Dean maintains closure of high school would benefit UP Cebu

CEBU, Philippines - “It is a painful development, yet it must be done.”

This was the statement of Enrique Avila, dean of the University of the Philippines Visayas – Cebu College, on the impending closure of UP High School.

In an interview with The Freeman, Avila said the decision to close UP High is a crucial move to support the ongoing bid of UPVCC to become an “independent constituent.”

At present, UPVCC operates under UP Visayas in Ilo-ilo and to become independent, Avila said the college must be able to strengthen its programs. Strengthening its programs, in turn, would require a “strong” faculty and a bigger budget.

To address this, Avila said UP High needs to be abolished “gradually” so that the funds that are now being used to operate the high school can be used to further develop the programs of the tertiary department.

Becoming an institution “that responds to the needs of its host community” is the direction that UPVCC intends to take, Avila said. He said independence from UP Ilo-ilo would be more advantageous to teachers and students of UPVCC, as well as the community as a whole.

Among the initial steps towards this direction include streamlining of courses, improving basic facilities, and liberating subjects to maximize existing resources in the campus.

“Here comes the problem of funds allocation and here is where UP high school comes in,” Avila said.

Section 3 of the New UP Charter says the purpose of UP as a university shall be a public and secular institution of “higher learning” and it shall also perform its “unique and distinctive leadership in higher education.”

Avila said UP High falls under basic education and moves to abolish the high school and turn it over to then Department of Education, Culture, and Sports came as early as the ‘80s and ‘90s.

“Large proportion of College’s resources is being used by the high school, yet these resources must be used for the tertiary programs. Using something for another purpose is a malversation of public funds,” Avila said.

The Department of Budget and Management has allocated P45.8 million in 2004 and P61.2 million in 2009 for the salary of teachers for UPVCC, but the budget for the maintenance of the college and for other operating expenses remains at P2.5 million for the last five years.

Avila said this is the reason why the campus has struggled to sustain itself, considering the devaluation of the peso in recent years. 

Of the P61.2 million salary allocation, more than 24 percent goes to the Professional Education department that manages the High School, while the rest is divided among five other divisions of the College.

“Our bid requires that we show we are using our resources efficiently. But in our aim to develop, it is just unfortunate nga naay sad event in exchange,” Avila said.

“We have no choice but to do it. If we want to become an independent university, it requires more budget that we need to source out from our existing funds because we will not be given additional funding for that. Right now, we do not see a single tree, but the whole forest,” he added. — Jessica Ann R. Pareja/JMO   (FREEMAN NEWS)