Davao City- Hundreds of students from the University of Mindanao (UM) staged a barricade and a walk-out Tuesday to manifest their strong opposition against the administration’s latest Base-20 and Retention policies.The Base 20 policy directs the teaching staff to implement the 80% passing grade while the Retention policy mandates that three (3) failing grades in any major subject will result to the “forced” shifting of the student.
“According to the administration, these policies would improve the quality of education in UM. But the truth is that this is just another policy that smokescreens the deteriorating quality of education in the university and the country as a whole. The base 20 and retentition policy will benefit the profit-hungry UM administration who will face a deluge of students taking and retaking their courses,” said Glen Rubio of Anakbayan- University of Mindanao
Without undergoing due consultation process with the studentry, UM has implemented these policies therefore sparking rage from the students.
The students barricaded the UM Main campus in outright defiance against the profit-hungry and repressive administration of the university.
“We challenge the UM admin and CHED to make immediate and appropriate actions. The students will employ other forms of actions to demand for the scrapping of these repressive policies. Such policies cannot resolve the real problems besetting the education system owing to the massive commercialization of education. Specifically, the schools’ curriculum, facilities and modes of teaching must be developed within the framework of a pro-poor and nationalist educational system,” said Rubio.
