College

Transition seems to be the buzzword these days: transition into the K to 12 curriculum, transition into new officials with elections coming next year, even planet Venus in transition.

One transition I wish we’d give more attention to is that of our young about to enter college. I know that for many poor Filipino families, college is not something on the horizon even for children who do exceptionally well in high school. So the talk in high school, if the children even get to high school, is to look for work, start a family.

For those who do consider college as an option, there’s a tendency to go with the tide when it comes to career choices. It used to be nursing, now it’s IT (information technology), culinary arts and hotel and restaurant management. Which school to enroll in? You can always wait till the last minute since many tertiary institutions will take students in fairly easy.

But many of the universities do require early applications and entrance exams. My last column was about the University of the Philippines’ College Admissions Test, with application deadlines coming up on June 15 for Metro Manila applicants. The exam itself will be administered in August, and all this is for schoolyear 2013-2014.

I thought about all this last month when the housekeeper of a relative of mine phoned to seek advice for her niece. She wanted to know about 2-year courses (“para mabilis,” so it will be fast) and government schools (“para mura,” so it will be cheap). She had no idea what her niece’s high school grades were and, even worse, what her niece wanted to take. But then it turned out the niece was at a loss herself (“kahit ano,” anything). All this was in May, and the idea was to start college this June.

Do take time out to work with your child or ward (I know many young people’s parents are working overseas) to look into the possibilities, and to do this without getting caught up with fads. We have thousands of unemployed young Filipinos who took up courses that were advertised as the route to high-paying jobs, to overseas placement.

The Internet has made it easier now to look at college options, but it still won’t be easy and, ironically, it’s because we have an illusion of choice now with higher educational institutions. That’s HEIs, the term used by the government’s Commission on Higher Education, which regulates tertiary institutions. According to its website, we have more than 2,100 universities and colleges in the Philippines, 82 percent of which are private.

The costs are lower in 110 (not 200, as I stated in my column last Wednesday) state universities and campuses, but many of these have several campuses so they total more than 400. There are also 93 local universities and colleges operated and funded by city governments, often offering very low tuition for local residents.

Astronomy?

A good place to start your search is a Wikipedia site “List of Universities and Colleges in the Philippines,” which has links to more than 1,000 of the HEIs, both public and private. The links are often to other Wikipedia entries that provide basic information on a particular school, such as the date it was founded, its officials, degree programs, and sometimes even the university or college hymn. The Wikipedia entries will give additional links to the HEI’s own website for more detailed information on admission policies, degree programs and tuition.

I browsed through these sites and was amazed at the range of state universities and colleges we have, with very specialized programs. There are many state schools devoted to agriculture, fisheries, animal husbandry and veterinary medicine. These schools will also offer courses on business, specifically for agriculture or fishery.

In my last column I mentioned the Philippine Normal University, which specializes in teacher training and has several campuses in and outside Metro Manila.  The Technological University of the Philippines specializes in engineering, architecture and various technical courses. And there’s the Polytechnic University of the Philippines, first established as a business school but which now has colleges for communications, hospitality management, education.

I was surprised to find a Philippine State College of Aeronautics, with campuses in Pasay City, Lipa City, Cebu City and in Pampanga (Floridablanca and Angeles). You never know what you’ll find as you go through the sites. The Rizal Technological University, for example, has various programs for astronomy.

‘Ladderized’ courses

A trend sure to grow in the years to come is that of open universities, offering online or distance education. Check out the sites of UP and PUP for examples of the offerings, which allow you to continue into college while working.

Still another trend is that of “ladderized” courses. PUP’s College of Technology has diploma courses that offer a certificate after each year, allowing different job options. For example, the program in information communication technology is broken down into three levels. The student gets a certificate in that field after one year of training, which can mean a job as data encoder, computer technician or IT support staff. If the student goes on for another year, he or she gets an associate degree allowing him or her to become a data control analyst, junior programmer or network system support staff. A third year of training results in a diploma, allowing the graduate to work as a systems analyst or senior programmer.

Similarly, TUP has several bachelor of technology ladderized courses, in 17 fields ranging from apparel and fashion technology to railway engineering technology. Some private schools, notably the Philippine Women’s University, are also offering ladderized systems.

Just yesterday I listened to Education Undersecretary Yolanda Quijano talk on the K-12 program. She explained that the additional two years of senior high school will allow students to choose a specialization: academic training (i.e., the sciences, engineering, medicine, law) or more tech-voc (technology-vocational) areas. There are several pilot programs that emphasize tech-voc streams using a ladderized system. For example, Ateneo de Naga will offer an Early Childhood Education Teachers’ Aide Program for senior high school students, who can begin to work right after high school, or go on to a full Bachelor of Science program in education, by adding two more years of college.

The University of Makati will also be offering six “employment tracks” for senior high school students: tour guide, digital artist, bartender, auto technician, IT assistant and call center agent. That caused a bit of controversy among the UP faculty attending the talk, who felt our young should have other job options.

I predict that education will be a promising area given the number of new teachers that will be needed at all levels, from kindergarten (now mandatory, and offered free by public schools) to the added senior high school years.