EDITOR’S NOTE: This article was originally published in the Flame’s first issue during the academic year 2015-2016.
THE FACULTY of Arts and Letters (AB) will only offer Communication Arts and Political Science courses in anticipation of the full implementation of the K to 12 program next year, where a significant decrease in freshman enrollees is expected as senior high school opens.
AB Dean Michael Anthony Vasco explained this was because a high number of students who came from K to 12-implementing schools are enrolled in the said programs.
“Two years ago, I got a figure that only 89 of freshmen students graduated from K to 12-ready schools,” Vasco said. “A great majority of these students are in Communication Arts and Political Science.”
Vasco said the Faculty did not compromise by choosing programs with high demand for enrollees over the Center of Excellence, Center of Development, and PACUCOA Level IV-accredited programs of the Faculty.
“Before you can enter Communication Arts and Political Science, it is too difficult because the cut off score is quite high because there are more enrollees,” Vasco said. “Even in the transition of the K to 12, we want competition. It does not mean that if there are [fewer] applicants we will simply accept everybody.”
While the Faculty caters to the biggest number of teaching staff, Vasco said the tenured faculty members may opt to apply and teach in senior high school.
“We have General Education Faculty who are qualified [to teach in senior high school]. The only thing that they need to do is to apply and be borrowed by the senior high school,” Vasco said.
The increase in number of class sections in AB for the past two years will also buffer the decrease in the availability of teaching loads for the faculty members that will remain in AB, while some professors may be flexible to teach either minor or major subjects, Vasco added. F – KIMVIRLY P. ZAYAT
