It never really occurred to me why some people can be so rabid about their own schools. Why, pray tell, would some people resort to school-bashing in web forums just to illustrate how proud they are for being a student of this or that school? I’ve usually viewed this type of behavior as sophomoric and obnoxious at the same time. Why should they be proud when it’s obvious that the oodles of money their parents are forking out for higher education is obviously ineffective in shaping their own characters? What a waste. What’s ironic is, most of these schools claim that they shape their students to be future leaders and good citizens. If the great men and women who founded these venerable institutions were alive today, they’d be shocked at the amount of wanton arrogance that some of their students display when faced off what they deem as students from “inferior” schools.
Schools like the Polytechnic University of the Philippines.
From school jokes, to inter-school contests to web forums and corporate boardrooms, some PUPians have been subjected to various forms of discrimination and stereotypes one way or another. Looking for a manager? Get someone from the Big Four. They speak good English. They sound intelligent, well-fed and well-scrubbed. PUP? Nah. They’re too radical. They spend half the school year shouting “I-bag-sak!” in Mendiola. Plus, they don’t speak good English and they’re not as cultured as kids from private schools.
Is it true that PUP is right smack in the middle of a “depressed” (read: squatters) area? Yes.
Is it true that some PUP students had to ride a railroad trolley just to get to school? Yes.
Is it true that some of them live by the railway tracks? Yes.
Is it true that the tuition fee is PUP is so cheap? Yes.
Is it true that most PUP students are dirt-poor? Yes.
Am I proud of my school?
Damn right I am.
In fact, I wouldn’t have studied anywhere else even if I had the choice. While it is true that we’re in the middle of a depressed area that may cultivate shady characters like drug addicts and other sickos (I’ve got a classmate who’s had her bag snatched three times in four years), even the poorest of our students provide livelihood to thousands of individuals and families who struggle everyday to earn an HONEST means of living. That’s because their daily “baon” supports a thriving community of computer shops, bookbinders, food shops, boarding houses, school supply stores and several hundred tricycle and pedicab drivers in and around the campus. Our students don’t enjoy the benefits of having private lockers, or air-conditioned classrooms or grand study halls, yet they strive to graduate and do good on their studies. That’s because our students are true scholars of the masses. They owe it to the great. sweating toiling masses’ taxes. It goes without saying thus that most students here are poor although lately some “haves” would rather study here even if they have money to burn, for reasons only they would know.
PUP is the microcosm of this country, warts and all. Truly representative of the “ignorant masses” that self-proclaimed “educated” individuals from other schools love to put down for making all the wrong decisions in this country. Funny because when you think about it, most of the high-profile criminals of this country came from these “educated” people’s prestigious institutions.
But don’t get me wrong. I’m not putting down private schools. I myself came from two such schools. My elementary years were spent with St. Ann Academy (now known as St. Mary’s Academy) and Saint Francis School, both in Santa Ana Manila. I didn’t have it easy though. Most times there’s not enough money to pay the tuition fees and the books. I guess I was just lucky to have a father who worked 7 day weeks for more than 20 years just to support our Catholic school education, whatever it takes. Back in those times, top notch education is the aim of most private schools and I can say a few were quite successful in achieving this although it’s obvious that some private schools are merely cash funnels and diploma factories nowadays.
Still when all is said and done, it’s not about the school you’re from. It’s about the character you display as a student and alumni of your school. As they say, the School of Hard Knocks is the best learning institution there is but PUP Sta. Mesa is the closest thing one can get. No amount of sugar coating would hide the reality check you’ll get everyday just by going to school, passing by the crowded alleyways and seeing some of the campus facilities in a state of disrepair. But seeing your fellow students cope with the rigors of poverty and academic hurdles and your professors reporting for duty come hell or high water (well. at least most of them), you’re bound to develop a deep sense of respect for them.
PUP. like this nation, is needing in more ways than one. It is far from perfect and does not harbor illusions to the contrary. Yet just like the trolls and orcs of the forums that I’ve been lambasting a while ago, I’m guilty of being proud of my school. And seeing those childish, inane forum posts (wrong grammar and all) from students of “better” schools makes me want to pay those writers a visit and pump some lead into their empty heads. Thankfully, my school has taught me not to stoop down to those abysmal levels.
I love PUP not because it has produced presidents and entertainers and men of thought (although we do have a share of great people who passed our gates) or because it has an aura of elitist prestige and time-honored traditions which is what most students of “better” schools are only too happy to show off.
I love this school not for what it has but for what it taught me in spite of what it lacks.
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