Too much for too little: A Ratio of Excess to Scarcity

Students can still realistically expect the university system to deliver what they want with so few classrooms available—perhaps?

Being the school that comes in third standing in the 2022 Northern Mindanao University ranking, the University of Science and Technology of Southern Philippines, as prestigious as it stands, may not always have the luxury of adding more students to its enrollment; given the unprecedented lack of classrooms and facilities, and the ongoing construction thereof.

The aspired “dream school” of many has experienced a massive influx of hopeful students, eager to take advantage of the quality education offered by the university. Although impressive with its academic credentials and pandemic initiatives such as load and gadget assistance, the indefinite acceptance of incoming students and the inadequate educational infrastructures to cope with the sudden surge of enrollees pose several challenges. One of which is particularly the reinstatement of continuing students from the online curriculum, resulting in overcrowded classrooms as well as deficient laboratory equipment and amenities. This directly challenges the institution’s ability to offer learners a sufficient face-to-face education experience.

If there is a silver lining, it is that the change from pandemic to epidemic led to the full reopening of the university. Yet, freshmen who yearn for a full physical learning setup must once more be compromised to make room for the upperclassmen due to resource deficiency which presents a difficult challenge as students must adjust to flexible modality and bear the associated increased costs. Although the university has taken necessary steps to make online learning as seamless and engaging as possible, it is still a far cry from the conventional physical learning environment— and the university administration is certainly not innocent in this state of affairs.

With 16,000 enrollees this academic year as per the University Registrar, the university’s positive intention on continuous accommodation of new students despite the scarcity is unfortunate for the learners who have chosen to enroll and have anticipated for the face-to-face learning, only to be redirected online and to hybrid learning. The decision to increase enrollment despite its shortage might lead to misconceptions, suggesting that the university is more concerned with the student quantity, rather than the education quality that could be expected from the supposed learning setup of the university.

With its steady growth in enrollment over the past few years, the administration has had to work to accommodate the increasing density of students. The expansion of classrooms, laboratories, and other facilities needed to handle the larger student population must be implemented efficiently to sufficiently keep up the needs of the growing student community. The institution has to ensure that the learners are provided with access to inperson classes within conducive classrooms, and that necessary resources available should be allotted to accommodate them. It is time for the university administration to take further essential actions and acknowledge that the students should be provided with a quality education without compromising their right to experience the intended educational setting.

Only then can USTP truly uphold its reputation as one of the prestigious institutions that many learners dreamed to be part of; as the university’s shortfall to provide its students with a promising environment for education is a reflection of what should be improved to aid students’ success. For now, it’s a ratio of excess to scarcity—too much for too little.