“Sulod lang sah sa CASS. Balhin lang dayon after this sem.”
“Mag-teacher ra diay ka?”
MSU-IIT’s prestige, along with its promise of free, quality education, makes admission really tough. Each year the University has over 12 thousand test hopefuls, but can only accommodate more or less 3000. With limited slots per program, those who do not make it to the cutoff scores are forced to take other programs - either their next or least favorite, for as long as they are enrolled in the Dakilang Pamantasan.
Although this could be happening in other State Universities and it is only human nature to compete for scarce resources, undermining non-STEM programs like most curricular offerings of the College of Arts and Social Sciences (CASS) and the College of Education (CED) necessitates serious introspection. This is symptomatic of how naive we are of the contributions of these programs in society. Moreover, to consider the competencies that these programs inculcate as “soft skills” is a huge disservice to the powerful and relevant pedagogy of the liberal arts.
MSU-IIT takes pride in its seven colleges, which persistently try to improve their curricula and pedagogical approaches to adhere to global standards and be recognized for their excellence. CASS, for instance, offers undergraduate degrees intended to develop well-rounded contributing members of society. Meanwhile, CED’s Teacher Education programs foster flexible pedagogical approaches to equip students with competencies as educators in basic and secondary education. Both colleges have been serious in providing students with top-tier instruction to prepare them to thrive in a highly culturally and linguistically diverse society. However, despite how promising liberal and social science degrees are, they are typically undervalued in favor of the hard sciences.
It is easy to think that STEM programs are a lot better than non-STEM programs, with the considerable attention given to STEM programs lately. There are also more subsidies, in the form of scholarships and fellowships, on STEM-related programs than on liberal arts programs. And STEM majors get better-paying jobs immediately. However, to view some programs as inferior to others perpetuates student segregation and discrimination.
The non-STEM programs deserve so much better to be taken just as the last option. These programs offer fertile grounds that nurture future leaders, lawyers, philosophers, artists, teachers, and among others. And looking at the crucial roles of these professionals in the community, later on, these programs should be carefully crafted and implemented.
Rather than being demoralized by this gap that could have been triggered by government prioritizations and students’ seemingly lousy reason for enrolling, this entire situation calls for a need to cultivate a meaningful learning experience in the classrooms. Teachers should not cease learning how to effectively bridge theory and practice in class, and not only restricting students to outdated information but instead putting the emphasis more on realities they could eventually learn from. The challenge goes to the educators on how they may be able to make use of current innovations in teaching to keep up with the trends of time to relate better with the students. They need to ensure that non-STEM courses are fully comprehended down to their core, especially how they relate to pressing social concerns like discrimination, freedom, inclusivity, and cultural appropriation, which have all contributed to hastening society’s progress. There is a need to make it more appealing and to prove how courses in liberal arts expose learners more to civic engagements that better prepare them for greater challenges in society. Through the liberal arts and social sciences, learners would be able to examine multiple points of view, provide solutions to problems, adapt, and collaborate.
All courses have their own advantages and disadvantages. And to discredit others just to aggrandize ours is unnecessary. This does not make anyone better than the other. A-list paths to success are not predetermined by any courses but earned.
About the Authors
Justine Fernandez
Justine Mae G. Fernandez is a fourth-year BA in Psychology student at MSU-IIT. Writing has been one of her outlets for expressing a piece of her mind on specific topics given, embodying the values of always writing to express and never solely to impress. She has prior campus journalism experiences, specifically in editorial writing (both in collaborative and individual write-ups), from grade school to her senior high school years. In her going three years journey in the CASSayuran, despite the given challenges of adjusting herself to college life (in general) as she had to juggle her studies and write articles from time to time, it has been her breather away from academic all the way motto at the same time reconnect with pressing concerns in the real world. At present, she serves as an Editorial Head of CASSayuran.
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