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Special Report | First of Three Parts A non-formal school in Surigao del Sur has shown how education serves as a tool to unite and develop Lumad communities. Now, amid the evacuation by Manobo villages triggered by the presence of soldiers, the school is being targeted by the military, claiming that it is an “NPA school.”
Sarah Raymundo Talks About Her Case
The University of the Philippines is regarded as an institution where academic freedom is at its best. Ironically, the case of one of its professors, Sarah Raymundo, seems to go against the grain of the university’s liberal tradition.
Youths, Students Unite Against Cha-Cha
Students Walk Out of Classes Vs Cha-Cha
Organizers said the July 10 walkout was a build-up to a much bigger protest action on President Arroyo's ninth and last State of the Nation Address in Congress on July 27. "The youth shall make sure that this shall really be Arroyo's last Sona," Alvin Peters of NUSP said. View slideshow
Pressured by the military, officials of a high school in Quezon City rejected the enrollment of a student activist. She could only enroll at the school, they told her, if she signed a waiver that would prohibit her from participating in protest actions and rallies. Aghast and angry, the student decided to fight back.
The regime of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo will go down in history as among the worst in terms of providing education. While dropout rates are common in other presidencies, it was only under Arroyo that the dropout rates for elementary and high school surpassed 10 and 15 percent respectively.
Tuition in the Philippines has increased by as much as 90 percent. As a result, the dropout rate has worsened over the years as school-aged children are compelled to work and help their parents earn a livelihood. And there seems to be no stopping schools from turning students into milking cows.
Related story: For Poorly Paid Public-School Teachers, a Daily Struggle to Make Ends Meet
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Benjie Oliveros
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