EDITORIAL - ‘Iskolar ng bayan’

At the state-subsidized University of the Philippines, poor but deserving students are supposed to enjoy the same opportunity as affluent peers to have quality education, as “iskolar ng bayan” or scholars of the nation. But the promise of subsidized education failed, with tragic consequences, in the case of Kristel Tejada.

The 16-year-old behavioral science student started her first semester last year at the University of the Philippines in Manila with a P10,000 IOU for her tuition and miscellaneous expenses. In November, she was allowed to enroll and attend classes despite her tuition arrears. But the pressure mounted for her to settle the back payments.

A few days ago, with the semester about to end, Kristel was forced to go on leave from her classes. The other day at 3 a.m., she drank silver cleaner at her home in Tondo, Manila, which she shared with three younger siblings and her parents. She died shortly after being rushed to a hospital.

Kristel, the public now knows, wanted to complete her education quickly so she could become a surgeon and help her siblings. A UP education would have been a ticket out of poverty for Kristel, the daughter of a part-time taxi driver and a housewife. Her parents tried to help her obtain a tuition loan and pleaded that she be allowed to finish the semester, to no avail.

The suicide is unusual, but stories abound of students dropping out of public schools and state universities because they cannot afford the participation fees and miscellaneous expenses charged in the public education system. Education eats up the largest chunk of the national budget after debt payments, and primary and secondary education is supposed to be free and universal. Yet the dropout rate remains high. Impoverished families are burdened even by regular transportation fare and the cost of uniforms and school supplies for their children. In rural areas, children often drop out of school to help their parents during harvest season.

Despite poverty, Kristel Tejada managed to complete elementary and high school and hurdle the country’s toughest university entrance examination. Instead her dream was dashed and a young life was snuffed out. Kristel Tejada’s tragedy should lead to a review of education policies so that other poor and gifted students will not suffer the same fate.