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‘Wet from the rain, hungry and desperate.’ Hundreds of Filipino students—many accompanied by their parents—endured these hardships as they queued overnight outside the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP), arriving before dawn on Tuesday to secure limited slots in their preferred degree programmes.

With a student population of about 106,000, PUP is the country’s largest state university. More than 135,000 students reportedly took the college entrance test but only 10 per cent passed, and there was no guarantee that all incoming first-year students will be admitted to their desired courses.

What drove the students to queue for slots they were not even sure were available was desperation.  "The camp-out of incoming first-year students and their parents outside the gate of the school's main campus is a sign of their desperation to enroll in the course they desire," PUP professor Prestoline Suyat told Khaleej Times on Wednesday.

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"There are only a few slots available in many courses because of the shortage of usable classrooms, qualified professors, and staff to serve the students. This all stems from the government's disregard for free and accessible education that should be given to our youth,” Suyat underscored.

“Wet from the rain, hungry, and worried that slots in their desired program will run out,” PUP student Alvin Aligam described the suffering by schoolmates overnight. “And you know what's worst? They are still not allowed inside the campus because the policy is they would only be allowed in two hours before office hours,” he added.

Large population, small budget

PUP’s tuition is practically free for undergraduate students. A student only needs to pay miscellaneous and laboratory fees, which typically range from P3,000 to P5,000 (Dh 180 to 305) annually in some courses. It offers at least 80 undergraduate courses in its 23 campuses nationwide, many of which are in far-flung and underdeveloped areas.

Despite its long list of challenges, PUP ranks eighth among Philippine universities and second among state universities and colleges in the country. It is also highly regarded for the employability of its graduates, many of whom are eager to find jobs and build better lives.

While it serves the largest student population in the Philippines, PUP’s funding, however, ranks outside the top 5 overall at P3.62 billion (Dh219 million). It is far behind the University of the Philippines (UP) System with 66,000 students and receives P25.8 billion (Dh1.56 billion)

The Philippine government spends a measly P34,150 (Dh2,065) per PUP student annually. This results in severe classroom shortages, ageing facilities, underpaid faculty and staff and other problems.

Still, while other universities claim to be academically superior, PUP’s claim to be the people’s university is unassailable. It is where many students from the poorest families dream of getting into.

Corruption and education system

There are 113 state colleges and universities across the Philippines, with a total enrollment of 5.7 million students. The Ferdinand Marcos Jr. government has allotted P137.904 billion (Dh8.35 billion) for all of them this year.

Meanwhile, the total amount involved in the Philippines' biggest corruption scandal in the country’s history, the massive flood control controversy, reaches staggering figures across multiple years, with allegations of up to P1 trillion (Dh60 billion) in climate-tagged funds being misused by government officials, from government engineers and, allegedly, all the way up to the Office of the President.

Sutdent leaders like Aligam said the money could have been put into productive use if it was used to fund the special law, the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act, that supposedly assures students of state universities and colleges access to quality education.

Aligam pointed out despite claims by the Philippine government that it prioritises education, the situation in their university is a clear manifestation that free and quality education remains a dream for the Filipino youth and their parents.

“It is sad and infuriating that the situation had been like this for the longest time. Nothing has changed and it is getting worse every year. It is clear that the government continues to fail us,” Aligam noted.

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