June 9, 2021
By SYNC IN EDITORIAL BOARD
Education has always been the first step in promoting change. It is the key that unlocks the potential of many students and aids them in discovering their passion. It gives the students the academic freedom to gain knowledge to pursue a better society.
Throughout history, academic freedom has been a staple in various discussions. Whether it is within the grounds of educational institutions, hashtagged on social media posts, or reported on the news, academic freedom caught the attention of many. However, understanding its importance remains difficult because of its broad definition.
Article XIV, Section 5 (2) of the 1987 Philippine Constitution states that "academic freedom shall be enjoyed in all institutions of higher learning." This simple definition acknowledges academic freedom as a dynamic concept. Commissioner Adolf Azcuna, in the deliberations of the 1986 Constitutional Commission, explained that its lack of definition expands freedom and allows the courts to develop their own parameters and definition.
Regardless of the chosen definition, academic freedom is grounded on the same principles that freedom in itself has. It grants learners and educators the power or right to act, speak, or think as they wish without hindrances or restraints.
Moreover, academic freedom plays an important role in promoting democracy. According to the United Nations Human Rights - Office of the High Commissioner, academic freedom provides “the capacity for self-reflection, for knowledge generation, and a constant search for improvements of people’s lives and social conditions.”
In the Philippines, it is clear that academic freedom has not reached its full potential. The education sector continues to face several problems that hinder and oppress students' rights. Until the system addresses these issues, academic freedom will continue to be chained. Education for the Few
Academic freedom and educational institutions cannot be separated. Schools, universities, and colleges are the venues where students can exercise their academic freedom. However, not everyone has the means to pursue quality education.
A 2017 survey by the Annual Poverty Indicators Survey (APIS) showed that “about 9% of the estimated 39.2 million Filipinos aged 8 to 24 years old were out-of-school children and youths.” The high cost of education is one of the most common reasons why these youths do not attend school. The annual increase in tuition and other school fees greatly mirrors the increase in the number of students who stop studying because of financial constraints. Aside from this, shutting down schools dedicated to Indigenous People (IPs) robs the students of their academic freedom. On October 10, 2019, A total of 55 Salagpuan schools were shut down by the Department of Education in the Davao Region due to “propagating communist ideologies.” The department said that it had “enough evidence” to proceed with this decision. This is not the first, nor the last time that this occurred.
Lastly, the COVID-19 pandemic exposed how difficult it is to pursue education and academic freedom in the Philippines. Lack of resources like gadgets and internet connection, difficulty in understanding the lesson, and financial difficulties were only a few reasons why many students have been left behind because they could not adapt to the “new normal” in education.
These are pieces of evidence that education in the Philippines has become a privilege and no longer a right. Academic Freedom fights for the rights of every student. Thus, it will never be truly free unless the country provides an inclusive education system.
Forcing Silence and Oppression Freedom of speech and expression is also a characteristic of academic freedom. The University of the Philippines (UP) arranged an online discussion series last February 4, 2021. They discussed the importance of academic freedom and how the freedom of speech and expression strengthens its presence. It was stated in the discussion that one of the definitions of academic freedom is the “freedom to challenge orthodoxies and established ways of thinking and acting without fear of repression or punitive action. This freedom is essential for the life of the mind and for UP’s dual role as (a) knowledge producer and (b) social critic.”
Academic freedom gives us the right to act and speak without the fear of being punished. However, recent events in the country showed the dangers of speaking up.
Progressive universities, organizations, and individuals have been red-tagged because they openly criticize the government. The approval of the Anti-Terrorism Law and different Persona Non-grata campaigns forces a chilling effect on these groups which prevents them from speaking out.
Moreover, these accusations threaten the lives of these people. They are forced to choose between staying silent for their safety or continuing to speak out but fearing for their life.
Dr. Giovanni Tapang, Dean of the College of Science in UP Diliman, asked “If we are unable to speak our mind with intellectual honesty, what else would the university be for us?”
State Boundaries
Lastly, Academic freedom should not be controlled by other entities. However, in the Philippines, many state forces influence academic freedom.
Free education, which should be a right of every student, becomes a bargaining chip for the government to use against progressive institutions. Since they control the budget given to state universities and colleges, the government can limit the activities that these institutions can do by reducing or defunding them.
Student councils and school publications that play an important role in forwarding academic freedom are restraint because of the tight budget given to them.
The lack of representation in creating state policies also controls academic freedom. Earlier, it was stated that students have the freedom to act in order to improve the lives of the people. However, their voices are overshadowed by agencies and representatives that refuse to listen to their calls.
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, institutions have called for multiple academic freezes, suspension of classes, and proper response to the virus. They stressed that being in the midst of a pandemic is not a conducive environment for students to learn.
However, government agencies like the Department of Education (DepEd) and the Commission of Higher Education (CHED) refused to listen to these calls. Despite knowing that millions of students will be left out because of the pandemic, they proceeded to open classes.
To Break the Chain
These problems are the reason why academic freedom is still chained and never free. Unless every student is given their right to education, given their right to speak and express themselves, and given the right to act independently, academic freedom will never be free.
The only way to break the chain is to continue fighting for our rights. It will take a while but it is not impossible. Academic freedom grows stronger the more that it is used. Those who are privileged enough to have it now should use it to prepare for the future. A future where everyone is educated and has the right to speak and act to pursue genuine change. SYNC IN
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