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November 7, 2005 Monday
UP Enrollment
It's that dreaded time of the year again - enrollment at UP for the 2nd semester. In this technological era of internet enrollment, form downloading and online payment, UP surprisingly hasn't changed much from the pre-internet days...seriously. Enrollment is still synonymous to long lines and inefficient workflows.
The Others
Let's look at how it's done in other forward-thinking learning institutes:
- go to the website
- choose the course offerings
- pay online
- print your receipt
- show up on the first day with your ID and receipt...voila!
You're done in 1 hour and there's no need to line up or even show up until the first day of class...painless!
UP Workflow
This is what I had to go through in UP to enroll in 2 subjects (only!). When I say 'lining up', I mean lining up for about an hour to a couple of hours.
- lined up at the Registrar's office (about 1 hour) to inquire about registration procedures. I was given the admission form and told to pay at PNB.
- took a ride to PNB and lined up for payment (the line went
down the stair,
out and around the building)
- went back to the Registrar's office to present my receipt and get my Form 5A. Instead, I was given a number. My actual turn would be in the afternoon already. Tired, I just went home.
- returned to the Registrar's office the following day, got a number again and lined up to show my receipt. The new personnel informed me I didn't have to get an admission slip since the one I got from the first semester covered 1 academic year. In short, all the time, effort and money spent from step 1 to 3 was all for nothing. Worse, the money I paid was non-refundable. I think at this point, you get the picture: not everyone tells you the same thing. It's like Russian roulette on which advice is correct. You take your chance.
- went to the specific college (AS) and lined up for the desired subject. Registration starts at 8 am, but the
registration assistants didn't show up until 10:30am - 2.5 hours waiting time. Some students were waiting there since 7 to be first in line. The registration assistant showed up and wrote on the black board: "registration today is only for graduating students and freshmen". This of course disqualified me and a good number of students, some of whom were there since early on. It would have been dandy if they had already posted that message on the board the day before, or maybe on the department bulletin board...duh! I protested and was promised that they'd attend to me in the afternoon. I went home.
- went back to AS and lined up again to finally get listed for my chosen class. This is for 1 subject only. Repeat this step for every subject!
- went to the gym and lined up for PE. I was already lining up for 40 minutes when the line was cancelled - all the slots were taken. We were told to come back first thing in the morning and take a chance in case someone cancelled. All that lining up for nothing again.
- went back to the gym, lined up and finally got my PE class.
Students were milling around as early as 7:30am - 1.5 hours earlier than the scheduled enrollment time.
- went back to the Registrar's office to get my Form 5
- went to the library to get a clearance
- went back to the Registrar's office for assessment
- went back to AS and
lined up to pay
- YES!!!!! I was finally enrolled...whew!
Depending on your how many subjects taken, the above procedure could take from a couple of days to a whole week. This is, if you know the procedure. Chances are, you line up only to be told you needed this and that too. In any case, lining up for hours on end is part of the landscape.
I was wondering why very little was done to improve the system. They implemented a CRS system using online enlistment, but that didn't warrant your slot nor effect an enrollment. It was a band-aid solution to a hemorrhage. This was too much it was beginning to look like a tragic comedy. The look of comedic frustration was written on a lot of faces. It was very frustrating to the enrollees but surprisingly, they regarded it with resignation. Worse, nobody seems to regard it as a pressing problem but part of the UP way of life. It was still a wanton waste of student time, effort, money and sanity to me. Everybody seemed important...except the students.
Old-Guards
I asked a few old-guards. Here's what they had to say (hold on to your seats!!!!)
- that's just the way things are
- the students are used to it
- we've gone through that ourselves. it's their turn now.
Lip-motion
I had this frustration 3 semesters ago when I first enrolled. I was relieved and elated to come across a senior administrator who sounded like a catalyst for change - someone who presented himself/herself a visionary...a reasonable-sounding person who gave the impression of efficiency. As a web designer, I had some ideas about minimizing student lines by expanding the features of the website. We agreed that there is a compelling imperative for change. I lined up my proposal where I will invest the time and labor to implement the change...for free. I thought it was my way of giving back. When I sat down again with the official to start the ground breaking, the reluctance to change became apparent. I was getting objections every step of the way - all that bravado for change was nothing but lip-motion. 2 months later, despite repeated follow-ups, there was still no word. I gave up and walked away in disbelief.
Nobody wanted change.
--- TheLoneRider
November 7, 2005
Rosby Melencio
(11 Mar 2007)
My goodness! Nothing has changed. (I unknowingly cued in a wrong line up to 4-hours for Nat Sci I, only to nearly suffocate in a mob as everyone tried to squeeze through a door.) I graduated in 1996, your story is 10 years after. I have a 4-year old daughter whom I wish would also study in U.P. Honestly, I'm having second thoughts about that desire.
Many say that the U.P. system is a simulation of actual Philippine government and politics. I must admit, it is good training -- but it is not necessary. Thanks for at least trying to help. May I encourage you to keep trying. You will be doing a noble task. Puh-leez!!!! :)
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