proposed policies so that the interests of the students are not sacrificed by a less than effective administrative process.

***

I enjoin the student councils and organizations of the different colleges, let us continue to do our part in protecting the students rights and interests. May our functions extend more than that of organizing activities. The student body technically gave us our positions and it is but just that we work for the people we serve and not for another party. Kudos to the CSC President Lorraine Taguiam, Anakbayan and other students who participated for this feat!