Lady Aiszlle Sitjar, a freshman Social Work student, expects this semester to be just as difficult as the last one. She still uses a mobile phone with limited internet data package for her hours-long online classes. During the first week of the semester, in fact, she was only able to attend two of her eight scheduled synchronous classes.

“Yung one hour and 30 minutes na Zoom classes, nagko-consume na kaagad ng one gigabyte na data. Katumbas na noon ay P50,” Aiszlle said. For her, it is simply not sustainable to spend such an amount for every synchronous class she would need to attend.

For this reason, she sought help from the university last semester through the Student Learning Assistance System (SLAS) and the Kaagapay UP Learning Assistance Package. But much to her dismay, UP’s promise of support remains unfulfilled.

Only 1 in 4 qualified

Launched as the centerpiece of UP’s remote learning aid to its students, SLAS is the successor of the Socialized Tuition System (STS). Like STS, SLAS classifies students into several income brackets based on their supposed capacity to pay tuition. Those under the full discount (FD) and FD with stipend (FDS) brackets are qualified for a learning assistance package consisting of a gadget and internet subsidy, which are funded by donations through the Kaagapay UP program.

In the case of Aiszlle, she applied to SLAS and was initially assigned to the FD bracket. Her appeal for stipend was approved after she sent more documentary proof of their family income, which mostly comes from the toga and school uniform tailoring business of her grandmother who she lives with by herself. But this small business has also been affected negatively by the pandemic.

Aiszlle is just among thousands of UP Diliman students struggling financially especially under the remote learning setup. Of the more than 2,000 SLAS applicants, only less than a quarter were able to qualify for a free tuition discount and assistance package (see infographic).

While the SLAS’s free tuition discount is moot for Aiszlle since she is already covered by the Free Tuition Law, she has been hoping that the promised gadget and internet assistance would at least ease her burden. 

“Since different yung setup ko compared with my classmates, hindi ko alam if pareho ba kami ng progress sa lessons,” Aiszlle said, adding that due to the limitations posed by her lack of a laptop and limited internet, she is forced to make do with largely asynchronous learning. 

To cope, she once had to record a report for a class in advance and asked a classmate to play the clip during the synchronous session. Even group meetings have proved costly for her, compelling her to do requirements alone.

Waiting game

The SLAS is a system designed to help students cope with remote learning, but waiting for the urgently needed learning assistance package has only become a source of anxiety for students like Aiszlle.

“The waiting time is agonizing. There are synchronous classes na hindi ka maka-attend kasi wala kang internet or gadget,” she said. “Ang hirap magtiyaga sa phone at mobile data lalo na pag ikaw lang mag-isa sa klase yung may problema sa synchronous classes.”

In a town hall meeting with students last February 23, the UP administration admitted delays in delivering the gadgets and sim cards for SLAS beneficiaries. Of the 1,358 learning assistance packages granted, only around 270 had been delivered and are ready for use—this, despite UP’s own claim that 5,600 UP students cannot afford remote learning.

“Ang mga bottlenecks na na-encounter namin, for one, ay yung pag-confirm kung saan ang address ng estudyante. Doon pa lang mismo, mahirap na i-confirm kasi sometimes walang signal sa place ng estudyante,” Assistant Vice-President for Academic Affairs Richard Gonzalo said in the town hall meeting.

Another source of problem comes from the telecommunications companies Smart and Globe, which UP contracted for the students’ internet services, Gonzalo added. The companies are responsible for the delivery of sim cards, for Smart, and internet modems, for Globe. These sim cards were preloaded with P1,500 worth of load monthly, good for one academic year.

But since these benefits have yet to arrive, Aiszlle had to make do with the P3,500 monthly stipend she gets from the university for remote learning expenses. But even such limited financial assistance was disbursed almost a month late.

“The stipend compensates dun sa tagal ng learning assistance pero instead na mapunta sa ibang necessities namin, sa pang-load din napupunta,” lamented Aiszlle.

Temporary fix

Aiszlle has already done what she could to help expedite the processing of her learning assistance package. She has opted to avail of a gadget grant worth P20,400 instead of a UP-procured device. The Office of the Vice-President for Academic Affairs, however, has still yet to release this device subsidy. Clearly, UP must step up to fulfill its promise to students.

“Kailangan totohanin pa ng administrasyon ng UP ang commitment sa pagsisigurado na ‘no student gets left behind.’ Paanong walang maiiwan kung ang mga gamit para sa pasukan ay hindi pa naipapamahagi?” said Student Regent Renee Co.

Despite the assurance of the university that these much-needed aid would be delivered, the logistical delays in the delivery of the learning package would probably all the more contribute to students who are on the verge of filing leave of absence, or nearly at their “breaking point” already, Co added.

For Aiszlle, she faces a situation where continuing remote learning is not only expensive but also unsustainable in the long run. On the other hand, she worries that the economic hardship brought about by the pandemic could make the transition to physical classes difficult. SLAS and other grants, if only properly implemented, could offer a step forward to make this transition easier should the situation already allow for an eventual reopening of face-to-face classes, Co said.

“As much as we want our normal life back, the safety of students, faculty, and staff should be a priority,” Aiszlle said. “Although most of us are accustomed to the new normal, we should not accept that this is the best situation that the government could provide.” ●

This article was first published online on March 19, 2021.