Diploma mills in our society

Title

Creator

Soliongco, I. P.

Language

English

Source

Panorama Volume XXI (No. 2) February 1969

Year

1969

Rights

In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted

Fulltext

DIPLOMA MILLS IN OUR SOCIETY The Director of the Bu reau of Private Schools, Mr. Narciso Albarracin, has or dered a resurvey of some private institutions of learn ing under his supervision, "to determine,’’ according to a news report, "if conditions existing at the time of re cognition of (the) courses offered or at the time of (the) approval of (the) sta tus of colleges and univer sities are still being main tained.” Director Albarracin wants to knowt in other words, which schools have developed into seats of learning and which have degenerated into diploma mills. It is import ant to make the distinction, for the limited facilities and personnel in the hands of the bureau should be used, perhaps exclusively, in the rigid policing of the diploma mills to put an end to their standing as filling stations and assembly lines. The good ones among the private colleges and univer sities need not be guarded as if they were potential cri minals, neither should they be subjected to such rules and regulations as will pre vent them from entering upon unorthodox but pro gressive experimentations. They are easily known by the quality of their labora tories and libraries and, more important, by the atti tude of their governing bo dies, and if they are worthy, they are a necessary adjunct to the educational system of the country. It is the diploma mills — and these abound in the downtown area of the bust ling city — which pose grave and eternal problems to the community. Their factory standards which dictate that no obstacles should be placed to the entry of as many stu dents as possible and which prohibit the holding of any 46 Panorama sort of qualifying examina tions are a major factor in the emergence of novel but hardly respectable values. The students they turn out, by the very nature of the slipshod education to which these have been sub jected, easily graduate into that class of citizens who live barely within the margin of the law. Unfortunately, because of the increasingly vast number of the diploma school gra duates, the government is compelled, if only for poli tical reasons which are al most always confused with democratic principles in these parts, to draft them into the public service. The result is an appalling inefficiency. This is mani fested as much in corrupt practices as in the handling of routine matters, particu larly those in which the un connected people are in volved. The other more serious result is the transformation of diploma mill standards into social values against which the thinkihg and be havior of civil servants are usually judged. In a way, the effort of Director Albarracin to do something to identify the sub-standard colleges and universities will go much deeper than his inspectors realize. The simple act, for instance, of enforcing the rule regarding the size of classes and the rule govern ing the qualifications and teaching load of instructors and professors might be the first long step toward reform and improvement. It is unwise to predict that the Director will be heeded by the owners and operators of the diploma mills. After all, he will touch them where it will hurt most — the pocket book. Like any manufacturer, the diploma mill owners and operators are after the pre servation of a high rate of profit. And this can be done only by lowering pro duction cost, and this means keeping the sizes of classes inhumanly large and the wages of the teachers as close to the basement as possible. It is comforting to ima gine that the Director of Feqruaby 1969 47 the Bureau of Private Schools has entered upon a crusade. For nothing but a crusade will clean large sec tor of private education. And nothing like a crusade will prevail against the po werful and politically in fluential groups which reap vast profits at the expense of students, and ultimately, of society. But will a crusade against educational money - maker which are also a source of funds with which to corrupt the electorate in an election year gain any headway? The fact that this question must needs be asked illustrates to what extent the scale of va lues by which the people abide has deteriorated. — I. P. Soliongco, Manila Chroni cle, Feb. 15, 1969. OF GOVERNMENTS Governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed, and must therefore trust the governed — they must have no choice but to trust them. — Thomas Jefferson 40 PANORAMA

pages

46+

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