Friday, October 10, 2008 Students say ‘no’ to closure
STUDENTS of the University of the Philippines Visayas Cebu High School (UPVCHS) gathered at the campus waiting shed for a candle-lighting activity to express their sentiments against the UP administration’s plan to close down UPVCHS.
This was not the first time the UP administration planned to close UPVCHS.
In the late 1980s, it was under threat of closure due to budget issues.
“The students, through collective action, can take the leading role in unifying the different sectors opposed to the planned closure of the high school,” said Chito Patinio, UPVCHS alumni and UP faculty member.
“They must carry the voice of those who will be denied of an accessible UP education should the closure happen. Students can start by holding group discussions, petition-signing and mass actions and (sending) letters to media to broaden information dissemination,” he added.
The activity was organized by the Nagkahiusang Kusog sa Estudyante, a UP Visayas Cebu College (UPVCC) political organization, in cooperation with the UPVCHS Student Council.
Opposition
The League of Filipino Students, UPVCC Student Council and the UPVCHS alumni also shared their opposition to the planned closure of the school.
Stacey Kay Fortuna, UPVCHS Student Council president, said she felt lucky to be studying in an affordable high school which gives quality education.
She expressed her worry and concern for less fortunate students who deserve to have the kind of education she is having now.
The UPVCHS is a high school operated by the UP Visayas, one of UP System’s autonomous universities. (Idyll Liza Peroramas)
