Last Wednesday was my first day at Taguig City University and I can't keep myself from writing what I went through -- rather what my classmates and I are going through as of the moment. I'm not quite a critic but it just keeps bugging me that though I am getting College Education with no cost at all, I know in my heart that it should not be like this at all.
I used to work at a Business Process Outsourcing Industry and I am quite aware how harsh taxes are being charged from Philippine employees. I know how Filipinos failed to understand the large amount of Value Added tax is being charged against them in everything they eat, wear, drink, ride on, enjoy, and basically live on. These taxes, if being used in the right way, should be enough to shoulder and elevate the Educational System in the Philippines. So as we all know, but never have took the courage to check on our National Leaders.
That day, I learned that the professor for the some subjects have not attended the class ever since the curriculum year has started because they thought I was a professor as it was the first time that they met me. I realised that we would be probably spending our whole semester under a nearly roofless warehouse that was turned into classrooms with plywood divisions because the original rooms at the TCU building was made to Computer Laboratories, which we are not yet permitted to use. I noticed the danger in their improvised rooms as you can see electric fans with no covers, electric wiring all around, and because it is roofless we can be as warm as the sun or as wet as the rain, whatever the weather is.
The Rooms and some Professors attitude towards work reminded me of no less than my 2nd year High School Classroom in Taguig National High School -- definitely worst.
We are also asked to attend an orientation for our Course. Well I was excited that maybe we can have a chance to raise out our issues. But I was wrong, instead we have heard a lot of good promises. Like election, but they do not need our votes. I heard a lot of Policies. I heard Student's Rights, but only basic. But I did not hear any encouragement for us to talk. And worst, there was this one person who called us "Scholar of TCU, Scholar of the Mayor.", and suddenly it hurts. It made me realize that we do not have the right to complain because we did not pay anything for this education. Well in fact we do, maybe not directly but we do paid for everything that the government is giving us. What are taxes for anyway?
I was so furious but then when we returned to our classroom, a Professor came up and introduced herself. After some introduction, she suddenly told us that we should not look into these imperfection as a reason to stop attending classes, thus we should make it as an inspiration to carry on with our education and make sure that no one in the future would be in the same situation. I agree she had a point there, so I stopped mumbling and composed myself and gear for the next days of my semester.
Still, we should not hear the words that we are "Scholar of Someone". Every Filipino should be aware that Every Filipino students deserves not only Free, but Quality Education. That is what "The Future of the Nation" is lacking nowadays. Extending School years would be null if the same Education System applies. If we can just reconstruct and provide better for the students then we can expect a lot from them. Imagine a keyboarding class that use paper printed keyboards in their Drills. I can tell you its hard, because I have been there that day.
