Partido Federal ng Pilipinas (PFP) standard bearer Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr. wants to build state universities and colleges (SUCs) in every province in the Philippines.
According to the Presidential aspirant, the government should establish more SUCs in the country if it wants to grow more Filipino professionals for the country’s workforce.
Currently there are 112 SUCs main campuses in the country with 421 serving as satellite campuses.
Central Luzon has the most number of SUCs with 12 followed by Western Visayas with 11, Eastern Visayas with 10; Bicol Region with nine, and the National Capital Region (NCR) with eight. The regions having five to six SUCs each are Zamboanga Peninsula, Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley, Calabarzon, Central Visayas, Northern Mindanao, Mimaropa, Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), and Davao Region. Caraga Region, on the other hand, has four SUCs and Socskargen has three.
The former lawmaker noted that the construction of various public colleges and universities in every part of the country will be a big help for low-income parents who want to provide good education for their children. He added that it will encourage people living in rural areas not to migrate to the overcrowded cities or municipalities.
The former senator also recognized the excellence of provincial students who often land on the Top 10 in board and bar exams.
“Palibhasa, mas determinado silang makapagtapos sa pag-aaral kaya dapat talaga tuluy-tuloy ang pagpapatayo ng SUCs sa probinsya. Tulong man iyan mula sa national o local government (They are more determined to finish their studies that's why we need to continue establishing SUCs in provinces. It is help coming from the national or local government),” Marcos said.
The former Ilocos Norte congressman also believes that constructing “Centers for Excellence” (COE) and “Centers of Development” (COD) will strengthen the skills, competence and intelligence of Filipino students.
Marcos also took note of the increasing number of students enrolling on the first day of school, but are later dropping out because of financial issues.
“Nalulungkot po tayo sa report na ganyan. Iba’t iba ang dahilan kaya maraming estudyante ang nag-eenroll pero hindi nakaka-graduate. Marami riyan problema sa pera kasi mahal nga naman ang matrikula, libro, pamasahe at baon sa eskuwela. Iyong iba naman ay posibleng nawawalan ng interes sa pag-aaral. Kaya dapat maliban sa pagpapalakas sa mura at kalidad ng edukasyon ay maiparamdam sa kanila ang kahalagahan ng edukasyon, lalo na kung makikita ng bawat isa sa ating estudyante ang kanilang sariling kakayahan at kagalingan (I'm sad on the report that many students for different reasons are enrolling but never graduating. Many of them have financial problems because the tuition fees, price of books, fares and provisions in school are getting high. Others have lost interest in studying. Hence, aside from providing an affordable and quality education, we have to make them feel the importance of education especially if each student can see their ability and excellence),” the former Ilocos Norte added.
The former legislator lamented the P10 billion budget cut in education for 2022 which he said is a move backwards in the country’s mission to provide quality education for everyone. He cited that the P62.3 billion budget proposed by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) was cut to P52.6 billion upon the recommendation of the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).
"How can our country progress if education remains in dire straits because the institutions in-charge cannot operate well for lack of budget?" said Marcos, who added that education should always be a priority and it should not be deprived of financial support.