Page 36 - The Flame

AST academic year, the University to lecture for another period of time. Vasco added that having an MA degree
strictly implemented the “No MA, no entails one to be recognized by his peers.
Lteaching load” policy, leading to the Pedagogy and content ‘made explicit’ “People will listen to you [and] no one
dismissal of non-tenured professors. How- Former Artlets Student Council (ABSC) can question you. That is why you are
ever, in the Faculty of Arts and Letters (Art- President Vincent Cifra expressed his inter- called [a] master because you have mas-
lets), considerations were given, but with a est in teaching at the University, but he is tered your craft,” he said. “Academic-wise,
justifiable cause. not allowed for he still does not have an you are able to demonstrate the mastery of
After allowing some of its long-serving MA degree. your field.”
and tenured faculty members to teach “I would like to repay my alma mater by
even without MA, the Faculty strictly imple- giving my teaching services. But UST would Efforts to increase MA holders
mented the government’s requirement for only accept teachers with an MA Degree. I In the pursuit of raising the quality of
a professor of a Higher Educational Institu- still do not have my MA; I am still taking it tertiary education in the Philippines, CHED
tion (HEI) to attain an MA before teaching. up,” he said. implemented the Faculty Development
“If you do not have an MA, you are not However, Cifra sees the requirement as Program of 2010-2015. It is a scholarship
eligible to teach in a university,” Artlets fit.
Dean Michael Anthony Vasco said, compar- “For me
ing it with the premise that a doctor can- it should be “Acquisition of a higher degree is not a
not practice without a license. “In the same a primary
vein, a teacher of a university must have r e q u i r e - guarantee that you will be a brilliant
the corresponding credential.” ment. Col- teacher. Teaching is an art and a craft.
In strictly implementing the CHED man- lege teachers
date, the University terminated and gave should really It takes time and brewing,”
waivers to some professors in 2010. Some have mas- - Artlets Dean Michael Anthony Vasco
of the dismissed professors contested, filed tery on their
a case against the University, and won. respective
In Article XV, Section 1a of 2006-2011 fields,” Cifra said. program offered to professors who still do
Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) of He added that a teacher can “prove not have a post-graduate degree.
UST with the UST Faculty Union (USTFU), their mastery through having an MA or The Commission “encourage[s] and
a faculty member who still does not have through proving their worth in the society.” provide[s] assistance to HEIs to enable
a post-graduate degree shall finish his MA Cifra cited that an international writer giv- them meet this CMO (CHED Memorandum
Degree in a duration of five semesters dur- en international awards can be considered Order) requirement.” CHED provides a full
ing his stay in the University. However, if in a master in his field. scholarship including stipend, book allow-
five semesters he did not finish his MA, he However, Vasco recognized the fact that ances, and the likes to those who will pass
will either be terminated or be tenured if having an MA does not guarantee the “bril- the screening.
the University still needs his services. liance” of a professor. In line with this, Vasco said the Univer-
“They (professors) are protected [by “Acquisition of a higher degree is not a sity encourages its professors to continue
the CBA],” USTFU Vice-President Reynaldo guarantee that you will be a brilliant teach- in pursuing a post-graduate degree. He said
Reyes said. er. Teaching is an art and a craft. It takes that UST shoulders the expenses for the
During the implementation of the CHED time and brewing,” Vasco said, adding that Graduate School fees of its faculty.
memo in 2010, tenured faculty members even if a teacher is not brilliant but is a Doc- “For tenured professors, the University
were secured by the CBA. torate degree holder, it will contribute to offers free [post-graduate] education. If the
“There are some faculty members who his teaching craft in terms of content. professor is not tenured, then a 50 percent
were tenured before the MA policy of the “Hypothetically, let us say that you have discount is offered to him by the Univer-
CHED was implemented. The University a lousy teacher, and that lousy teacher sity,” Vasco said.
checked on the present and past profiles of does not have a post graduate [degree]. Meanwhile, Reyes added that having
the professors,” Vasco said. Lousy na, wala pang content. What if you an MA is advantageous especially for those
Currently, Artlets has a 134-strong have a lousy teacher who has an MA de- seeking promotion.
teaching staff. Ninety-two are regular and gree, at least the content is correct,” Vasco “[A faculty member] can be promoted.
tenured while 42 are visiting lecturers. said, adding that the lousy teacher with a It is one of the components of promotion,”
Eighty-nine percent of the 92 professors post graduate degree can improve his ped- he said.
already have their MAs and doctorate de- agogical skills “little by little” and that he Vasco added that a higher rank in the
grees combined (34 percent have their will be able to correlate the pedagogy and faculty means higher salary. Faculty rank-
doctorate degrees while 55 percent fin- the academic content. ing goes from Instructor, Assistant Profes-
ished their MAs). The remaining 11 percent Adding to this, Reyes said that teachers sor, Associate Professor, to Full Professor.
comprises the tenured non-post-degree without an MA but are good in teaching Each has a different level and has higher
holders. could be better if they attain a post-grad- requirements.
In the case of visiting lecturers, they do uate degree. The minimum requirement to be an
not apply but are instead invited to teach “They could have been more effective if Associate Professor is to have a doctorate
provided that “the person is of high reputa- they have an MA degree. It is presumably a degree, but Reyes said that an MA degree
tion” (i.e. National Artist or a Ramon Mag- good manifestation that you have attained holder may be promoted as an Associate
saysay Awardee). However, Vasco pointed such intellectual maturity,” he said. Professor in a case-to-case basis.
out that for those seeking a permanent stay Reyes noted that a teacher’s mastery “A faculty member [with MA Degree]
in the University, an MA is highly needed, “is an assurance” that he has competency can be promoted to [the rank of an] Asso-
adding that visiting lecturers do not stay in teaching. “[They have a] mastery of the ciate Professor only on meritorious cases…
with the University unless they are invited subject made explicit by their MA degree.” Suppose the professor has seminars, speak-

36 | FLAME