'There is a tendency for institutions like UP to accept only the elites. I want to reverse this,' says University of the Philippines President Angelo Jimenez
DAVAO ORIENTAL, Philippines – The first University of the Philippines president from Mindanao said the country’s premier state university would work to increase the number of students from marginalized sectors.
Initially, he said, UP would work to lower the number of its students with private school backgrounds from about 60% to 40%, and increase the number of those who received the basic and secondary education from public schools. Jimenez said, “What we are looking for today are families who never had a college student in their lives. We are looking for these families and we we will provide special attention to them so their kids can enter UP and qualify in their standards.”
UP, he said, has been mobilizing alumni support to help students who need help even as he pointed out that the high cost of living has been a major challenge for many.