Diploma mills

Media

Part of The Philippine Educator

Title: Diploma mills
Language: English
Year: 1947
Rights
Fulltext: tf-:..... ... - ~· ~:=·.~· .. On two different occasions, Dr. H. H. Barlett, U.P. visiting professor/ of botany, gave his views in what thl Manila Times considers as the severest broadside on "local degree factories" or "diploma mills," as Professor Bartlett calls all private colleges and universities of the Philippines. Following are among his observations: 1. Education in the Philippines is fast becoming a commodity to be bought and 'sold in the black market of private schools. The rate private "universities" and "colleges" have sprung up since liberation is "a matter for amazement.!' 2. These institutions are "run for J.Jrofit," and "do not allow their facu)ties to IJ1.aintain high ·ideals, even in routine in'struction, to say nothing of advanced f ining and research." 3. Calling themselves "universities," they are really false, and it is better to give · them the right name, "diploma mills" or "degree factories," since "they operate under false pretenses to bring cash profits to their owners." / 4. These "commercialized institutions" cannot possibly replace "the real thing." namely, the University of the Philippines. Furthermore, "The existence of these bogus organizations adversely affects the University of the .. P~lippines by nullifying lls efforts to maintain standards." 5. lf public higher education breaks down in this country, "there will soon be an end of liberty of thought and of a proper educational medium for discovering and developing leadership." This must be so because 'the University of the Philippines has provided the higher educational training of 60 per cent of all Filipinos in positions of leadership." With the state university "in ·desperate straits, the outlook for such a fountain of Filipino leadership is gloomy." 6. Educational i~stitutions in the Phil- · :::-· .. ippines must follow world standards of research and scholarship, except with :-: grave danger to the future of the Re- _"""~ pui:Hic of the Philippines. · - . ~ . ·- · :~~;, 7. For this reason, "The recognition % given to . . . commercialized private .~ institutions should be held within bounds determined by their material fa: cilities and the · competence qf their -.,. · '"" staffs . . . Granting of degrees should 'i be rigidly controll'ed." ·· 8. "If the Republic once, allov.:_s the University of the Philippines to slip from its recognized position of leadership, to .~ give up its parity with corresponding universities abroad, if it once allows itself to be satisfied with the. sort of edu- :;_ cation represented by the commercial private schools, it-s future in ·world . af-: fairs will have to be determined by the · number of its able young men 'vhose -~ financial means will enabie them to - study abroad. This prospect can hardly be pleasing to a democracy." 9. A university S<? called, that does not promote research is not a university, but only a fake and a poor imitation "of the real thing." 10. "vVell-known men so readily permit their names to be attached to these more or less fraudulent educational enterprises that the government is either deluded about the qualifications of the 'universities' to offer graduate work, or is forced into a false position by political pressure.'' Dr. Bartlett reminds me of the occasion in Columbus twenty years ago when a British lectwer visited tlH': .~ati!puS, /J. of Ohio State University. In the·tettu;\; . which he gave he told his audience <tb~~~.,."" his impressious (using his ownJ'W,opts • .:::f as well as I can recall) "of ~- · universities in America which ·even compare with .secondar·· ~.~ . ...;..-_ ~~ FOR MODERN OPTICAL FEEDS-SEE KEEPSAKE OPTICA'5 I .). ,· PHILIPPINE EDUCATOR in England and Germany.'~ He went on to underrate the hundreds of men and women who obtained their Ph.D. degrees in American universities every year. Since I was then in my last year for the doctorate, I felt depressed until I was told by one sitting next to me that that was the habitual way Englishmen showed their "superiority complex" and their bad manners. My friend added: "These ·B"riton behave as though America. still belonged to them." I cannot believe that Dr. Bartlett is laboring urder a similar delusion. Nevertheless, one might wonder-since he mentioned research and scholarship and being. himself a scientist by professionwhere he obtained the facts which formed the basis of so sweeping a conclusion that all private schools in the Philippines are "diploma mills intere!'ted only in bringing cash to their owners.'' One also would like to know how he arrived at the strange conclusion that the University of the Philippines is the only institution in the Philippines worthy of the title of a university. Be that as it may, and regardless of the source of his information-or misinformation-it is our purpose in this article to examine and evaluate his conclusions on ·their merit, not in the spirit of self-defense but of free speech and for the sake of truth, the pursuit of which, according to him, is the supreme objective of a university. First, the rate private colleges ~nd universities have sprung up since liberation should n'ot be. a matter for .Jnazcment. On th~ c mtrary, it was to be e.> pectcd .. ..J.u.£r.easo; in enrollment in all grades, particularly on the college level, is· a world phtnomenon. Even in the United States, which was not a battleground, -universities which had ten thousand student,s before the war increased in enrollment by as much as 1 .. per ce!lt in th~ last two years. In - ·· 'lippines, v.-hich suffered a "cul'·"ut" -·~for three and a half <g in the young people's f thirteen million educationa! years, should it be any cause for ·; amazement if, · after the "clear signal" was given, they would all want to ,resume their interrupted studies? Let us look at the facts. During the occupation, the highest enrollment in any year was less than 500,000, or barely one fourth of the total figure in 194L Furthermore, the average daily attendance during the period w~s nearer -zero than fifty per cent of the monthly enrollment. Meanwhile each year there was added over half a million children who reached th~ school age of seven. After liberation all these and those that did not go to sc:hool or went to school on a token basis wanted to enroll. At ·the time of the liberation approximately 85 per cent of the school buildings in the country were either destroyed <>r severely damaged, together with libraries, school equipment, and supplies. What was worse, a large number of the teachers left the service. In one town in Batangas, "Out of a total of 34 teachers, only 10 were 1941 incumbents," the remaining twenty-four being substitute teachers, including undergraduates, all without professional training. The University of the Philippines could ac. corn:modate only a thousand or so at first and the Philippine Normal School could not resume operation for nearly two years after liberation. Before the war the percentage of professionaly trained teacher!i_ was fifty. At the present time, it~ cannot be more than thirty if it is that high. That is to say, out of 57,000 public school teachers 39,200 or more have had no preparation for teaching. ow, which would have been better and more sensible-allow the private schools to absorb what the public schools could not accommodate, or wait for the attainment of world standards? allow the opening of new prh·ate sch9ols to train teachers, or ·wait until the College of Education of the University of the Philippines and the Philippine Normal School could have enough room and teachers to enroll the 10,000 that were ~ - · 'DIPLOMA MILLS? ~ . 7 ~~ ---~ ... lwif.. _ tli;el_l nee?ed to replac~-th5>se that had left ~::, · . the se-rvtce? . Wh,at would Dr. Ba1 tl~tt · ·. have done in facing such a situation? '• _ Instead of being amazed, one should be thankful that the Filipino people proved equal to the task . of meet=1 ,\g a j real need by opening new P' lvate schools and that the proper authorities approved the opening of such schools. For, unlike the building of a new road or the writing of a book, the education of children ·cannot be long delayed: Second, while we must admit that all private schools in the Philippines are run for profit, it is not true that' all of them are run solely for profit mucp less ·that all .of t~em do not alow their fa-culties to maintain high ideals of in.struction and advanced training and research. It 'is 'not true that the University of the Philippines is the only institution of 'higher education that is worthy of the name "university.'' Long before-in fact three centuries before the University of the Philippines came . b .( h mto emg-t ere were a number of institutions that offered higher degrees to students who later became leaders of thought and action ·in the Philippines. Do we need to· name them? Before and after the war, Far Eastern University did excellent work in accounting and · business and finance; Adamson, Mapua and lately, National, in engineering and technolt>gy; Philippine Women's University, in home economics and nutrition; Centro Escolar University, in dentistry, pharmacy, and optometry; Arellano, in law; Santo Tomas, in medi. cine, law, architecture, and music; National Teachers College, in the training of teachers. These institutions and others like them are not and never have been "diploma mills" or "degree factories." Most of them, in fact, suffered financial reverses during the depression, but they continued operating without cash profits to their owners. Centro Escolar University, for instance, had to sell half of its lot and pay the """'--~~ ~ teachers with "chits" and "shar~s" for r; ~ : . --.~ ... ·~~: qu1te . some tsme. . ,.--:;, ~ And why must it be presumed that ~;. because a-n institution is run for profit Sit does not allow its faculty to maintain high ideals of instruction and advanced training and ·research? On the contrary, the owners of private schools know from experience that tire better the instruction the larger the enrollment. Students, as a group, know which instrtutions have high standards and, which do ,•· not. As pr.oof of this, the private schools 1 that have the largest enrollments are those with known high s'tandards, such as those mentioned above. · Third, whiie it is to be admitted- that '• 3the University of the Philippines has ' its - own special lines-agriculture, medicine, and law, for •instance-it must nof be· concluded that it excells in all lines. - In agriculture it has no ·equal, for . the . simple reason. that there is no private college of agriculture. But in medicine, law, education, engineering, dentistry, liberal arts, home economics, and the "rest, no U. P. alumnus · would be so naive as to claim that his Alma Mat"U;"iis unbeatable and cannot be replaced. Speaking of research what colleges of the state university are doing or have done significant research · work besides those in agriculture and medicine? And even if it excells all the private schools in all lines, which ·it does not, ,~·hy shouldn't it, with all its advantages as . a tax-supported institution, ' preferential treatment, and other priorities? Fourth, for . graduate work the University of the Philippines is not by ~y . means the foremost in~titution. Having ,. .. examined forty-three Master's 'theses · (1947) from the ten. collegt';s and univer- · -. sities offering gradu;tt~ wqrk, I can t~utb- '~<;if. fully say that the three, tt:eses fr" om the"'",tj• University of the Philippines )n science, English, and psychology, were n9t-'rthe ''1.. best in the group. In fad, I_woufa. r.ate them as only ~verage. in . 'Q.~ti~,.. J.._d2.._ •. ·t not conclude trom thJS ··IumteP.. · ~ ·/~ Nl :EDS--SEE KEEPSAKE OPTIC.b FOR MODERN OPTICAL / / ,--.. ·:'.PHILIPPINE EDUCATOR 8 .tion that the state university is only average in standing in graduate studies. A On the other hand, I cannot, from this fact and from other facts generally known, conclude that the University of the Philippines is the best in everything, much less that it is the only university worthy of the name. (See Abstracts of Master's Theses, 1947, in: Philippine Journar of Education, August 1947.) Fifth, it must be admitted that there are private schools whose sole purpose or major concern is to make money. They are truly di.ploma mills or degree factories. But are there not diploma mills and degree (actories in the United State's? There are private schools and private schools everywhere. The diploma mill is not a Filipino' invention. In fact, We have had it only since American occupation. During the Spanish regim~ there were no degree-factories. Dr. Bartlett seems to think tl141t/ the diploma mill institutions in the Philippines would '· adversely affect the University of the Philippines. One might seriously ask : Why? Are the diploma mills in Chicago and New York and other large c1t1es affecting Harvard, Columbia, Chicago. Cornell, and Michigan universities? One would think that a good test of greatr.ess in anything is incorruptibility, and if the University of the Philippines would be corrupted by the pre~ence of dii)loma mills, perhaps it is not so great : as Dr. Bartlett would lead us to believe, after. all. But that is .not my own con~!usion.-~.I~ -i~TI6 . Bartlett's . o~n premi~?CS. ~ . ~( • _,;. ~ · · !"'"-- Six~· why · sh~uld ·one~ ee with Dr. · . . Bartlett in thlnking that if Jthe Univer. s1ty of the Philippines breaks down, 2,.lt\'ther~ will soon•be an end of liberty ·of r~ - thought ind of a : proper educational ': ~edium for discovering and developing ' ~ . leadership?" Is not ' this another of the ·many assenions Gf Dr. Bartlett's that cannot be proved? Even granted that the <•~te university has provided the .::..1;. _,- •,,_cational< tr.aining of 60 per 'il.,ipinos in position of leader~ it follow that it will al' ' ways do so? Would Dr. Bartlett aamit that freedom of thought in -the state:·.. _ of Michigan will end if the University -of Michigan breaks down? If not, .why the fear as far as the U. P. is concerned? Seventh, what does Dr. Bartlett mean by world educational standards? What world? Before the war, Germany, not· the United States, was the leading cen · ter of researc~ and scholarship. In the history of education books which I have read, including those written by Cuh · berley and Paul Monroe, we find statements claiming that M. A. and even Ph.D. degrees in America were the equivalent of the A.B. degree in Germany~ Presto! Where did Gerll}any 'and German research lead the world in 1939? What if Germany had six more months to continue the research on the atomic bomb be£Qre V-E Day? Dr. Robert M. Hutchins said only a few days ago that · two of the bombs being made now would render the entire United States unin· habitable. Jnst a little more research and one bomb will be sufficient to make I our planet uninhabitable! What a prospect tha·t is! One way to. argue a point is ·to beg the question. Why should a university exist exclusively or even primarily for research and the pursuit of knowledge? 'vVe used to believe that knowledge is power. We still do, but what po\\·er and for what end? This is no research question, but it is a very pertinent ques· tion at this time when the world is at the brink of a war that may end human existence. Why does the Western world mistrust Russia am:! the U.S. as shown by a recent Gallup poll (Tribune, Angust 8), if not because they have the ecret of atomic power? Research? Yes, but for what end! Going back to standards, is it not about time that we evolve our own standards of Yalue, of research, of education, of law, and the rest, not disregarding the rest of the world but taking' into account also our own local needs and conditions? America developed its. own independently of English standards '·, \ , .. .. -. . : ' . =~ .. " .:;· .. DIPLOMA MILLS 1 '•' ,. 9 ~ - . ~~. the qualifications of· the -!universities' · to " -,~~ offer graduate wo;k.'; _ In':ans.wer to, tl:iis ~- ~J!{ in research, in scholarship,·and i_ n eve-ything els~. Why must we be so dependent upon America and the rest of the world that we must always have to base h II . '"''h , .z\: grave c arge, • a we can say IS: L e - ,,.;; view depend-s upon .'the point of view." ::. ~:;:t _,.. our patterns of government, educati0n, First of __ all, private sch~ls are _ rende.r- ;_X;:"* -;;o~ial life, and the rest upon what is l:5o- ing a very useful serv1ce, 'wh1ch- the · ~ ing on elsewhere? What ar·e stand:l:rds government is ~nable to provide, ' and };f for? Are they merely to serve to m ' as- they should not be clos.ed. If." this ·be so, .,;·~. - . . ....,-~ ·- ... . ~; urc ourselves against other peoples, or staymg away from them IS" not the-.way. :,A: are th~y to serve to make us live better to help them improve.' I .. take i~ th_ at ~ :h lives in our o'_Yn country now? No- what Dr. Bartlett means is _that . those ··;ij. where in the -..vorld is th e double-single who have had the benefit of higher- edu- _ ·'"'--:, ... session system practised except in ~he cation in American and other foreign · · -~~ P~ilippines. That is a condition and a universities mu st keep away -from tbe .. ~ ~$; fact which we have to face. Our teach- private schools . . What a st~an~ at- .-~-":'f er-education program must take account titude to take! I s Dr. Bartlett concern- · -:,·;} of it and prepare teachers accordingly ed about Phili~~in_e education. and the.: ~~t and regardless of standards in Ohio or welfare of the F1hpmo people as a whole,_ '.;.'£ Paris. We have only a few Ph.D.'s in or is be interested only in condemning "_<: all lines, so if we want· to giv!; the Mas- the private schools and in -seeing th·em ·.,~ "'J ter's 'degree to those who may be as- closed because they-=- constitute a threat . -· :'!r~ signed college work, we ·cannot impose to the leadership of the University of +?. the sa~e standards and requirements the Philippine~ ? Secondly, if so-calle~ ·· . ~ as - those impose<! in Chicago. Only "well-known men" do not .help· the pri- :~--1 f , -:"' !\,1 thirty per cent of our teachers are pro- vate schopls, who should · help them? · '' fessionally equipped to teach. We have Thirdly, does their joining the private . :·· 'to accelerate normal work and encourage schools necessarily mean their con- . {'' ' private schools to train te.achers. The nivance with these schools for evil pur- education of the Filipino youth-only poses, or might there be a chance · that half of whom are going to school now- they be a factor for good? In fact, Jilight cannot be further delayed because we they have joined the privat~ schools cannot have college graduates to teach purposely to help improve edu_ cational in the elementary grades or pay them standards there? How can Dr. BartP400 a month as they do now in some lett be so ungenerous as to impute un~ cities and states in the United States. worthy motives 'where, for· all he • There are no fixed standards of value, or cared to ~ fin.d . except at the risk of subordinating hu- result man welfare to such standards. Stand- what he ards of education, of living, of , sanita- self! tion, 'of government, of traffic, and of VIe have J1~ard that membe~s of the everythin g e lse must be flexibl e enou gh, faculty of the University of the . Philip- ·. --• to meet human needs, which means that pines are pro!Jihited .from teacli~g else-;'•.._-;;:;i they are relative to the tir_ne, place, and where. Would it ·.~of be better, tal4l..,1t~;k: culture of the people. Standards are for a total viev of the Philippin.c edub:J- · ..,. man, not man for standards. tiona! situat ·on, if they were allowed ~. ' Eighth, Dr. Bartlett complains that to, first, so that they may help improve;-;·"'· "well-known men so readily permit their standards ir. q1e ~rivate schools, and: - ·:-- names to be attached to these more or secondly, to _.li!lab'le them to ear~~a li~:; _ ~ less fraudulent educational enterprises tie more than· tRey are no~ .,_-r,.· • that th~ government is . .. deluded about from the go:ernment? !}f'~ ": -r.F·- " - F_ OR MODERN OPTICAL NEJ.DS--SEE KEEPSAK~. OP!J' - ............ .. 10 J PHILIPPINE EDUCATOR "" .,. ',.. ;;...-: ' !.!!'- professors have to live before ·they can ~- - t'each· or -do research work. Perhaps t • ..; such an arrangement will help prevent !:~.-,, the future exodus of U. P. professors v;.;':;'. ~ to other schools, where they are paid bette·r -salaries and giv~n more freedom to us~ . thei~ spar,e hours to earn more money with which to ~upport their families on. a '·staqdard of living that befits their social standing in the community. vVhile. it ' is 'true that professors cannot live by bread alone, it is also true that they cannot live without bread. And while we are on the subjecthelping to improve the ·private ·schoolsmight it be suggested that the govern·ment do more than supervise them and grant them permits or recognition to ~: 'Operate? Likel'he proverbial chain that ~~ --. is only as strong as ~ts ~eakest Jink, the Philippine educational level will be raised only if all the schools-public and private-are improved simultaneously. Why shouldn't· there be exchange professorships between . the private schools and universities and colleges abroad through the good office of the government? Or, for that matter, why shouldn't there be exchange professorships between the University of the Philippines and the private universities? After all, no institution, be it ever so great and exalted, has the monopoly of "·i~dom and knowledge: and no private ~chool, be it ever so humble, lacks the :0:- • ·. initiath·e to improve its standards. ~:..;"'-' ... . ¥ A few years ago, ,the Statt of Ohio .::~<f was considering very · seriously gh·ing · financial aids to parrochial schools on the ground that, like all otl:e• 11arlnls· ··· ihe ~tate, the parents of tb ,} ildren ~ ~ e?ng these lichools _ pay school taxcs. ·.~~"·a,~ the Philippines we all pay the taxes . ~- . f 'tl1at support the University of the Phil-~ , . . • ippine ·, but onl y a selected few'can be - r ~- admitted there vVhy not g;,Tc some finlinl;jal aid to private schools as an in\ ....,~ to the students who can<ldated in the tate uni,·er'101 this arrangement be better tha)l- req~iring the private schools to pay one per. cent of their gross in·come from tuition fees for the supervision of their work? An arrangement of this kind would make the private schools public institutions, as indeed they are or should be in the sense that they -are a part of the -educational system of th~ ·nation. It will also do away with the negative and suspicious attitude toward these schools which, unfortunately, does not make matters 'any better either for the privat~ schools or the public. In clo;ing, may we ask our distinguished visiting professor to help us with our problems by showing how our private schools might improve their .standards, select · better teachers, train scholars. and research workers in short, to give us the benefit of his. positive wisdom and experience? We have trouble enough trying to increase the per- -. centage of the youth of school age in the , scholars and research workers in sh~rt, it should _ not matter in what school the unaccommotated fifty per cent go if they' ha,·e even half a chance to become literate. The private sch~ols are now taking care of over ten per cent of the total enrollment: Every means should be employed to encourage them to improye the offering of these schools, and it is everyone's duty to see to it that they do so by not tempting the private schools to lower standards or by demanding unreasonable concessions from them . I J .'