Cayetano urges Senate for UP to resume UPCAT next year

Senator Alan Peter Cayetano strongly urged the University of the Philippines (UP) to resume administering the University of the Philippines College Admission Test (UPCAT) for the next academic year to provide a more equitable system for evaluating potential students.

"As the country's national university and recipient of a lion's share of budget for SUCs, it behooves upon UP to maintain its high standards of academic excellence by, among others, admitting only the best and the most deserving high school graduates through a more holistic admission process," Cayetano said through Proposed Senate Resolution (PSR) No. 157, which he filed on August 25, 2022.

PSR No. 157, titled "Resolution expressing the sense of the Senate to strongly urge UP to administer the University of the Philippines College Admission Test (UPCAT) starting academic year 2023-2024 which makes the admission process more holistic", stated that unlike UPCAT which is standardized among all aspirants, several factors affect high school grades, including different grading systems in different types of high school, teachers' and schools' standards, among others.

The UP system has deferred the UPCAT for three years in a row now and has instead admitted freshmen based on their academic performance in senior high school.

"Going to UP is a dream of many Filipinos. It is not the student-applicant's fault that the high schools they attended do not have the habit of giving relatively higher grades. Without UPCAT, we are killing the dreams of these highly qualified students without giving them a chance," Cayetano wrote in the resolution.

"UP needs to consider UPCAT next year in order to continue to attract and admit the best of the best," he added.

Cayetano hinimok ang UP na ipagpatuloy ang UPCAT sa susunod na taon

Mariing hinimok ni Senador Alan Peter Cayetano ang Unibersidad ng Pilipinas (UP) na ipagpatuloy ang pagsasagawa ng University of the Philippines College Admission Test (UPCAT) para sa susunod na akademikong taon upang makapagbigay ng mas pantay na sistema sa pagsusuri ng mga potensyal na estudyante.

"As the country's national university and recipient of a lion's share of budget for SUCs, it behooves upon UP to maintain its high standards of academic excellence by, among others, admitting only the best and the most deserving high school graduates through a more holistic admission process," sabi ni Cayetano sa Proposed Senate Resolution (PSR) No. 157, na inihain niya noong Agosto 25, 2022.

Ayon sa PSR No. 157 o "Resolution expressing the sense of the Senate to strongly urge UP to administer the University of the Philippines College Admission Test (UPCAT) starting academic year 2023-2024 which makes the admission process more holistic", hindi katulad ng ibang pagsusulit ay naka-standardize ang UPCAT para sa lahat ng mga nais makapasa, at maraming salik ang nakakaapekto sa grado ng mga estudyante sa high school tulad ng magkakaibang sistema ng pagmamarka sa mga paaralan, mga pamantayan ng mga guro at paaralan, at iba pa.

Tatlong taon nang ipinagpaliban ng UP system ang UPCAT at sa halip ay pinapasok ang mga estudyante batay sa kanilang akademikong performance sa senior high school.

"Going to UP is a dream of many Filipinos. It is not the student-applicant's fault that the high schools they attended do not have the habit of giving relatively higher grades. Without UPCAT, we are killing the dreams of these highly qualified students without giving them a chance," pahayag ni Cayetano sa resolusyon.

"Kailangang isaalang-alang ng UP ang UPCAT sa susunod na taon upang patuloy na maakit at aminin ang pinakamahusay sa pinakamahusay," dagdag niya.