Society and Students Rights

by Honey Pie Maniego June 1997 In our campuses today, there is a growing interest over a number of students who are advocating students rights and we fare !"#$%&'( #he term )students rights* has become a popu ar s ogan being used by student eaders of +PH",( -or the student masses, their idea of students rights is simp y imited to ining up at the po ing p aces to cast an honest and responsib e vote( .uring e ections, weve seen candidates of student po itica parties trying to convince each and every constituent in any corner that they are for students rights( %fter their proc amation, however, student counci officers wou d /ust have to be restricted to petty activities such as pageants, ac0uaintance parties and sports festiva s unti the e1piration of their terms( &hen crucia issues arise i2e the year y tuition fee increases, these eaders wou d assume a position or decision which are not based on matters of princip e( #here are some conservative e ements in the academe who are trying to confuse the term by e0uating it with )acts of chaos* or being )subversive*( "tudents who resort to defending their rights through organi3ed actions are severe y harassed and hounded as any mi itary or po ice wou d do to a common crimina ( "ome wou d fa se y describe students asserting their rights as mere y youth de in0uents who shou d be iso ated immediate y from society( #hese in rea ity are unfair distortions of the rea issues intended to avoid b ame( .eceptive c aims and ma icious ies are reinforced to pro ong their neg ect on the students egitimate demands( #hey commit s ander because their practices ran counter to the interests and we fare of students( #here is a need to discuss the term )students rights* to give the pub ic a genera view as we as to en ighten our minds on how we shou d be conscious of our rights( Students Rights #he issue of students rights and we fare is a socia and po itica cause( Main y, it is a strugg e for democratic rights such as campus press freedom, right to organi3e and assemb e, right to have grievances heard and speedi y redressed, right to be represented by a genuine student counci or pub ication in a po icy ma2ing body direct y affecting their rights( It is a so a strugg e for human rights such as the fundamenta right to education, to en/oy free e1pression, right to be free from e1p oitation, se1ua and po itica harassment, torture, invo untary servitude, crue ty, un/ust punishments and other condemnab e forms of oppression( It is part of the -i ipino peop es patriotic strugg e against a channe s of e1p oitation and in/ustice towards the attainment of a free, prosperous and tru y democratic society( It is in contrast to the co onia , commercia i3ed and repressive character of the Phi ippine educationa system and is an organic component for the creation of an educationa a ternative that is nationa ist, scientific and mass4oriented( 5ducation is considered as an essentia endeavor for nationhood6 thus, the strugg e of the youth and students for their rights and we fare shou d be understood as a patient and painsta2ing effort, especia y today where we suffer from rampant commercia i3ation and campus repression dictated by a neoco onia ist power( %s a campus writer and advocate of students rights, I urge a student eaders from different sections and those who have the potentia to ead to assert the students rights and we fare courageous y both in stand and action( &e are embar2ing on a serious cha enge to confront the current situation which is deemed to worsen as ong as we are responding apathetica y( &e shou d accept that the so utions to our

perennia prob ems ie in unified action, not with end ess empty promises by schoo officia s and their rabid under ings( A True Student Leader "tudent eaders shou d ead the promotion and advocacy of students rights and we fare( % true student eader shou d recogni3e the strength of his7her constituents( %ny ob/ective in that direction can be attained if one wou d trust and re y on the strength of the student masses( #hose student eaders who so e y be ieve that students rights can be asserted through a one4man effort or persona wit wi immediate y be e1posed as fai ure in the end( Meanwhi e, those who have the conviction that they shou d be )neutra * between contradictions of students and the administration over issues are betrayers themse ves( #hey use sugar4coated and rhetorica statements which are meant to deceive the students because in rea ity, they dont have the face to accept criticisms( #hey refuse to rectify their errors and wea2nesses because they are egotistic( #hey do so because they distrust the masses since they start e1p oiting their position for persona gain( In other words, they wou d rather te a ie than to oo2 bad before the pub ic( #o strugg e for students rights and we fare, the student4youth of +PH", shou d conduct a scientific investigation of the rea conditions in the university campus, how and why it affects us( 8ur ana ysis and observations sha generate formu ations and so utions for us to app y( 9efore anyone teaches anyone what to do, it is important first to pinpoint the needs and aspirations of the students as a who e( #hey shou d be e0uipped with 2now edge derived from concrete information and action from co ective decision( 8fficers of student counci s, department counci s, fraternities, sororities, academic societies, cu tura groups and other student organi3ations today who are aspiring to become genuine student eaders wou d need a thorough re4education( #hey shou d re/ect the attitude of being a apdog or co aborator of the ru ing few /ust i2e the principalia and the guardia civil( ,et us ive up to the idea s of .r( Jose $i3a who, during his student days, formed a student organi3ation to fight the in/ustices of the friars and their arrogant "panish c assmates at the +"# despite their being abe ed as )heretics* and )fi ibusters* by the authorities( -or aspiring student /ourna ists, they shou d emu ate the e1amp e of 5mi io Jacinto who, at the tender age of 1:, /oined the revo utionary Katipunan, was editor of Kalayaan at ;< unti his unse fish death at ;=( %t this time of our history, the youth has a the right to 0uestion the status 0uo and to raise the banner of socia change( %s they become adu ts, they are to inherit a the prob ems besetting us today( %s ear y on in ife, the youth shou d start to get invo ved with these socia issues to attain a better future( 8f course, a strugg e wou d re0uire a strong determination to e1pose a corrupt system which imposes tyranny on the students and the peop e in genera ( #his strugg e shou d be integrated with the efforts and strugg e of other oppressed sectors in our society comprising the ma/ority of our peop e( > 4444444444444444444
#his artic e is a revised version of )#he Meaning of "tudents $ights* which was pub ished in the ?ovember ;<<<4January ;<<1 issue !pages 9 and =:' of Gazette, officia student pub ication of the +niversity of Perpetua He p "ystem4,aguna(