Addressing the graduating class of the ÌìÃÀÊÓƵ (UP) Diliman, ÌìÃÀÊÓƵ (UP) President Angelo “Jijil” Jimenez announced that UP would lead efforts to democratize access to quality tertiary education by helping improve the quality of education in other SUCs.
In his commencement address, delivered on 30 July via a video recording due to inclement weather, Jimenez pointed out that “as the national university, we are mandated under Republic Act 9500, the law revising the UP Charter, to lead in higher education.”
The labor lawyer reminded the UPD Class of 2023 that of the 114 state universities and colleges (SUCs) in the country, UP gets 20% of the national budget for higher education.
“We all know there is a huge gap overall between the quality of UP education and the rest of the SUCs. No other public tertiary educational institution in the Philippines has ever landed among the top 1000 in global rankings,” lamented Jimenez.
The UP President said it is paradoxical “that access to our university, which we love to call the University of the People, is very difficult for the people.”
“I believe in democratic access to UP education. And I believe that is best done by helping improve the quality of education in other SUCs.”
Jimenez said this would be more equitable as a student would not have to go to UP to access a UP-level education.
“At the same time,” said the Butuan native, “we can review the UPCAT and our equity-excellence formulas to give our disadvantaged a better fighting chance.”
Read UP President Jimenez’s speech in full.
UP, the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), and other SUCs are set to hold the first UP-SUC Summit on Excellence and Equity in Public Higher Education on September 15. The summit aims to achieve the following objectives: (1) to discuss strategies for overcoming challenges in establishing and maintaining linkages between universities; (2) to promote sharing best practices and innovative approaches in academic, research, and public service collaboration; (3) to identify opportunities for graduate education, student and faculty exchange, joint research, and sharing of educational resources and other academic and research activities; and (4) to establish a framework for sustainable and effective collaboration between UP, CHED, and other SUCs by signing an undertaking or a Memorandum of Understanding that outlines the key points of agreement among the participants.
