E D I T O R I A L: EDUCATING THE POOR
One of the most stinging attacks on Philippine education is its elitist character. The cliché that there are only four schools in the Philippines- UP, Ateneo, La Salle, and others, maybe closer to truth than just being a jest.
Indeed, the army of unemployed nowadays consists mainly of graduates who are products of the “other schools.”
Adamson University stands out as one of the few schools striving to send out a message that being pro-poor doesn’t mean poor service or poor quality.
This is the other face of Philippine education. Ironically, no solid programs have been initiated to redirect this pervading mindset among the youth.
With an unyielding commitment to this credo, the University’s rock-solid record of committing a dramatic chunk of its coffers to its Ozanam Study Grant Program is one of the clear manifestations of this. Many of these grantees landed on good jobs, high pays and remarkable work ethics honed from years of actually “working” as Student Assistants while studying.
There have been attempts to readdress this concern as a debate heated on whether espousing service for the poor is actually helping the University deliver the goods. In the end, experience and wisdom have taught the University well. It must continue because no other schools have actually embodied the zeal in its vision-mission.
Expect Adamson University to clearly mark the continuity of this thrust. Catholic schools need not be a refuge of elitist education. To the contrary, it must become instrumental in the arming of the underserved to become key players of the mainstream society.
Volume 4 No. 1 April 2002 Edition
June 25, 2002
http://www.adamson.edu.ph/new%20publication/APRIL2002/editorial.htm
