Mapua is finished! The Glorious School is no more but a mere shadow of its reputation

[testament11]

I feel very sorry sa Mapua, which is my alma mater, naging pera pera nalang ngayon ang school. Gone are the glory days of Mapua, under Don Tomas Mapua and his family. Now that Yuchengco bought the school, ito na ang nangyayari. Kawawa naman ang mga kapos-palad...

I’m writing this post(letter) to seek your assistance on such dire situation. I’m a student of Mapua Institute of Technology School of Information Technology in Buendia Makati in the Philippines. I have but only one subject ( CS393 – Modelling and Simulation Theory ) and my On-Job Training left in my curriculum. Once I get those two items done I can finally get my diploma from my school and be done with my studies for college.

Apparently that’s not what happened. Last March 26,2012 I tried to enroll the remaining subject and the school told me that all my credits throughout my stay in Mapua are dissolved/discredited and I have to start from scratch. That means whatever I did way back in my freshman year in mapua till the present time was wasted. I asked them why would my years of painstaking work would go down the drain they told me it was about their new resolution. The resolution is as follows:

—–

Mapua Institute of Technology
The Academic Council

Resolution No. 06
Series of 2012
(Addendum to Resolution No. 23.1, Series of 2011: On Maximum Residency Requirement)

The academic council resolved that the curriculum of a program will be in effect up to a period equivalent to two times of its normal length reckoned from the time it is first offered.

For example, the curriculum of a four-year program is eight years. beyond this period, except for some courses in languages, humanities and social sciences, all courses will be considered obselete; hence crediting of such courses will no longer apply, students returning after this period will have to repeat the whole program using the latest curriculum

—

The item above states that if I enroll this term, all my credits all except for certain “languages, humanities and social sciences” will be discredited and would be of no use. I’m suppose to graduate with a Bachelor’s Degree of Computer Science in Mapua and then they told me I need to repeat the whole thing again. I started in Mapua when I was around 18 years of age (I’m batch 2003) and I am now 25 years old. My family is not rich but I took upon myself to make my parents at the least be proud that one of their children ( and the second of three sons of my father and mother ) strived hard and graduated in a school that they have dreamt one of their child to graduate. We had financial issues here and there and I worked and took the subjects one at a time in order for me to finish my course.

With the latest incident, all the money, all the time that me and my family invested throughout the years are now for naught. I asked them directly, what about those items… The money and time me and my family spent what are they of worth now? They never gave me a reply but rather told me that Mapua is autonomous enough to implement rules without CHED’s knowledge hence and such this incident and rule. I wrote a letter to Dr. Bonifacio T. Doma , Jr. who happens to be the EVP for Academic Affairs for Mapua, addressing this issue and pleading to allow me to complete my course so that I can graduate and everything be done with. The letter apparently and seemed not to have reached the addressed individual but rather my letter just got passed from his secretary to the mapua main branch (intramuros registrar) to mapua makati’s registrar and back to the secretary. I asked them, has Dr. Bonifacio T. Doma, Jr. read my letter. They would not give me a straight answer but rather point out that I can’t do my request. They also told me I should have tried to finish my course a long time ago. I did tried! but again my family is financially unstable and I can only take a few subjects at a time. Last January of 2012 which was the 3rd Quarterm (mapua uses a quarterm system which begins in June and ends in last parts of may and early part of june) I tried to take the subject but they never allowed me to since the subjet is not available. A few months back I tried to enroll it and it is also not available. I asked to have it cross-enrolled to a different school but they refuse or would not allow me. Their reason as what they claim is “Hinde pwede” that’s it nothing more nothing less.

So what does all of it mean. It just means that everything I worked hard through those years. Completing each and every course, accomplishing my thesis paper to get my diploma and graduate college is nothing to them. I’m reaching out to the mass media right now to share this to everyone you know and even to newspaper publishers etc. Inform them as to how Mapua, a once esteemed school became corrupt and hungry for money that they are willing to become the antagonist and step on anyone who stands in their way in reaching and gaining more money.

I’m not the only one who experienced this dillema and apparently more will follow and other have actually took the blow before I did. I don’t know what will they face or do if the situation came unto them. For me, I don’t know still.. I am still shocked about the incident that all enthusiasm has gone out the window and its as if even ending ones life is not enough to accept such reality that what you worked so hard can be thrown out the window by someone who thinks that they can do so anytime they wish to.

To anyone who wishes to enroll their child in Mapua. I suggest you not go through with it anymore. There are better school who would not throw your efforts or put them in vain. You got De La Salle, Ateneo, UP, UST (Univ. of Sto. Tomas) etc. These schools are way better than this money making school that was once known for its great education provided to the people.

If you wish to contact me about the incident and inquire more feel free to do so:
Email: energeist1*gmail.com
Mobile (Philippines) : 0947-883-0135

Source: [ SPECIAL NOTE ] Mapua is finished! – The Glorious School is no more that but a mere shadow of its reputation – « NendoGamer

[KERSMcRae]

Di ba papalitan na rin ang pangalan- from Mapua to Malayan?

dyan dapat ako mag-aaral noon,.Pag sinabi mo Mapua sa amin parang may sumigaw ng "Captain on deck!"..
kaso hindi ako umabot sa exam. Sa isang University sa Baguio bagsak ko- hehe

[xninjax]

whoa!.. CHED is one inutil agency..

I'm interested on what the courts would say if this is brought up to them

[CVT]

Labo naman iyan... Mas malabo pa sa kanilang Quarterm...
15.3K:jazzybass:

[testament11]

Di ba papalitan na rin ang pangalan- from Mapua to Malayan?

dyan dapat ako mag-aaral noon,.Pag sinabi mo Mapua sa amin parang may sumigaw ng "Captain on deck!"..
kaso hindi ako umabot sa exam. Sa isang University sa Baguio bagsak ko- hehe

No, hindi siya napalitan dahil sa ginawa naming Black Valentines way back 2005. However, nakalagay sa diploma namin, MIT is under Malayan Colleges ek ek. So more of compliment nalang ang Mapua na pangalan.

[testament11]

whoa!.. CHED is one inutil agency..

Have you considered seeking legal opinion on this matter?

People who replied sa kanyan blog adviced the author to seek for legal advice, kahit sa mga public attorneys man lang. Also, mukhang di kaya ng CHED ito since Mapua has the lecheng autonomous status. Nung malaman namin noon na may autonomous status ang Mapua, isa ito sa mga di namin nagustuhan before dahil parang gagamitin nila ang status na iyon sa kanilang pansariling kapakanan lang. Well, eto na siguro ang isa sa mga pang-aabuso sa status na yan.

[yapoy86]

dati sa mapua.. pag pasok ng freshmen ang dami mga 3,000 sila.. tapos pagdating ng 2nd sem mga 1,500 na lang matitira hanggang mag graduate.. mga 100 students na lang per course or less pa ang maiiwan..

ang Mapua noon ay school para sa mga matatalino pero mahirap lang na gusto ng quality education.. kaya nga ang mga major subjects dyan noon eh madalas sa gabi mga 6pm onwards kasi yung mga estudyante working students plus yung mga instructor eh may work din...

[greatauror28]

Bakit naman ganun? They could just do that to students? Unfair naman ata.
I would love to hear this brought out to TV news, and I am dying to hear Mapua's comment on this.

[Monseratto]

So may 8 year time limit to finish a regular 4 year course. The TS did mention he was batch 2003 or almost ten years ago. I doubt some of the main subjects he took 9 years ago would be of significance now especially computers science.

[niky]

The problem is it's a new curriculum. If the subjects are not an exact match between the new and the old curriculum, the school may not credit them.

If the school refuses to give equivalency credit for those subjects, there's really nothing he can do under law. He just stayed out way too long.

It's like going to the LTO and asking if you can complete your old application for the previous non-computerized driver's license. You can't. You've got to start over from scratch.

There's nothing anyone can do about it. His choice is to take all his credentials from the old course and apply at another school. The problem is, courses from autonomous schools don't often match standard CHED curricula. This is a problem that those of us coming from UP and going to other schools already face. I know people who've left UP and have had to restart their courses from scratch because schools under the CHED have different course descriptions and syllabi.

Biggest problem: Even if the curriculum is under the CHED, courses naturally change over time as requirements get added and dropped. Stay out too long and you'll have to repeat a few years of study, because your old courses are obsolete.

Does it suck? Yes it does. Should Mapua accomodate him so he can graduate? It would be the humane thing to do. But can they? Doubtful. If the curriculum is different already, then they can't officially offer the courses he needs and they can't graduate him, because he doesn't meet the requirements of the course as stipulated in their curriculum. That would play merry hell with the Registrar's records... He/She would probably not allow it at all. The school would be very hard-pressed to give out a diploma in a course it doesn't offer at all, anymore.

Because that's basically what happened. Sad for him.

[guigui]

CHED Autonomy has its own limits. This case is one of its gray areas. However, the complainant is playing wager on the odds as he/she brings this case to CHED. Should there be a probable cause for an abuse of the autonomy status committed by the said institution, CHED could intervene with this case. It is like the case of the Ampatuan, Maguindanao Massacre. The crime happened on an autonomous region somewhere in our country but the case is being tried as a case filed by the "People of Republic of The Philippines" and not as "People of the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao of the Republic of the Philippines" given that ARMM enjoys an Autonomous Status.

But then again, this case has a 50-50 odds. But the points of Sir Niky above bears significant points for defense also because of the nature of the complainant's undergraduate course. And we all know how fast-paced the technological advancements are. Wala pa ngang 3 months ang laptop mo, halos obsolete na dahil sa bagong laptop na lumabas. At baka nga in a few years time, obsolete na rin ang paggamit ng laptop due to the rise of Tablet PCs as well as Android Phones. All the more with Computer Science as a field of study, na kung hindi mo talaga ma-practice, makakaiwanan ka talaga ng panahon. No offense meant to Computer Science Students, Graduates and Faculty who belongs to tsikot.com community.

[Monseratto]

The TS can claim he was NOT INFORMED by the school that he can not take his time to graduate...

[Helios]

the practice applies outside the philippines as well, particularly to western edu system. some undergraduate subjects like humanities or social science 'may' be given credits but that's for engineering or science related degree. no choice for a returning student but to adapt to the ever changing curricula. but if he has a smart head on his shoulder, he can probably get a financial aid/ grant and breeze through the course in lesser no of years.

i don't think mapua in the days of yore when my dad took his bachelor's deg was the same mapua during my time and most probably a very different institution now altogether. every school is practically like that i guess.

[Mile2]

The said course has changed a lot since he was way out too long and many course accreditation has been applied like the international ABET and the local PACUCOA. The school is now hard press to be strict in following guidelines imposed by these accrediting bodies.

In fairness to Mapúa., Only Mapúa Institute of Technology has the ABET accreditation for its programs in BS Computer Science and BS Information Technology in the whole of East Asia. Filipino graduates of ABET-accredited programs enjoy a great deal of advantage especially in terms of employment and mobility. They can practice their professions in other countries, specifically in the United States, where ABET is recognized. It also permits and eases entry to a technical profession through licensure, registration, and certification. I was in Mapua Makati Campus when US based ABET representatives had their site visit last year.

[niwde11]

Mapua Graduate also here.
Agree with niky, medyo complicated sya kasi iba yung course nya. kung Civil or mechanical yan baka pwede pa.
still remember my ECE instructor back then, "what we are studying now maybe obsolete by the time you graduate, but at least you know the basic and how did it evolved"

[niky]

The TS can claim he was NOT INFORMED by the school that he can not take his time to graduate...

Which is bull. All college students know the maximum residency requirements by heart... especially after their first failure. Kung lumampas ka... tough luck.

[oliver1013]

Pampalubag loob, you dont need a diploma to be successful in life...Life must go on

[testament11]

One of my friend is still there. Di pa siya nakakatapos hanggang ngayon due to financial crisis. Tinanong ko siya kung natamaan siya nitong bagong rule, and he said yes. He's taking Electrical Engineering. Noong huli kaming nagkita, sinabihan ko na dapat tapusin na niya within this year (2011), pero di ko masisi yun tao kung bakit dahil kapos din siya.

On a side note, kung ipatupad man ito, dapat mas maging madiskarte na yun mga estudyante. Dapat matuto na sila na wag magpabaya sa pag-aaral o kaya eh gumawa ng mabuting paraan para masustentuhan ang expenses sa college.

Pero sa tingin ng marami, di ito ok. Tapos ang Mapua ngayon, nirerequire ang lahat ng freshmen to at least acquire a laptop with specs na dapat on par doon sa nirerecommend ng Mapua na Samsung laptop. Then sinabayan pa nito, so ayun, di tuloy naging maganda ang dating sa karamihan.

[testament11]

Pampalubag loob, you dont need a diploma to be successful in life...Life must go on

I have to agree with this. Ang kailangan sa buhay, diskarte... Kahit di ka tapos o hindi ganun kagandang course ang tinapos mo, as long na madiskarte ka, magiging successful ka. Tapos ka nga ng isang 4-5 year course, pero kulang ka sa diskarte o tatamad-tamad ka, pupulutin ka lang sa kangkungan.

[flickerstick]

My opinion on this, the current situation right now on the computer science (or IT) field, what you've learned from 2003 upto 2012 is still pretty much acceptable in the IT industry.

Example, usually first year students will begin with the basics or IT concepts then math subjects etc. On succeeding terms, you begin to learn C/C++ (w/c is still dominant on the device programming / game development and open source development). Then after that, there would be subjects that utilizes Java" or ".Net" which again is dominant on the market for business applications (majorly web applications, point of sales and back-end applications). In addition to that, for IT courses, you will also encounter RDBMS (database) subjects w/c is if you have the basics, it will still be the same whether it's Oracle, DB2 etc. These concepts will cultivate and soon you'll realize that there are many fields in IT where you can apply your skills.

Of course, there are alot of new tools / approaches that were introduced in past couple of years (cloud computing, virtualization, business rules engine, new scripting tools, mobile development), but if you look at it, if you have the basics in IT (programming, networking, web, OS), you'll still be pretty much employable and could still land a good job. Just look on jobstreets for IT jobs, you'll see alot of Java, .NET, C++ work. Heck if you don't want programming, you can also take the path of Business Analyst.

I think the advancements right now is more on expansion of tools that aims to
aid and expedite the process of software development (ironically, there are some IT project that still fails using these new frameworks).

With all these being said, its unfair for a student to not finish the course if the reason of the college school (or university) to uncredit the subjects is because of new curriculums (e.g. subjects/courses from the past would not be applicable on today) and new technological advancement. I think what he learned from 2003-2012 will still be usable on the technology what we have right now.