Tell it to SunStar: Students fight back council dissolution

STUDENT leaders from the Acatech Aviation College in Cagayan de Oro City were dismissed after acting upon the school’s violations of democratic rights and charging of questionable fees.

Students of Acatech have been denied training for which they paid P3,000 per semester. The students are also subjected to “sudden” policy changes such as adjusted late enrollment fees and summer on-the-job trainings not originally included in the course syllabus.

These issues pushed the Student Government to take action. After a consultation with other student leaders, they decided to take up their concerns directly with the school administration. They complained three times—to no avail.

Outrage sparked among the students, who fought back by boycotting their classes for a day. The admin retaliated by dismissing teachers who they deemed are supportive of the students’ cause.

The Student Government, alarmed by the intensifying student repression, took up the matter to higher authority: they wrote to the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) and to Department of Transportation (DOT) Secretary Arthur Tugade. In response, the Acatech admin dissolved the Student Government.

The National Union of Students of the Philippines (NUSP), the broadest alliance of student councils nationwide, vehemently condemns the dismissal of Student Government (SG) officers, gross violations of democratic rights, and anti-student policies of the Acatech Aviation College.

We applaud the militancy displayed by the Acatech Student Government in asserting for the demands of the student body. Similarly, we commend the student body of Acatech for choosing to speak up and take action even in the face of grave student repression.

We demand that the administration of Acatech Aviation College uphold the rights and welfare of their students. We call on the school officials to scrap all repressive policies in the school.

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