THESE troubles are not about where to print a thesis and get a toga.
School end woes have been about a teacher demanding sexual favors from students for passing grades and a parent confronting a teacher and school officials for not letting a child graduate.
A state university instructor based in southern Cebu was accused of misconduct for allegedly asking for sexual favors from female students in exchange for passing grades. A SunStar Cebu report said the name and pictures of the teacher were circulated on social media but the report did not reveal them pending comment from the instructor and school.
The matter reached the police after a 19-year-old third year college student went to them to ask how to stop the instructor from spreading videos he took of the student when she was naked. The police advised her to press criminal charges against the man. There was no mention if other students were victimized by the teacher.
The report became one of the popular news articles on www.sunstar.com.ph with over 3,000 shares on Facebook last of 4 p.m. Saturday. Social media comments called on school officials to warn teachers and discourage students from doing “extra service” for extra points in class.
In Davao, the Ateneo de Davao University is investigating a father who allegedly threatened one of its professors over his child’s failing grade and consequent failure to graduate. Father Joel Tabora, president of Ateneo in Davao, said in a statement, “When a parent, accompanied by relatives and bodyguards, comes in brandishing statements like--’We are a family of lawyers and killers. We can take down this school’ --these are statements the university can only take very seriously as they threaten the safety and security of its personnel.”
The parent, Commission on Elections Regional Director Remlane Tambuang based in Davao, said he did not issue such statements. He said his son cried and told him he would not be able to graduate this school end. The father said he wanted to ask the teacher for clarification on his son’s grade. He went to the school the next day to talk to the teacher he identified as a “Mr. Pancho.” The teacher did not appear.
Days after, having failed to speak with the teacher, Tambuang, in the presence of Arts and Sciences dean Reynante Pilapil and assistant dean Nelly Limbadan, confronted the teacher. He admitted he “got emotional, being a father.”
Both incidents have been happening, not only this school year or this end of the school calendar. They happen any time of the school year but become pronounced during crunch time for finals and theses submissions.
As Tabora said of the Davao incident, “This scenario is all too common during this time of the year.”
Education officials need to strengthen rules and their implementation to prevent teachers from abusing their authority over students and parents of privilege and position from going outside the usual grievance process over a child’s grades.
These incidents call for intervention by school officials and government agencies tasked with upholding education standards and systems, before more damage is done to students or teachers.