QC high school alumni, faculty slam admission of Korean as scholar

MANILA, Philippines – Some alumni and faculty at the Quezon City Science High School (QCSHS) are protesting anew the acceptance of a Korean girl as a scholar when the schoolyear started in June last year.

They cited Department of Education (DepEd) Division Memorandum 367 issued in 2008, which sets guidelines for the admission of students into QCSHS, provides that an applicant must be a Filipino citizen.

The concerned alumni and teachers have previously called the DepEd’s attention over the allegedly anomalous admission of the Korean girl. They alleged that the girl was among the additional enrollees accepted by QCSHS when the school’s former principal, Dr. Zenaida Panti-Sadsad, reclaimed her post in June last year.

Dr. Diego Amid, who had been replaced by Sadsad, told The STAR he did not accept the Korean applicant when she tried to enroll during the application period. “I did not accept any Korean national, definitely,” he said.

Amid said he only laid out eight sections for first year high school students accepted by the school, but alumni and teachers said Sadsad reportedly extended the enrollment period and increased the number of sections to 10 for first year high school students.

One alumnus said the reportedly anomalous admission of the Korean national is “just the tip of the iceberg that confirms persistent rumors that there are anomalies in the admission system with ‘donations’ being made by parents for their children to get admitted.”

The alumni said while QCSHS was established in 1967 as a science high school exclusively for public elementary school graduates who earned high grades, 85 percent of the current freshman population reportedly comes from private elementary schools.

The DepEd removed Sadsad from her post in October 2009 after four students were suspended for writing blogs critical of her and her policies. She said the school merely recommended the suspension and the ultimate decision to impose it was made by the Quezon City Division of City Schools.

Sadsad also denied reports that she shut down two school newspapers, The Banyuhay and The Electron, and sacked the newspapers’ faculty adviser, Rex San Diego.