BALITA
PHILIPPINE COLLEGIAN
3
MARTES, ENERO 21, 2013
UPCAT edges out the poor—study group Hans Christian E. Marin Keith Richard D. Mariano ASIDE FROM THE HIGH COST of tuition, the UP College Admission Test (UPCAT) also plays a key role in denying the poor access to the national university, according to a study group composed of UP faculty. Convened by UP President Alfredo Pascual in July 2013, the study group’s review of the university’s admission policy concluded that the UPCAT favours students coming from the upper socio-economic classes. This year, only 30 percent, or 3,946 out of the 13,028 UPCAT passers, came from public high schools. The representation of public high school students in UP Diliman is even lower at barely 12 percent, or 467 out of 3,913 UPCAT passers. (See sidebar) “Students from private schools have a distinct advantage over those from public schools. This relates to lower quality of education, learning environment and support systems available to the students among the poor families,” according to the group composed of seven UP faculty members. Admission to UP The university first administered the UPCAT in 1968. Under this admission process, high school students must pass a written exam before they could be admitted to UP. In 1976, however, then UP President Onofre Corpuz expressed his concern about the large upperclass composition of students in UP. The UPCAT has since underwent revisions—from increasing the weight of high school grades to the implementation of a “palugit” and “pabigat” system. (See timeline) At present, the UPCAT is the primary means to get into the university. The UPCAT measures the competence of a student in Language, Science, Mathematics and Reading Comprehension. Admission through UPCAT considers both the student’s score in a four-hour exam and the weighted average of final grades in the first three years of high school. The UPCAT score, however, is given more weight at 60 percent. The current design of the UPCAT also takes into account the socio-economic and geographic situation of the student through the Excellence-Equity Admission System (EEAS), or more popularly known as the “pabigat” and “palugit” system. For instance, students from public high school students and members of cultural minority groups get a 0.5 palugit or
advantage in the allocation of slots. A 0.5 pabigat, meanwhile, is given to applicants based on their campus preferences, where UP regional campuses prioritize students from the Visayas and Mindanao. “In general, however, the selection has still been incurring bias against or in favour of certain sectors in society,” according to the study group. Limited access From 2009 to 2013, 50 percent of UPCAT passers came from private schools, 20 percent from public science high schools, and only about 30 percent from public general and barangay schools. “Students coming from poor families have inadequate and inferior preparations compared with their counterparts who experience better educational facilities and overall school environment in the more privileged strata of society,” explained the study group. The group also said the lack of information on the admission process, cost of application, schedule of the exam and the location of testing centers have discouraged the poor to take the UPCAT. But the small number of UPCAT passers coming from poor families can also be traced back to a “significant flaw” in the adjustment, or standardization, of public high school grades. The admission system assumes that public high schools are more lenient in grading students. The adjustment of the grades of public high students by 0.16534 would eventually cancel out the 0.05 palugit given to the same students, explained the study group. “The irony is that UP, the country’s national university and a public institution, can actually be seen as discriminating actively against students from poorer backgrounds.” Section 9 of the 2008 UP Charter mandates UP, as the national university, to “take affirmative steps which may take the form of an alternative and equitable admissions process to enhance the access of disadvantaged students… to its programs and services.” Alternative ways To address the underrepresentation of the poor in the national university, the study group proposed a number of changes in the admissions policy of UP. Among the proposals of the study group include the revision of the UPCAT formula to give more weight to the performance of an applicant during high school. From the current 40 percent, the grades of students from public high schools are recommended to account for 60 percent of the UPCAT score.
“Since this will give them higher scores, it will give them higher chances to be included in the UPCAT cut-off score in their chosen colleges of the constituent universities,” according to the study group. The study group also recommended the publication of UPCAT review materials, waiver of application fee for students coming from poor families, and free
1971-72 UPCAT takes into account the weighted average grade in the first three years of high school and scores in the written entrance exam, or what is now known as the University Predicted Grade.
accommodation of applicants near testing centers. But a four-hour exam should not determine the rest of a student’s chances to enter UP, added the study group. As in universities abroad, UP must also consider alternative tests including interviews. The Office of the UP President is already deliberating upon the
1968-69 UPCAT is administered for the first time. Automatic admission for specific groups like valedictorians is still in place.
assessment and recommendations of the study group, said Pascual. “The country's premiere state university, must uphold its public character by crafting policies which genuinely promote the rights of those who remain to be oppressed,” said Eduardo Gabral, national chairperson of Katipunan ng mga Sangguniang Mag-aaral sa UP, the system-wide alliance of student councils. ∞
2006
April 28, 1997
The EEAS uses a regression equation for campus admission to avoid “arbitrariness in the distribution of weights to various UPCAT subtests and HSWA.”
UP President Emil Javier issued a policy to ensure an equitable number of qualifiers from the 77 provinces of the country, and from public high schools.
1996
The Excellence-Equity Admission System was adopted to increase the number of poor, ruralbased and public high school students in the university.
March 1977 A project team is formed to make recommendations in an effort to democratize UP, following then President Onofre Corpuz’s concern over the underrepresentation of the poor in UP.
1415. Dis tr Passers ibution of UPC AT by scho ol type SCHOOL
1984
July 30, 1985
UPCAT became the sole mechanism for admitting freshman students. Cut-off grade must not be lower than 2.8, except in UP Diliman, where it must be 2.6.
High school grades were given more weight in the computation of the UPG, from 20 to 40 percent.
TYPE
SYSTEM-
Private Public Science Foreign Total
WIDE
6,364 3,946 2,594 124 13,028
DILIMAN 2,245 467 1,177 24 3,913
Sources: UP Office of Admissions, Democratizing UP Education: A report submitted by the Study Group on Admissions created through Administrative Order No. PAEP 13-70 of 22 July 2013 to University of the Philippines (UP) President Alfredo E. Pascual
UP Diliman collects toll Arra B. Francia ENTRY TO THE FLAGSHIP campus of the national university indeed comes with a price. The Office of the Vice Chancellor for Community Affairs (OVCSA) confirmed that vehicles of non-UP students, faculty and staff are barred from entering UP Diliman unless they pay a motorway toll of P10. Since December 2013, a photo of a ticket bearing the words “Toll Fee: P10” and the university’s official seal on the background has been circulated in various social media websites. The photo has since elicited negative comments from students online, with a number of them decrying the policy for degrading public character of the state university. Other students, meanwhile, were asking for
clarifications whether such policy is truly in effect. Apparently, the toll has been instituted for at least five years already. According to Vice Chancellor for Community Affairs Melania Flores, the policy was first implemented in 2009 to control the number of vehicles entering UP and to consequently ensure the safety of the students. However, no memorandum instituting the fee exists. The collection of toll was only implemented through an arrangement with the OVCCA and the Office of the Vice Chancellor on Administration, Flores said. Vehicles, other than the jeepneys plying the campus roads, may enter UP through any of the university portals should a student, faculty or staff of the university present an identification card (ID). Should
motorists fail to present a UP ID, they are only allowed to pass through the University Avenue, where tolls are collected. Meanwhile, a car sticker renewable for every three years may be purchased at the OVCCA for as much as P800 to be given access to the university. But non-UP students and personnel are prohibited from applying for a car sticker, hence the collection of tolls. The collected fees will be used for the maintenance of roads in the university, said Flores. From 2010 to 2013, the government has not allotted budget for UP’s capital outlay (CO), based on the General Appropriations Act. The budget for CO finances the maintenance and construction of infrastructure projects, such as buildings and roads. ∞