PORMAL na nagpetisyon ang University of the East Manila University Student Council at Engineering Student Council sa Commission on Higher Education at UE Board of Trustees para irekonsidera ang desisyong isara ang Electronics Engineering Program ngayong semestre.

Sa liham na nilagdaan nina USC President Justine Jae Calatong at EnSC President Robie Jan Esperon, ipinaliwanag ang mga dahilan kung bakit dapat pa ring manatili ang programa sa susunod na mga akademikong taon.

“The ECE Program of UE Manila does not deserve to be shut down and should continue to be offered,” ayon sa kanila.

Inisa-isa ng dalawang pangulo ng konsehong mag-aaral ang mga rason ng pagpepetisyon, gayundin ang pagsagot sa hakbang ni UE President Ester Garcia hinggil sa pagsasapinal ng desisyon.

Una, kahit na mababa sa national passing percentage ang performance ng programa sa loob ng 10 taon ay ibinida nilang ‘commendable’ ang passing rate ng UE sa Electronics Technician Board Exam. Sa katunayan ay nangunguna pa umano ito sa mga unibersidad sa Maynila.

“The passing percentage for Electronics Technician Board Exam in UE Manila was commendable for it has attained and surpassed the National Passing Rate consistently given the fact that most of its takers are not ECE graduates yet.”

“The graduates may not attain or surpass the national passing percentage in recent years but it was always close to it and relatively high as compared to passing rate of other engineering schools here in NCR.”

“It [ECE] is evidently the hardest Engineering board examination here in the country. Given this fact, considerable efforts from the institution shall be made in order to help the ECE department in producing licensed Electronics Engineers and Technicians every year,” dagdag pa nila.

Kawing dito ang pagtatala ng huling apat na topnotcher sa ECE boards mula sa UE na kinabibilangan nina Paul Quibuyen (Top 1, 2016), John Donnie Celestre (Top 4, 2016), Edgar Tobie Mortera (Top 7, 2017), at Youki Matsumoto (Top 3, 2018).

Hinggil naman sa  pagbulusok ng enrollees, ipinaliwanag nilang natural itong rekurso hindi lamang sa UE, kundi sa lahat ng unibersidad sa Filipinas.

“We would also like to raise that the low enrollment turnout is not happening only in our school; it is happening also in other neighboring universities.”

Ngayong pinalalala pa ito ng Covid19, sa halip na ipasara’y mas dapat umanong pag-ibayuhin pa ng administrasyon ang pagsuporta sa mga mag-aaral nito.

“Support from the administration was really needed by the ECE department especially this time in the midst of pandemic. The building and laboratory rooms for the College of Engineering is under construction. Both ECE faculty and students have endured all the challenges and difficulties when the College of Engineering building was gutted by fire.”

Panghuli, kanilang iginiit na, “[We] have united to propose to your good office to reconsider, reject, and let ECE Program stay in UE Manila.”

“To the Commission, please heed our calls. We plead you to actively intervene, or even revoke the decision to remove the BS ECE department of UE Manila. We ask nothing more than your actionable answer to our appeals,” hiling ng mga kinatawan ng mga mag-aaral.